Sep, 13, 2007Hostway Unveils Preregistration for .Asia Domain NamesThe highly anticipated .asia TLD is almost here.
The highly anticipated .asia TLD is almost here.
CHICAGO, Illinois, September 13, 2007 — Recognizing the rapid growth of the Asia/Pacific region, Hostway Corporation, the global Web hosting leader, is offering preregistration for the highly anticipated .asia top-level domain (TLD). Registration for this new TLD officially opens for governments and trademark holders in October.
While diverse in culture and language, the Asia/Pacific region is united by the word "Asia" and is home to more than 60% of the world's population, according to United Nations estimates. It is exploding economically, making it the perfect time to launch a TLD to help businesses enter this dynamic marketplace.
Hostway is one of only a few registrars with the infrastructure and resources to offer preregistration for .asia domain names. Hostway's no-risk preregistration process is extremely straightforward:
- Customers complete a domain name preregistration application.
- As soon as the registration period opens, Hostway submits the application.
- If the name is successfully registered, Hostway charges the customer. If not, the customer is not charged.
- If there are two or more qualified applicants for the same domain name, an auction is held. Customer is only charged if the domain name is awarded to them.
“Hostway has extensive experienced in launching new TLD registrations, having gone through the process most recently with .eu and .mobi,” stated John Enright, vice president of marketing and business development for Hostway. “To be in on the ground floor with .asia was an opportunity we couldn’t miss.”
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved the .asia TLD, as proposed by DotAsia Organisation, Ltd., in October 2006, with the back-end registry to be operated by Afilias. ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers, including domain names and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols. Afilias is the registry operator of the .info and .mobi TLDs.
Aug, 16, 2007Hostway's New Content Delivery Network Drastically Reduces Web Page Load TimesEdge Caching uses patent-pending technology to reduce Web site abandonment by cutting the time it takes for Web pages with large images or multimedia files to load.
Edge Caching uses patent-pending technology to reduce Web site abandonment by cutting the time it takes for Web pages with large images or multimedia files to load.
CHICAGO, Illinois, August 16, 2007 - Hostway Corporation, the global Web hosting leader, released Edge Caching, a content delivery network that makes image and media-heavy Web pages load in seconds.
Study after study has shown that people simply click away from a Web site that takes more than a few seconds to load. Edge Caching improves the user experience by speeding content to the visitor's browser. It is especially good for online stores with hundreds of product images, multimedia-heavy Web sites and social media sites with many user-generated profiles.
The Edge Caching content delivery network is a group of servers strategically deployed in data centers across four continents (North America, Europe, Asia and Australia). The servers work together to determine the fastest path to speed the data to the user’s screen.
For example, without Edge Caching, a Web page displaying multiple product images might take 3 to 30 seconds to load, depending on the distance between the user and the server. That’s even if it's sent over a high-speed Internet connection. The same page using Edge Caching will load in less than .5 seconds, regardless of the distance from server to user. That time differential may be all it takes to lose a prospective customer to the dreaded back button.
“User expectations for immediate access to greater content on the Web continue to increase,” said John Enright, Hostway’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Hostway’s Edge Caching offering is our answer to the market demand for the technology to meet these expectations.”
Hostway adds Edge Caching to a full line of enterprise-level hosting products that includes dedicated servers, managed servers, colocation, data backup and much more. To find out more about Edge Caching and other enterprise services, visit Hostway's Web site, or call 1-888-874-1893.
Apr, 04, 2007Hostway Acquires Affinity InternetLeading Web hosting provider integrates top Web services company to offer unparalleled Internet success for customers of all sizes.
Leading Web hosting provider integrates top Web services company to offer unparalleled Internet success for customers of all sizes.
CHICAGO, Illinois, April 4, 2007 — Hostway Corporation and Affinity Internet Inc. today announced that Hostway has acquired Affinity, combining two of the most prominent Web-centric service providers, with clients ranging from consumers and small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises. The new company will offer customers all the products, tools and services necessary to build and operate an effective online business on a global scale – from professional Web development and design and results-oriented online advertising solutions to powerful hosting and ecommerce applications.
The acquisition is the conclusion of a long and involved process that took many months. The combined entity will be a powerhouse in terms of its customer base, worldwide reach and diverse set of products and services, which will be guided by Hostway’s current CEO, Lucas Roh.
