 |
 |
Chris tells HostSearch
about the future of Internet security and NetFronts
self-healing architecture. |
HOSTSEARCH: Can you please tell me a little bit about yourself and NetFronts?
CHRIS MARKS: My background is computer geek - I graduated
from the Air Force Academy in 1994 with a computer science
degree, worked as a software engineer with the Air Force
until 1996, and then received my Masters in Artificial Intelligence.
During the Masters program, I started dabbling in some online
stores and stumbled into reselling web hosting. I started
NetFronts in Nov 1996 as KBS (Knowledge-Based Systems, an
AI related term). I left the Air Force in 2001 and now work
with NetFronts full-time.
HOSTSEARCH: Can you tell us about your affiliate referral
plan?
CHRIS MARKS: The affiliate program was developed in appreciation
for our customers’ word-of-mouth referrals. Our customers
have been vital to our growth by sharing their positive experiences
with others and recommending our services. We wanted to reward
them for their loyalty. It was developed in-house and interfaces
directly with our control panel for crediting customers for
sales they have referred. Because we feel you have to experience
great service to be a reliable referrer, we only offer it
to existing customers, and it will most likely remain that
way. It’s been very successful thus far – it
seems that once someone gets that first credit, they really
enjoy spreading the good word, and generally we’ve
seen fairly rapid subsequent signups through the customer.
HOSTSEARCH: Could you please describe the quality of your
connection to the internet?
CHRIS MARKS: We co-locate at Hurricane Electric in Fremont,
CA where our servers are connected to a national backbone
ranked among the top in the nation. Connections ranging from
OC48s (2.4 Gbps) to gigabit ethernet (1,000 Mbps) form rings
around the nation connecting the core routers at more than
8 major exchange points. We also purchase backup transit
from multiple providers in multiple locations to ensure data
will arrive via the shortest possible routes. Our network
redundancy set up gives us access to three Tier-1 providers.
HOSTSEARCH: On your website you mention your “self-healing
network architecture.” Can you please tell us how a
network can heal itself?
CHRIS MARKS: The healing powers of aloe have been overlooked
for so long, particularly with respect to networking and
IP transit, just kidding….A self-healing network architecture
would be one that has the ability to re-route IP traffic
in the case of a bad or damaged segment. Several facets of
any properly managed network enable it to ‘self-heal’ -
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), redundant hardware, and multiple
providers among other aspects, can eliminate a single point
of failure. These factors also help a damaged segment (that
might otherwise cause network failure) to be bypassed through
automatically provisioning backup lines as primary, failover
to stand-by equipment, or re-routing through BGP announcements.
Like anything of course, healing isn’t instantaneous
in every situation; so even precautionary measures architected
into the network can’t prevent some short periods of
failure while a damaged network adjusts.
HOSTSEARCH: What separates NetFronts from other web hosting
providers?
CHRIS MARKS: Two key things - our experience in this market
and the quality of our employees, which directly translates
into a high quality of service as well. We’ve been
hosting websites since 1996; we’re truly one of the
oldest privately held web hosts left. For starters, we’ve
gone through the growing pains, technology trends, and dotcom
crash…with flying colors. Second, when a customer calls,
they get someone who is based in the United States, knows
how to provide technical support, and can help immediately
- not someone who simply enters a trouble ticket into the
system. We stay focused on our core competencies which reflect
only those areas in which we can provide the highest level
of services.
HOSTSEARCH: So many web hosts out there offer dirt-cheap
web hosting plans with a fair amount of disk space and monthly
bandwidth allowance. What additional services does NetFronts
offer a potential client beyond fast servers at a good price?
CHRIS MARKS: It doesn’t take much to see the ridiculously
low life span for these types of companies. Web hosting is
so much more than cheap bandwidth and space. NetFronts really
does a great job of providing stability and expertise. Our
stability is not only from a long standing company, but from
a systems architecture developed by experts with a proven
track record of success. Our customers know that they won’t
get the runaround from our staff and can get quick, direct
answers – saving them valuable, and often critical,
development and troubleshooting time. Problems that arise
are solved in a matter of minutes, not hours. NetFronts will
never be the cheapest host in existence, because that almost
never translates into the best. As I mentioned before, we
only involve ourselves in areas we have the expertise to
provide at a very high level of service. We do not offer
dedicated servers or website development – we’re
not experts in these areas and it would only serve to distract
from the core services we provide. Our customers know that
the services we provide are backed by knowledge and ability.
HOSTSEARCH: NetFronts offers Linux and Windows web hosting.
Currently Apache is the most popular web server out there.
Can you tell us what the division between Windows and Linux
servers is at NetFronts? Also, any thoughts on what the future
holds for the battle between Microsoft and Linux in the hosting
world?
CHRIS MARKS: NetFronts currently utilizes a shared disk space
for Linux accounts and will be adding load balancing in the
next month, so pure server numbers can be misleading since
we are better utilizing Linux based servers. We have an 85%-15%
split between Linux and Windows accounts. Because of the
more optimal utilization of Linux resources however, the
server split is 60% Linux, 40% Windows. We will be moving
Windows accounts to the shared backend in the near future
as well, and we expect servers to better mirror account splits.
Honestly we don’t spend much time worrying about Linux
vs. MS, I don’t see it as relevant to our growth strategy.
Demand will exist for both and we have the expertise to provide
each at a consistently high level of service (albeit IIS’ much
more volatile nature!)
HOSTSEARCH: Microsoft recently released a study which suggested
web hosts need to provide services like enterprise-level
shared calendaring, contacts, document collaboration, instant
messaging and mobile-enabled services, etc. to differentiate
themselves. Is this the future of web hosting or are we seeing
the industry divide itself into different niches? Any plans
for NetFront to move into collaborative communications?
CHRIS MARKS: That really describes the overall
IT needs of a small or mid-sized business more so than just
web hosting.
I think we’ll see web hosting businesses start to partner
and then merge with complimentary service providers. The
business synergies that can be gained by mergers or acquisitions
like this will cater more to the overall IT need MS describes.
We always have an eye towards growth and are actively looking
for businesses that can benefit from our services and vice-versa.
HOSTSEARCH: According
to a recent eWeek article (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1823633,00.asp),
CA's Roger Thompson predicts the success of the Glieder
Trojan’s the three-phase attack could signal the end
of signature-based virus protection. Where do you see Internet
security going in the next few years and what role do you
think web hosts should play in making the Internet secure?
CHRIS MARKS: This sounds like an IT SAT
question. We’re
already seeing more onus placed on ISPs to control their
network and be responsible for the traffic originating from
it. I think that trend will continue, ISPs, as well as web
hosts, will be held increasingly responsible for content
and attacks originating from within their own space. The
ability to perform near wire-speed deep packet inspection
essentially validates that it can be done – given you
know what to look for. The major players in the IP market
have/will deliver devices targeted at providing the filtering
for outgoing IP transit with as much zeal as they have provided
it for incoming.
HOSTSEARCH: What can we expect to see from NetFronts in
the last half of 2005?
CHRIS MARKS: Cool, cool stuff….we’re computer
geeks! We’re completing the roll-out of our high-availability,
load-balanced system architecture that will enable us to
grow rapidly with stability. We’re also beta-testing
an in-house developed system that allows us to offer a unified
hosting plan - Windows and Linux in one plan, routing is
based on the technology each request requires. We also feel
like now is the time to grow through acquisition and particularly
through mergers with companies similar to ours – if
you feel like our companies might work well together or your
customers deserve a good home, drop me an email!
Back
to NewsFront
|
