New from VPS.NET — Turnkey Hosted Applications

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Terry Myers

We are excited to announce that starting today we are offering a new full range of semi-managed applications including favorites such as WordPress, Drupal & SugarCRM. These are all hosted on our cloud infrastructure. We look after the OS so you can use the application without worrying about the infrastructure. All of our applications can be installed from our Application Marketplace at https://control.vps.net/apps. Beyond our normal fantastic cloud VPS all these hosted applications have, included for free:

Free Backups
Free Monitoring
Automatic or Manual upgrades of ALL installed software
Unlimited hosted applications per package
The ability to split hosted applications over multiple VPS
Full systems built in less than 15 minutes

Using our intuitive web interface you can manage and control all aspects of the hosted platform without ever having to leave your browser. With a choice of UK and US datacenter locations you can have your hosting cake and eat it. All of the easy to use applications can be installed with a single click inside of the VPS.NET control panel, making things simple to setup. It gets even better! As the applications are all managed and upgraded by VPS.NET, you never have to worry about going through the challenging, time-consuming process of using the sometimes difficult upgrade scripts to keep your application secure — we do it all for you!

Your application will be hosted on the same time tested, proven cloud infrastructure used by our popular Cloud VPS servers. This gives you multiple unique benefits only available on the VPS.NET cloud, including auto healing infrastructure, easy automatic scaling, and extremely affordable rates. Your website stays online for a low monthly fee, and you can sleep easy at night knowing you’re saving money and your application is online and secure.

Operating System Deployment Stats

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Terry Myers

I like stats. I really like stats when they prove me right. In this situation, I don't have anything to prove; just the need to fulfill my own curiosity. With over 100 different template options at VPS.NET, users are able to setup a flexible cloud hosting solution specific to their needs. Whether they need a CentOS with cPanel installation (14% of our user base), a Windows 2008 server (2.9% of our user base), or even an Elastix VoIP solution (less than 1%), our customers are able to easily set it up with the click of one button.

We've put together a few stats to quench that thirst for knowledge. The first is a graph showing the percentage of all operating systems installed at VPS.NET. CentOS is the leader, followed closely by Ubuntu and Debian in a distant third. We decided not to show the version number, as a security precaution for our customers.

We also have some control panel deployment stats for those who use CentOS, and opted for our automated install. cPanel by far is the largest install, with ISP Manager and Plesk far behind. There are many other control panels used on VPS.NET servers, such as Direct Admin, however they may require a manual install, so we're not able to list those in our stats.

One of the primary advantages of VPS.NET, is our partnership with Jumpbox which allows us to do automated turnkey installs. The great thing about Jumpbox is that not only is it based off the Ubuntu operating system, so it is stable and secure, but Jumpbox also makes the administration of your pre-installed software a breeze. It automatically configures the installation, and keeps everything up to date for you, without you needing to intervene at all.

I hope you enjoyed the deployment stats on the VPS.NET infrastructure. Speaking for myself, I find a lot of information like this interesting. Monitoring the stats month over month, you're not able to see how VPS.NET is growing as a company, but also which operating systems, and even which specific software installs are seeing growth. We hope to continue to provide this kind of information for you, as we see changes in the deployment patterns on our infrastructure.

Tech(s) of the Month

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Terry Myers

We greatly appreciate the amount of feedback we receive from our customers. In March of 2012, we had over 500 reports of a positive/negative experience, and based off of all that feedback, we've been able to hand out numerous incentives for our deserving technicians, while making the necessary policy changes to better serve our customers. Two of our technicians really stood out this month, receiving an overwhelming amount of positive reviews.

Earl and Jon, both out of our Salt Lake City, Utah office, tied this month for the highest number of positive experiences reported. Earl, Jon, thank you for all the hard work this month!

The most interesting positive report, didn't come through the helpdesk, but instead through Twitter, where @misangela reported that our phone support technician Parker rocked her face off. Thank you Parker and @misangela for providing our Twitter team with a bit of humor during the day!

We really appreciate the amount of reports we get from our customers, and it allows us to continue to grow as a company. If you have a positive or disappointing experience with our staff, take a few seconds and let us know -- we'll appreciate it! As always, you can reach our support team at support@vps.net or by phone at +1. 877-829-2788; for our UK Customers, you can reach us toll free at +44. 03300 882 672

The Cloud is …

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Terry Myers

Earlier this week the UN Broadband Commission labelled the cloud as being green, stating that the use of cloud computing reduces the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Indirectly, we've always told customers this, as using a cloud server can reduce the amount of wasted CPU cycles; the report however also states that the cloud is green, as it can cut back on pollutants expelled from transportation.

5280 238087765712 546215712 8025195 1690056 n 300x200 The Cloud is ...

With the UN Broadband Commission joining the party, adding their own definitions of what the cloud is, I thought I'd gather some friends and go on a trek to figure out what the cloud means to each of you! (The picture is actually me in Hocking Hills, Ohio, coincidently, staring at the clouds)

They say family comes before everything, so the first man I sought out, was cousin, and AppleTell editor, Kirk Hiner on what the cloud means to him. Kirk, in his own unique style, described how the cloud makes his documents fireproof: "Okay...the cloud is a bank of computers somewhere in the ether that store the files I send their way. This way, when my house burns down (which I assume it will because of my hard way of living), my documents will live to see another day."

Not satisfied with just Kirk's answer, I asked a few members of the extended VPS.NET family, through our Twitter and Facebook presence. We received an overwhelming amount of responses, however, after seeking clarification, my favorite definitely came from @badgerbalti, who remarkably threw in a Will Ferrell joke. I'm impressed! I didn't know anyone actually watched AND memorized lines from Blades of Glory.

@badgerbalti - The Cloud is ... figure skating Boom!

Other members of the VPS.NET extended family, including managing director, @RusFoster and @UnitedHosting, could only think happy thoughts about the cloud, describing it as "Fluffy."

Geoff Woollams shares a more dystopian thought on Facebook, fearing that it may be the beginning of Skynet. Meanwhile, OnApp founder, Ditlev Bredahl, could only muster up that the cloud is OnApp. We feel slightly differently about that at VPS.NET, Ditlev!

What have learned here from our unscientific study? I don't have a clue. Only that the cloud takes a different meaning to each person. Whether that means it's flexible, or simply remains undefined, I don't know. With some analysts expecting the cl oud to replace the PC by 2014, I just know that those entrepreneurs and small businesses who have already adopted the cloud are sitting in quite the enviable position.

For those of you who weren't able to participate in our impromptu study, what does the cloud mean to you, and where do you see it being used in the future?