"As the Internet infrastructure services industry approaches $15 billion globally in 2007 with annual growth still above double digit rates, it's obvious that consumers and businesses alike continue pioneering value online," said Andrew Schroepfer, founder of Tier1 Research (www.T1R.com). "Hostway's long track record of successful M&A on a global basis will greatly benefit from additional scale brought by Affinity's client base and robust service portfolio, which makes this a strategic transaction in the industry. Both Hostway and Affinity come from positions of strength in their respective market segments, which together makes for an even stronger industry leader."
"Our first and main focus through this acquisition has been to ensure that customers of both companies do not experience any disruption in current services and in fact bolster it further,” said Lucas Roh, CEO, Hostway. “By joining forces, we have an increased global scale, scope, human capital and financial strength to continue to deliver superior service levels and innovative products, which Hostway and Affinity have both built valuable brands and reputations on."
The combination of Hostway and Affinity builds from an existing position of market share and strength with end user customers and channel partners alike. The company’s global reach and increased customer base will be an ideal platform for partners interested in expanding the reach of their offerings and customers looking for a complete scalable online business experience.
"Both parties are confident that this acquisition will generate benefits for our customers and partners. Hostway brings research and development power to build and deploy compelling and differentiated services, while Affinity has been guiding small businesses to Web success with cutting edge services for over 10 years," said Jim Collins, CEO, Affinity Internet. "By combining our exceptional, proprietary solutions we are able to provide an offering unlike anything currently in the market. In all cases, our customers will be positively impacted by this acquisition - by gaining a new unparalleled power for their online presence."
Overview of the Combined Company:
- 600,000 Web hosting customers
- Direct presence in 11 countries
- 15 worldwide operation centers
- 750 employees
- Wide range of products and services
- Domain name registration
- Web hosting
- Ecommerce Web hosting
- Web design and marketing services
- Managed dedicated hosting
- Colocation
- Online advertising solutions
- SaaS hosting
Customer Benefits
The combining of the two companies will result in both immediate and long-lasting customer benefits.
- More choices through greater investment in Web services
- Superior customer support through joint capabilities
- Global hosting services in 10 international markets:
- US
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- France
- Romania
- Australia
- Korea
- India
Channel Partner Benefits
The combined company will continue to aggressively expand its channel partner program to enable broadband providers, online portals and other Web services-oriented companies to deliver high value and high growth value-added Web services. Both existing and new partners will be served well through:
- Greater capabilities through combined talent pool
- Widening of the product roadmap
- Improving customer service and sales performance through joint capabilities
- Investing to deploy next generation Web services, bring new and compelling products to market to benefit partners’ customers
Mar, 02, 2007Hostway Adds Free Mobile Microsoft Exchange Management FeaturesNew features streamline mobile messaging security and setup for hosted Exchange customers.
New features streamline mobile messaging security and setup for hosted Exchange customers.
CHICAGO, Illinois, March 02, 2007 - Hostway, a global Web hosting leader, made it easier for hosted Exchange customers to manage their mobile messaging platforms. The company added new Windows Mobile ActiveSync features to its central online control panel where customers can manage every detail of their Hostway accounts.
Now hosted Microsoft Exchange customers can use the control panel to create security policies for Windows Mobile. Plus they can setup ActiveSync, a free download that synchronizes desktop clients with mobile devices, allowing on-the-go access to email and more.
Hostway allows hosted Exchange customers to use Outlook Mobile Access (OMA) and ActiveSync free with their accounts, and the new features make it even easier for them to setup and manage these features.
The user-friendly control panel interface streamlines the process of creating security settings and offers simple, step-by-step instructions for adding ActiveSync. Users can create security settings that apply to all accounts or each mailbox separately and control functions such as:
- Time out
- Password complexity
- Device wipe
Earlier this year, Hostway launched a hosted Exchange promotion offering new customers the first two months free and just $9.95 per mailbox each month after that. This promotion gives small businesses access to a fully managed, enterprise-class email system at a fraction of the cost of managing it in-house.
Feb, 21, 2007Hostway Increases Value of Shared Hosting PlansCustomers can welcome traffic spikes on their Web sites without the fear of overage charges.
Customers can welcome traffic spikes on their Web sites without the fear of overage charges.
CHICAGO, Illinois, February 21, 2007 — Hostway has updated its shared hosting plans to give new and current customers the freedom to grow their Web sites without worrying about overage charges. Updated plans include more disk space and traffic at the same great price.
Successful ecommerce and media-rich sites may become victims of their own success when they're hit with overage charges after a surge in traffic. Hostway's updated Linux, Windows, ecommerce and ColdFusion plans give Web sites the room to grow and celebrate rather than dread successes.
