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(Ping! Zine Web Hosting Magazine) – GlowHost.com, Inc., a decade-long leader in high-availability Web hosting solutions, today launched a line of Cloud hosting services designed to deliver a next-generation hosting platform for small to medium sized businesses. The new services lead the industry in price, features, and capability.

The company’s Cloud hosting solutions, branded as Cloud VDS, offer several key benefits over traditional dedicated servers. Namely, Cloud hosting provides greater redundancy and reliability than a dedicated server, because computing resources are distributed across a wide array of hardware devices, instead of one physical machine. Additionally, since server resources are utilized more efficiently, GlowHost can deliver the service at a much lower cost than a comparable dedicated server solution.

“Our new Cloud VDS uses virtualization technology with a long track record of stability, security, and reliability. In fact, it powers more than half of the world’s public clouds in service today. Not only can we provide greater computing capacity at a lower cost, but we can offer our customers a substantially greater level of control and scalability. Our prices and features can beat every one of our major competitors, and we are poised to remain a market leader in this emerging sector,” said Matt Lundstrom, GlowHost president. “It’s time to move away from older generations of hosting technology, because the business case for those technologies has vanished.”

Unlike other providers who offer generic Cloud hosting solutions without disclosing technical details, GlowHost is clear in its specifications. All Cloud VDS plans include specific CPU, RAM, and data storage resource allotments, with instant scalability available in the event of usage spikes. Data is protected by redundancy on multiple Storage Area Networks (SANs), and servers receive power from two completely independent electric grid sources. Customers can also completely customize their Cloud hosting solution, including selecting from more than 30 different operating systems, and
Cloud customers enjoy rebootless kernel updates ensuring even higher website availability.

Cloud hosting starts at $75/month for full management and an array of features. To learn more about Cloud hosting solutions from GlowHost, please visit http://glowhost.com/cloud-vds.

GlowHost Launches Cloud Hosting Solutions for SMBs

(The Hosting News) – A massive botnet has been discovered by a researcher at Kaspersky lab. Named TDL-4, the botnet is said to have already affected nearly four and a half millions computers.

On Securelist.com, Kaspersky writes, “The malware detected by Kaspersky Anti-Virus as TDSS is the most sophisticated threat today. TDSS uses a range of methods to evade signature, heuristic, and proactive detection, and uses encryption to facilitate communication between its bots and the botnet command and control center.”

The first version of TDL appeared in 2008. However, the latest version of TDL is said to be the most advanced and has a “powerful rootkit component.” Securelist states that this “allows it to conceal the presence of any other types of malware in the system.”

Another feature that makes TDL so dangerous is that it contains a component that acts as its own antivirus, thus making it secure from other malicious software.

Botnet viruses load onto multiple computer systems, thus creating networks of infected computers. The botnet’s operators can then access the infected systems remotely. Botnets give the operators the ability to use the compromised systems to steal data, launch attacks on other systems, spread spam, and conduct other malicious actions.

Most recently in April, federal investigators in the United States worked to end a botnet known as Coreflood. Coreflood is thought to have existed for nearly 10 years, infecting around 2 million personal computers. While it’s unknown how much victims of Coreflood lost, some analysts believe that the bot’s operators could have stolen money that amounted in the hundreds of thousands.

You can view Securelist’s entire post on the matter here: http://www.securelist.com/en/analysis/204792180/TDL4_Top_Bot

Giant Botnet Discovered by Kaspersky

(The Hosting News) – A new area in China’s city of Chongqing will allow data centers and cloud businesses to have unlimited internet access. The move was recently approved by the city’s municipal government.

Unlimited internet access allows foreign companies to work outside the country’s internet filtering system.

Meanwhile, a new report by IDG News Service shows that some have seen the move as unfair to the country’s citizens.

A critic of the move is Phelim Kine of Human Rights Watch. IDG News Service recently cited Kine as arguing against the move because it gives foreign companies internet access that isn’t afforded to actual citizens of the country.

China’s government blocks access to particular websites by its citizens. For example, China has had petition site Change.org blocked for some time now. The site faced downtime earlier this year due to a breach of its systems. The breach was said to be related to China’s arrest of artist Ai WeiWei.

In the past China has  blocked other prominent sites including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Meanwhile, the country has received criticism over its human rights record from other nations including the United States.

You can view the entire report by IDG News Service at ComputerWorld: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218048/Chinese_city_draws_ire_with_controversial_cloud_zone

New Cloud Area in China Stirs Rights Debate

(The Hosting News) – 4PSA, the leading-edge Cloud Computing software development company has announced today the revamp of its online discussion group on LinkedIn under a new name, The Social Unified Communications Group.

