Reselling Host Search Questions...
Posted by go24, 09-04-2002, 12:08 AM Ive been looking at numerous websites today and noticed that many of the providers who offer reseller accounts offer the same thing. How can I tell if I am dealing with a middle man or the company who has the servers themselves. I prefer to eliminate the middleman altogether if possible. I am new to the whole reselling bit and have been paying for individual accounts for each domain that I currently maintain and would basically like to save myself some time and money (wouldnt we all). I've got a little under two weeks to find a new host and want to be particular that I know what I'm getting into this time. I am not unhappy with my current host, its just time to upgrade now that I know other options are out there. Anyone know anything about KCDWorks? They look promising but I cant find anything on the boards about them. Are they a middle man? Any ideas or suggestions on which hosts are reliable would be greatly appreciated. Ive read until my eyes are about to cross and I don't feel as though Im any better off than I was this morning.
Posted by The3bl, 09-04-2002, 01:50 AM Depends on what you define as middle man. I would dare say 95% of the host offering reseller plans lease servers in a data center. There are only a few I can think of that also own the data center. For that matter 95% of the host here lease servers or colocate them in a data center some where. In my opinion that is not a middle man, if you get right down to it even the data center is a middle man for the bandwidth providers.
Posted by Aussie Bob, 09-04-2002, 03:20 AM I would also dare to say that a host who owns their datacenter is possibly at greater risk of financial difficulties and at greater risk of being the victim of a hacker attack. Having all your servers under the 1 roof is not always the best solution, IMO. All it would take is a group of hackers with a grudge and they could basically shut down your datacenter with constant DDOS attacks and eventually kill your business. It happens.... Put it this way, I'd rather have 150 servers spread out over 10 datacenters than having them all under the 1 roof. But then again, I'm a paranoid chap.
Posted by Suffolk Designs, 09-04-2002, 06:32 AM Planning to expand ??
Posted by Aussie Bob, 09-04-2002, 06:59 AM Maybe.... Small fish are sweet, though.
Posted by go24, 09-04-2002, 10:12 AM I don't mind dealing nwith someone who leases servers from different locations. I just don't want to purchase a 2gb reseller package from someone who only has a 6gb package himself. I am currently in that type of setup (on a much smaller scale) and I need more flexibility for higher profit margins. I can see the logic in hosting at different locations and will be doing so myself more than likely. I have spoken with someone at KCDWorks and they seem to have great support before the sale. The main thing that is concerning me about them is that they only go into reselling this year. Id really like to get with someone whos been in the market a bit longer.
Posted by lpguitars, 09-04-2002, 12:17 PM Yes, I understand your question. You don't want to be a reseller of a reseller. *********** for example - www.***********.com is nothing more than a reseller for OLM. When you buy a *********** plan you are actually getting an OLM plan except for about $10 more and with the inefficiencies of a middleman. The easiest way to tell is simply ask. Also, do whois searches on their IP addresses and see if things add up. RackShack.net, VisionHosting.net, ***** all offer great tier one reseller plans.
Posted by lpguitars, 09-05-2002, 10:15 AM Hey, can you please tell me why some of the names I posted above are star'd out and some are not?
Posted by nivlek78, 09-05-2002, 10:18 AM starred names means they have been banned = better stay away from them
Posted by Aussie Bob, 09-05-2002, 10:28 AM Yep it means the Mods banned them due to them breaking the rules.
Posted by AussieHosts, 09-05-2002, 12:36 PM I guess it depends on why you are reselling. If it's for ease, or because you have other commitments...then growing with your provider is fine. Many industries employ a "just in time" provisioning program. Why would your provider need to have (and pay for) more capacity than he needs right now (ovbiously with some forward planning in place though)? If they are not in a position to accomodate your growth then you would have something to worry about though. Cheers Gary
Posted by kcdworks, 09-06-2002, 04:17 PM Hi go24, We lease all of our servers from a very well known provider, and have been in business as a Technical Services company since 1999. In March of 2002, we moved into webhosting, and offer an array of stable services, and include free support for our resellers' customers via the reseller's OWN web forum or helpdesk. Unlike many other new hosts, we do not have costs that are below profitability, and we do everything within our power to keep our servers fast and responsive. Our company survived the IT industry slowdown, and we are rebounding with a vengence. If you need any other information about our company, I would be glad to provide it. My personal ICQ number is 58286649 and my AIM screenname is ShujiYomo. Feel free to message me. Thanks!