At no extra cost, Hostway's plans now also let customers:
- Reach a larger audience with more emailing lists
- Add developers using increased subdirectory file transfer protocol (FTP) accounts
- Use more email accounts (POP/SMTP)
Customers still enjoy all of Hostway's regular Web hosting features in addition to the latest improvements. To see Hostway's refreshed share Web hosting plans, visit
www.hostway.com.
Feb, 21, 2007Hostway Launches DomainGuard - The Best Way to Protect Your DomainsDomainGuard adds an extra barrier between your domain name and would-be thieves, hijackers and domain speculators for just $4.95 a year
DomainGuard adds an extra barrier between your domain name and would-be thieves, hijackers and domain speculators for just $4.95 a year
CHICAGO, Illinois, February 21, 2007 — Hostway has released DomainGuard, a new product designed to protect its customers from losing domain names to hijackers or having domain name control fall into the wrong hands.
Many of the simple, easy-to-remember domain names are already registered, heating up the competition for those that are left. Once you secure your perfect name, it's important to make sure no one can take it away from you.
DomainGuard issues domain name owners a unique password. When someone attempts to edit settings or transfer a protected domain name, a DomainGuard page prompts the user to enter the password. No changes may be made until the correct password is entered, ensuring only the original owner can authorize changes.
DomainGuard protects domains from accidental or malicious changes to:
- DNS settings
- Subdirectory changes
- Domain name aliases
- WhoisProtector
- Nameserver changes
- Domain authorization codes
- And more
DomainGuard costs only $4.95 per domain per year and is available at
www.hostway.com.
Feb, 21, 2007Hostway's New WhoisProtector Lite Protects Your Online IdentityKeep your private information out of the public Whois database for just $4.95 a year.
Keep your private information out of the public Whois database for just $4.95 a year.
CHICAGO, Illinois, February 21, 2007 —Hostway has expanded its line of products to protect customers' private information with the release of WhoisProtector Lite.
WhoisProtector Lite, a product offered exclusively by Hostway, is an inexpensive way for domain name owners to keep their private contact information out of the hands of phishers, identity thieves, telemarketers and scam artists.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires registrars to list the name, address and email address of the owner of every domain name in a central database. This database is available to anyone with Internet access.
WhoisProtector Lite blocks the name and all contact information in the Whois database except the administrative and technical contact email addresses. Domain owners can protect their private information while providing a contact email for business considerations for $4.95/year per domain.
Hostway's line of products also includes WhoisProtector Ultra for domain name owners seeking complete privacy plus spam protection. This product replaces all of the domain name owner's information, including the email address, with WhoisProtector's information.
To learn more, visit the domain name section of www.hostway.com.
Jan, 18, 2007Hostway Offers Microsoft Exchange Hosting Free for Two MonthsWith no setup fee and two months free Microsoft Exchange hosting, Hostway eliminates the cost barrier for businesses looking for a complete, secure mobile email system.
With no setup fee and two months free Microsoft Exchange hosting, Hostway eliminates the cost barrier for businesses looking for a complete, secure mobile email system.
CHICAGO, Illinois, January 18, 2007— Hostway has already made it possible for businesses without dedicated technical staff to adopt the Exchange email and collaboration system by providing a 100% managed Microsoft Exchange environment. With its two months free promotion, Hostway gives small businesses a great chance to take advantage of the power and convenience of Microsoft Exchange email and collaboration system.
Microsoft Exchange hosting stores email on a central server, allowing synchronized access on multiple devices. Some key benefits of Exchange email hosting are:
- Wireless and Web access to email and contact lists
- Meetings never conflict with shared calendars
- Shared documents encourage teams to work together
Hostway's Exchange hosting puts Microsoft-certified professionals in charge of installation, data backups and software upgrades, freeing businesses to focus on mission-critical projects. The award-winning Web hosting company offers Exchange email hosting plans that include:
- Free setup, two months hosting and Outlook license with each mailbox
- Expert technical support 24/7/365
- Spam and virus filters, disaster recovery and nightly backups
- Class-A data centers with redundant networks and a 99.9% uptime guarantee
Hostway's two months free Microsoft Exchange hosting applies to first-time Exchange users and companies that want to move their in-house Exchange to a hosted Exchange solution.