Previously known as VoipNow, the group has been created and shaped based on 4PSA’s award-winning Unified Communications solution with the goal of granting VoipNow users a place that facilitates the exchange of information, ideas, and insights on the VoipNow Platform as well as the Unified Communications and Telecom market.

“The definition of Unified Communications is constantly evolving. Bringing together all communication flows, including the social component is a top priority to 4PSA. We want to provide a friendly area to discuss about the latest progress in UC, exchange ideas, share knowledge and keep in touch with the most recent developments. Our editors will centralize the most important news in the UC field and make them available to the group.”, said Elena Carstoiu, 4PSA’s VP of Sales and Marketing.

To reflect the ongoing development of the VoipNow Platform as well as the evolution of Unified Communications as a whole, the group’s reach has been extended to all service providers, integrators, end-users and technology enthusiasts willing to participate in and contribute to the next generation UC platforms.

“4PSA is working on bringing more than Social Communications to the VoipNow Communications Hub, simplifying the users’ life and helping organizations stay better interconnected through web services. The open community profile reflects our vision of the evolution of the Social Unified Communications in the cloud. It’s all about communicating, so please join us and share your thoughts.”, also added Ms. Carstoiu.

Discussions on The Social Unified Communications Group will be open to all LinkedIn users. However, only members will be allowed to take part. The group is available at: http://www.4PSA.com/linkedin.

About 4PSA

4PSA® is a leading innovative software development company, specialized in applications that run on computer clouds. The company provides, under the 4PSA® brand, solutions that help service providers and enterprises better manage their IT infrastructure, automate processes, and deliver improved communication services.

The 4PSA flagship solution is VoipNow® Platform, a suite of software applications designed to accelerate Unified Communications adoption by businesses and end-users. The products are built around cloud computing and provide unrivaled performance with the most comprehensive features, massive scalability, and the ultimate in automation. With the Green Commitment program, the company optimizes the use of power resources and helps organizations reduce carbon emissions. 4PSA is ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management certified by TÜV CERT.

For more info, please visit http://www.4PSA.com, follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/4PSA, like us on Facebook at http://www.fb.com/4PSAcom or join our LinkedIn group at http://www.4PSA.com/linkedin.

4PSA Presents New Group on LinkedIn

(The Hosting News) - NetHosting, a leading provider of Cloud, Dedicated Server, VPS Server, and Virtual Hosting solutions since 1994, has recently announced that its lineup of premier hosting products will fully support the newest edition of the CentOS operating system, CentOS 6, which is scheduled to make its official debut on the Fourth of July.

Estimations concerning the release date of the long-awaited upgrade have circulated through tech forums since late 2010 after the release of Red Hat’s RHEL 6 operating system, also supported by NetHosting. As a free, Enterprise-class Linux Distribution, CentOS is a highly sought after product with a massive community of developers, system and network administrators, and other Linux enthusiasts worldwide.

“Because CentOS is an open source service, the Fourth of July, as a celebration of liberty, seems to be an appropriate release date for version 6,” joked Mr. Lane Livingston, NetHosting’s CEO. “We’re pleased to support an operating system that is made freely available to the public through a devoted network of knowledgeable professionals. We understand that kind of dedication here at NetHosting.”

Other systems supported by NetHosting’s hosting products include Fedora, FreeBSD, Ubuntu, Debian, DirectAdmin, cPanel, and Windows.

About NetHosting

NetHosting has delivered custom hosting solutions for nearly fifteen years. Serving enterprises of every size, its products include a broad range of cloud hosting and storage options as well as dedicated, managed, and virtual hosting services. Housed within a state-of-the-art PCI certified data center, each service is packaged with a 100% uptime guarantee and the personal support of a Dedicated Expert™.

Curious to know what sets NetHosting’s Dedicated Experts apart from other support teams? Find out athttp://www.nethosting.com or follow us @nethosting on Twitter.

CentOS 6 Now Supported on Cloud, Dedicated and VPS

(The Hosting News) - GlobalSign, one of the longest established Certification Authorities (CA), and specialists in SSL security, today announced it has partnered with CloudFlare to offer its malware detection and early warning system, HackAlert, via CloudFlare Apps. HackAlert will protect CloudFlare’s customer base by identifying drive-by downloads and providing alarms for “zero-day” malware threats hidden in websites, protecting website owners and their customers from the damaging effects of malware.

Everyday thousands of websites are hacked and used as vehicles to distribute malware to website visitors. Malicious code is injected into unsuspecting websites to compromise PCs and spread virus’, hijack computers, or steal personal data. Once a website becomes infected with malware, the damages are usually irreversible; search engines like Google will flag the infected site and alert potential visitors of the danger of visiting the site in the search results and the browser interface, immediately driving down website traffic, and in turn causing loss of brand reputation and revenue.

