Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

The End is Near! (for Dedicated Hosting)

by FireHost Evangelist on August 2nd, 2010

No More DedicatedEarlier this year, we introduced the Secure Server – a virtualized and secure, private hosting environment for companies and individuals who have the need to mitigate high traffic, high confidentiality, high availability, and compliance online.

Right away, many business owners, designers/developers, and IT professionals “got it” and signed up on the spot. We enjoy providing exemplary protection for our early adopters, but we won’t rest until the entire web hosting community understands that security, scalability, and affordability is for everyone, not just a select few.

Overall, the mission has been well received. As any “pioneer” would expect however, Secure Servers have been met with mixed reviews, particularly from die-hard dedicated hosting proponents.

In an effort admonish any remaining doubt from those who still have reservations about this new way, we created NoMoreDedicated.com. From here, you can:

  • Watch real stories from real people told in their own words and decide if dedicated hosting is the best solution.
  • Take our short, informative test to determine if dedicated hosting is right for your hosting needs.

Once you see the facts, we’re confident you’ll want to give Secure Servers a try, so we make it easy to do so.

  • Secure Servers can be provisioning within 24 hours of validating  your order, and
  • There is no lengthy hosting contract to which you must subscribe.

If you still have reservations, that’s fine. We respect your opinion and any doubts you may have about adopting a new way to protect your business. Even if you’re not ready to join the movement full stop, we request that you follow the movement that’s putting an end to overpriced, insecure, and inflexible dedicated hosting. Big change is on the horizon.

Follow: @NoMoreDedicated HashTag: #NMD

FireHost Named as a Stevie Award Finalist for “Best New Computer Product or Service for 2010″

by FireHost Evangelist on May 24th, 2010

FireHost has been named as a Top 5 Finalist in the category of Best New Computer Product or Service for 2010 by The American Business Awards (aka Stevie Awards).

Stevie Awards honor American companies and business people from organizations in a variety of industries. The other four nominees have useful, innovate, and very smart products and services that can significantly improve your e-life, so please check them out.

  • Data Robotics, Inc’s DroboElite Self-managing iSCSI SAN
  • DocuSign’s Mobile Extension enabling users to securely e-sign documents from more than two dozen mobile devices
  • Novell’s SUSE Studio for flexible and friendly Linux customization
  • Zebra Technologies ZXP Series 8 retransfer printer which produces photo-like images FAST

As you can see, we’ll need your help to out class this year’s very qualified competition. Please help us win by clicking the icon below.

We appreciate your endorsement. The winner will be announced in June.

The full list of finalists from all New Products and Product Management Categories for 2010 is listed on the Stevie Awards website.

Decoding PCI DSS Requirement 4: Encrypting and Storing Credit Card Data

by FireHost Evangelist on May 19th, 2010

Data encryption seems complicated, and in most cases it lives up to that complexity. This is especially true when encryption requirements go beyond the basics, such as names and passwords, to include highly confidential information like social security numbers, credit card numbers, and protected health information.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of rules that help govern the way credit card information should be handled and protected. Its nomenclature can oftentimes be a bit confusing. So in a short series articles (starting with this one), we’ll break down the most important elements of the PCI DSS as it relates to data encryption.

PCI DSS Requirement 4

Requirement 4.1 of PCI DSS addresses the encryption protocols and instructs any entity that accepts, handles, transmits, or stores credit card data to “use strong cryptography and security protocols such as SSL/TLS or IPSEC to safeguard sensitive cardholder data during transmission over open, public networks.”
 
Let’s start with understanding what information is encrypted per Requirement 4. PCI DSS requires that all cardholder data (specifically the cardholder’s name, the card number, expiration date, and billing address) be encrypted when stored or transmitted.

Here are some common questions and answers about Requirement 4 to help developers navigate through it.

(more…)

GreenNuture interviews FireHost CEO, Chris Drake, about Sustainable, Green Web Hosting Practices

by FireHost Evangelist on February 15th, 2010

When powered by virtualization, our secure website hosting techniques do more than just help keep the “bad guys” out of your website and web-based applications. In fact, we affectionately regard virtualization as the “socially responsible” hosting technology.

Our virtualized servers provide secure, scalable hosting solutions to small and medium sized businesses around the globe. Thru the use of new, green hosting technologies, we’re helping reduce e-waste: energy consumption, CO2 emissions, hardware waste, and more.

Click Here to learn more about how FireHost leverages virtualization to save a few IT dollars while helping save the planet.

Our Love Affair with Cloud Hosting

by FireHost Evangelist on February 12th, 2010

Ahh February… Love is in the air. Our servers are in the cloud. But do we love our servers in the cloud?

Cloud computing and cloud hosting practices have been around for some time, probably longer than you think. Long enough, in fact, to gain significant awareness and pique the interest of anyone starting, or growing a business. “I must have everything ‘in the cloud’” these entrepreneurs say!  While the definition and clear-cut use case for cloud hosting remains elusive, the promise of cost savings, “fair” usage based billing, and unlimited scalability has startups love struck.

(more…)