Nov, 07, 2006Hostway Launches .Mobi-Compliant Web Site BuilderHostway offers a template-based Web site builder tool to help customers get their .mobi-compliant Web sites up and running quickly.
Hostway offers a template-based Web site builder tool to help customers get their .mobi-compliant Web sites up and running quickly.
CHICAGO, Illinois, November 7, 2006—Building a complete .mobi Web site just got easier for Hostway customers. The company now offers a Mobile Business SiteBuilder as an add-on feature with .mobi domain name registrations.
Customers can design the following six Web pages with the template-based Mobile Business SiteBuilder tool:
- Homepage—Upload an image
- About Us—Enter company information
- Products and Services—List product specifications for up to five products
- News—Include company news, press coverage and information on up to three upcoming events or trade shows
- Directory—List contact information of up to five employees
- Contact Us—Add company contact information
- Additional Features—Include a Google Map and upload more than 20 images
Each page created with this tool complies with ICANN’s .mobi guidelines to ensure quick download times.
Although many people can access Internet services from their mobile phone, nearly three quarters (73%) are not using this feature. However, 90% of respondents said that they would use mobile Internet if they could be sure that pages would load faster, and they wouldn’t incur high costs from their mobile operator, according to a UK-based survey by Hostway and independent research body TNS.
“.Mobi was created to remedy the problems found in our survey by ensuring that .mobi Web sites are easy to access from a mobile phone,” noted John Lee, vice president of global marketing for Hostway. “Our Mobile Business SiteBuilder tool makes it quick and easy for our customers to design a .mobi-compliant Web site that lets their customers easily access the Web site from anywhere.”
Approved by ICANN, .mobi is backed by leading mobile operators, network device manufacturers and Internet content providers worldwide including: Ericsson, Google, GSM Association, Hutchison, Microsoft, Nokia, Orascom Telecom, Samsung Electronics, Syniverse, T-Mobile, Telefónica Móviles, TIM and Vodafone.
To learn more about how Hostway’s Mobile Business SiteBuilder tool can take your business mobile, please visit Mobile Business SiteBulider.
Oct, 17, 2006Hostway Presents Free Webinar for Cable and Telecommunications CompaniesWeb hosting leader presents live webinar to show cable TV and telecommunications companies how Web hosting can increase their revenues and customer retention.
Web hosting leader presents live webinar to show cable TV and telecommunications companies how Web hosting can increase their revenues and customer retention.
CHICAGO, Illinois, October 17, 2006—On October 31, 2006 at 10:30 a.m. (CST), Hostway will present a live webinar to explain how cable TV and telecommunications companies can offer Web hosting to capitalize on the significant growth expected in the Web hosting industry.
The US Web hosting market will become a $14.5 billion industry by 2010, up $7.6 billion from 2005, according to IDC’s US Web Hosting Services Forecast 2006-2010.
“Now that cable and telecommunications companies offer Internet service, Web hosting is the next logical product to add to their bundled service offering,” said John Lee, director of global marketing for Hostway. “This webinar gives these companies the opportunity to learn from highly reputable and respected panelists how to incorporate hosting into their product mix and how this important addition will help them increase revenue and customer retention.”
Participants can register for “Generate New Revenue Streams with Web Hosting,” on Hostway’s Web site.
Panelists include:
- Mike Kallet, CEO and founder of HeadScratchers, a technology consulting company
- Web hosting market trends
- Cliff Boodoosingh, managing editor of TopHosts.com, an independent Web hosting directory
- Art Matteotti, vice president of global sales at Hostway, a leading provider of Web hosting and online services
"Offering professionally managed, outsourced Web hosting and email services to small- and medium-sized businesses is a great way to quickly and profitably get in the game of adding value to their customers and requires virtually no internal development or capital," said Kallet.
Kallet will discuss pain points in the cable and telecommunications market and how Web hosting and online services can help alleviate those aches. As a former technology and operations executive, Kallet has lead the creation and delivery of award-winning products and services for a variety of computer and communications technology markets.
“Meeting the needs of the customer by creating and shaping value-added services is the primary challenge faced by hosting service providers. Those hoping to drive sustainable revenues in this market had better be up to speed or delve quickly into the outsourcing alternative, or they face being left behind,” said Boodoosingh.
He will share his expert opinion on the Web hosting market and how outsourcing Web hosting gives cable and telecommunications companies room to grow quickly.
Matteotti will moderate the Web seminar and offer insight on how Web hosting can create customer stickiness by maximizing end-user adoption.