Introducing HackAlert to CloudFlare’s customer base via CloudFlare Apps will give website owners an early warning and detection solution should their site be injected with malicious code. HackAlert uses numerous techniques to actively analyze the content of each webpage for signs of compromise and ensure even the newest and most advanced malware distribution techniques are identified. Delivered as a cloud-based web service, users do not have to install or download any software. Users are immediately notified via real-time if malicious code is found on their site with the snippet of malicious code for quickly and easy remedy, essentially allowing website owners to confidently do business with their customers knowing their website, customers, and brand reputation will be protected.

“CloudFlare is committed to web security,” said Matthew Prince, CEO and Co-founder of CloudFlare.”That’s why we are pleased to add GlobalSign’s HackAlert service to our new Apps marketplace, specifically for websites owners who will benefit from early compromise warnings to ensure their valuable websites are not blacklisted by search engines like Google.”

“GlobalSign anticipates the introduction of HackAlert Malware monitoring technology to CloudFlare’s customer base will help raise awareness of zero-day threats as well as response to the increasing demand for web based protection services.” said Steve Waite, Chief Marketing Officer, GlobalSign. “We are dedicated to helping organizations implement malware detection to protect their customers, their search engine traffic, and their corporate brand.”

Introduced at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt New York City, CloudFlare Apps is a service that makes installing web applications fast, safe and one-click simple. CloudFlare Apps allow web applications to be activated through CloudFlare without requiring code changes.  The HackAlert solution is now available via CloudFlare Apps. Users simply sign up through CloudFlare’s dashboard and HackAlert will begin immediately monitoring users’ web pages. The HackAlert plan allows for daily monitoring up to 100 pages and includes immediate notification via email along with the snippet of malicious code for quick and easy removal.

HackAlert is available via the CloudFlare App marketplace starting at $49 per year. For more information on HackAlert and CloudFlare’s Apps visit https://www.cloudflare.com/apps/hackalert/

About CloudFlare

CloudFlare, Inc. makes sites twice as fast, protects them from attacks, ensures they are always online, and makes it simple to add web apps with a single click. CloudFlare supercharges websites regardless of size or platform with no need to add hardware, install software, or change a line of code. The CloudFlare community gets stronger as it grows; every new site makes the network smarter and stronger. Thanks to our awesome sauce technology, more than 250 million people have experienced a faster, safer, better Internet. CloudFlare is based in San Francisco, California. For more information: www.cloudflare.com / @cloudflare

About GMO GlobalSign

Established in 1996 and as a WebTrust accredited public certificate authority, GlobalSign offers publicly trusted SSL Certificates, EV SSL, Managed SSL Services, S/MIME email security and Code Signing for use on all platforms including mobile devices. Its Trusted Root solution uses the widely embedded GlobalSign Root CA certificates to provide immediate PKI trust for Microsoft Certificate Services and internal PKI, eliminating the costs of using untrusted Root Certificates. Its partnership with Adobe to provide Certified Document Services (CDS) enables secure digitally signed PDF documents, certified transcripts and e-invoices. These core Digital Certificate solutions allow its thousands of authenticated customers to conduct secure online transactions, data transfer, distribution of tamper-proof code, and protection of online identities for secure email and access control. The company has a history of innovation within the online security industry and has offices in the US, UK, Belgium, Japan, and China.

GMO Internet Group

GMO Internet Group is a leading force in the Internet industry offering one of the most comprehensive ranges of Internet services worldwide. The group is the top provider of domain registration, web hosting, ecommerce, and payment processing solutions in Japan and operates a host of other Internet services including global online security services, search engine marketing and online securities trading. At the center of the group is GMO Internet, Inc. (TSE: 9449) headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.  Please visit www.gmo.jp/en for further details.

GlobalSign HackAlert now available

(The Hosting News) – SoftLayer^® Technologies, the innovation leader in Cloud, Dedicated, and Managed Hosting, today announced that SoftLayer Chief Executive Officer Lance Crosby was recently named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year^® 2011 Southwest Area North Award winner for Technology. Announced on June 25 at a gala event at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, the prestigious award was decided by an independent judging panel made up of previous winners, leading CEOs, private investors, and regional business leaders.

“I’m honored to receive this recognition. I am exceptionally proud of what SoftLayer has accomplished since its inception, maintaining non-stop growth to become the largest private hosting provider in the world,” said Mr. Crosby. “Every day, my team and I can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and find new ways to extend our leadership as the most innovative company in our industry. It’s what I live for.”