Oct, 10, 2006Hostway Ranked #1 Web Hosting Provider by TopHosts.com for the 7th Straight YearAward recognizes Hostway’s service, technology and commitment to customers.
Award recognizes Hostway’s service, technology and commitment to customers.
CHICAGO, Illinois, October 10, 2006—TopHosts.com has chosen Hostway Corporation, a leading provider of Web hosting and online services, as the number one Web hosting provider for their Top 25 Web Hosts rankings for October. The influential Web hosting industry observer has consistently selected Hostway as the top provider since 2000 based on the Hostway’s exceptional dedication to service and technology and its continued commitment to its customers.
"Hostway is honored to be recognized by TopHosts.com as the number one Web hosting provider for October. This recognition highlights our commitment to deliver the best service to our customers," said John Lee, vice president of global marketing for Hostway. “This award is also significant to the Hostway team because it is partially based on feedback from our peers in the Web hosting community.”
Each month, review panels sort through thousands of applications from hosting companies and conduct rigorous product testing for each applicant. Panels consider many factors, such as the company’s competitive advantages, technological offerings, pricing, value-added services, usability, uptime guarantee, customer and technical support and average response time. These findings are combined with user feedback from the hundreds of thousands of Webmasters that visit TopHosts.com and serve as the basis for granting the awards.
Sep, 25, 2006Hostway Adds 22 Domain Extensions to Its Domain Name Registration PortfolioLeading Web hosting company expands its domain name offering to include 92 top-level domains (TLDs).
Leading Web hosting company expands its domain name offering to include 92 top-level domains (TLDs).
CHICAGO, Illinois, September 25, 2006—Hostway has become a registrar for 22 more TLDs, bringing its full offering to 92 TLDs. The move gives customers the added convenience of registering all or most of their domain names with a single company.
"With the addition of these 22 new domain name extensions, Hostway is step closer to becoming the one-stop shop for customers’ domain name registration needs,” said John Lee, vice president of global marketing for Hostway. "We are not going to stop until we cover all domain name extensions.” Registering with one source consolidates all domain names into one convenient domain name management account. Hostway’s domain name management accounts allow customers to:
- Edit nameservers and Whois information on their accounts
- Use a free parking page until they're ready to launch a Web site
- Forward domain names to another Web site while keeping the original URL in the browser window
- Create a one-page, online business card using a template
- Manage all domain name features in a simple, Web-based control panel
To view the full list of country code TLDs offered by Hostway, visit Hostway’s Web site.
Aug, 28, 2006Hostway Offers Incentive to Register Trademark .Mobi Domain Names NowHostway gives a free .mobi Web page builder with each .mobi name registered during the trademark sunrise period, which has been extended through September 22nd.
Hostway gives a free .mobi Web page builder with each .mobi name registered during the trademark sunrise period, which has been extended through September 22nd.
CHICAGO, Illinois, August 28, 2006—Trademark holders who register their .mobi domain names through Hostway during the trademark sunrise period will receive a free .mobi Web page builder. The trademark sunrise period has just been extended through September 22nd. During this time, national trademark holders may register their trademark as a .mobi domain name if the trademark was filed before July 11, 2005 and is actively registered.
"We are confident that the .mobi revolution will take off because it’s sponsored by the most prominent mobile and Internet players in the world—the very same companies who delivered the promise of today's information society,” said John Lee, vice president of global marketing for Hostway. "We want to ensure our customers have access to this new technology, so we’re making it easy for them to design a .mobi-compliant Web site with our template-based Web site builder. It is currently available for free with each .mobi domain name registered through Hostway.”
Leading mobile operators, network device manufacturers and Internet content providers worldwide have backed the new domain, including: Ericsson, Google, GSM Association, Hutchison, Microsoft, Nokia, Orascom Telecom, Samsung Electronics, Syniverse, T-Mobile, Telefónica Móviles, TIM and Vodafone.
ICANN approved the .mobi top-level domain, which was created to signal to mobile-device users that a Web page is optimized for viewing on cell phones and personal digital assistants. The .mobi registry has created a set of guidelines to overcome the past issues experienced with accessing the Internet from a mobile device such as high bandwidth cost, low content quality and slow access. The trademark sunrise period gives trademark holders the opportunity to register their trademarks in the .mobi domain before someone else does. After September 22, registration opens to the general public. That’s why trademark holders are strongly encouraged to register their domain name before the sunrise period ends.
To learn how .mobi takes businesses mobile, visit Hostway’s Web site.