The renowned Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program is in its 25^th season, and has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 140 cities and more than 50 countries throughout the world. Awards are given based on demonstration of excellence and extraordinary success in a wide range of business areas, including innovation, financial performance, and individual contribution to one’s business’ success and community.

As a regional winner, Mr. Crosby is a finalist for the national award, to be named at the Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards gala, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 12, 2011, in Palm Springs, California. The national awardee will advance to consideration for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of tThe Year Award in June 2012.

About SoftLayer Technologies

Headquartered in Dallas, SoftLayer is the innovation leader in Cloud, Dedicated, and Managed Hosting. SoftLayer provides cloud, dedicated, and seamlessly integrated computing environments, with world-class data centers in Dallas, Houston, San Jose, Seattle, and Washington D.C., and network Points of Presence nationwide. The company integrates and automates all elements of its platform, empowering enterprises of any size with complete control, security, scalability, and ease-of-management via a leading Customer Portal and Open API. For more information, please visit www.softlayer.com or call 866.398.7638.

SoftLayer CEO Lance Crosby Named An Entrepreneur of the Year

(The Hosting News) – Google unveiled a new social network called Google+ on Tuesday, possibly setting up a new rivalry with social networking site Facebook.

In a post outlining the social network on the company’s blog, Google stated, “We’d like to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software. We want to make Google better by including you, your relationships, and your interests.”

With its initial release, Google+ features 5 distinct social user capabilities.

A featured dubbed Circles allows the user to share things with their friends while a feature called Hangouts allows users to share where they’re hanging out, thus giving the friend a chance to join them.

Meanwhile, Instant Upload allows users to create albums featuring their photos and videos. With another feature called Sparks, users are able to tell Google their interests. Google then provides updates related to the interest.

The last feature called Huddle provides friends with a live multi-user chat platform. Google says this will provide friends with easier decision making.

Despite the announcement, Google+ is only currently available in a limited capacity. Not everyone can sign up just yet. For more information, visit: https://plus.google.com/

To view a Google blog post on the matter, visit: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/introducing-google-project-real-life.html

Google Unveils Social Network

(The Hosting News) – Vivio Technologies is Proud to Announce a Continuing Partnership with SmarterTools Inc in Which Vivio Technologies Will Continue to Offer SmarterTools Software Products to Enhance Vivio’s Windows ColdFusion Hosting Account Options.

Under the terms of the partnership, Vivio Technologies will offer the SmarterBundle as a value-added feature to its Windows VPS and dedicated server offerings. Valued at $800, the SmarterBundle includes professional versions of the SmarterMail mail server, SmarterTrack customer service software, and SmarterStats Web log analytics and SEO software.

Jordan Michaels, the CEO of Vivio stated: “While we realize that other options exist for Windows email servers, website analytics, and help desk software, the SmarterTools suite of software tools is familiar to our customers and offer great value for the services they perform. We believe our customers benefit the most by us continuing to utilize the SmarterTools software suite, and we will always try to do what’s best for those we serve.” Vivio Technologies is a long standing member of the ColdFusion community and has been proud to offer ColdFusion hosting for both Windows and Linux Platforms. For more information, visit http://www.viviotech.net.

About SmarterTools Inc.

Founded in 2003, SmarterTools Inc. is an information technology management software company based in Phoenix, Arizona. SmarterTools develops a Windows mail server, customer service software, and Web log analytics and SEO software that help companies communicate, measure, and support their worldwide business operations. Additional information about SmarterTools Inc. and the SmarterTools product line is available at http://www.smartertools.com.

About Vivio Technologies Inc.

Vivio Technologies is a hosting service provider (HSP) that caters specifically to the ColdFusion (CFML) development language marketplace. Vivio Technologies offers ColdFusion VPS hosting and ColdFusion dedicated server hosting solutions on both Linux and Windows, and offers the most extensive support for ColdFusion (CFML) language interpreters on the market. Vivio Technologies was founded in 2002, and is located in Walla Walla, Washington.

Vivio Renews Partnership with SmarterTools

(The Hosting News) – Database management company Oracle recently filed a new document in U.S. District Court specifying that they’re seeking 2.6 billion  from Google.

Oracle claims that Google has ripped off its patent designs related to Java. The company filed the lawsuit against Google in August of last year.

Earlier this month, Oracle had estimated it deserved an amount that was in the billions, but the exact price they were seeking was not specified until yesterday.

Google has previously challenged Oracle’s methodology and claimed that it should owe the database management company less.

Meanwhile, Reuters has estimated that a trial could start sometime in November.

The lawsuit has been based out of California and Oracle is headquartered in Redwood Shores, CA.

$2.6 Billion Sought by Oracle in Suit against Google