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Follow us on TwitterTop Five Benefits of Managed Dedicated Hosting
The Business Case for SMBs
Businesses are predominantly profit-driven entities that require a wide breadth of resources, including human, IT and logistical, in order to function and, more importantly, thrive. The allure of managed dedicated hosting is that accountability for core technology functions can be shifted to a reliable hosting provider, thereby freeing up key resources that can be re-focused on business growth.
The business case for managed dedicated hosting is perhaps most salient for Small to Medium Businesses (SMBs) due in large part to the economies of scale offered by hosting companies. Hosting also offers SMBs significant operational efficiencies and cost savings in the areas of human resources, IT and productivity. Let’s take a closer look at some of the more notable reasons why this is true.
1. A “do it yourself” approach can mean either employing an entirely new workforce to manage the technology needed to run the server, manage the operating system and upgrade all applications, or compelling your existing team to perform this function along with their regular duties. The former approach can cost a fortune, while the latter often results in fragmenting the focus and expertise of key members of your team (not to mention the added stress). Bottom line: Managed dedicated hosting offers a level of operational efficiency that is hard to beat.
2. With managed dedicated hosting, key business functions run on a highly advanced and reliable technology infrastructure that delivers best in class performance and uptime, often with no up-front costs and a highly manageable monthly fee.
3. Managed dedicated hosting gives you the power to customize your operating system, server(s), database software and other devices without the accompanying hassles of monitoring or troubleshooting the hardware, software or network. Regular updates for the operating system, service packs, patches and software upgrades are also included.
4. Security and data isolation are taken care of by the hosting company, whether it’s for regulatory reasons or just so you can sleep at night, while daily back-ups and as-needed data retrieval provide additional peace-of-mind.
5. Anytime, anywhere and uninterrupted connectivity to data and applications, together with access to unlimited technical support 24×7x365 are all hallmarks of quality managed dedicated hosting. When this level of service is combined with the flexibility and scalability that managed dedicated hosting provides, SMBs can experience unparalleled productivity benefits within a highly cost-effective technology framework.
While database, email and website hosting are some of the more obvious applications for managed dedicated hosting, the deployment of the following applications within a managed dedicated framework underscore the power of this service.
1. Web-based applications, Blogs, CMS and Web 2.0 sites: Developers, designers and bloggers can leverage the hardware and infrastructure of the hosting provider, while enjoying the flexibility, customization and OS access that comes with managed dedicated hosting. Test and development environments can even be isolated from production environments in one server or multiple servers, which offers significant time and budget efficiencies.
2. Rich media hosting: Businesses that offer a rich media experience on their websites understand that streaming and load time are key factors that demand a close examination of current needs, projected growth and needs in the event of traffic spikes. Hosting providers with proven network reliability, that can deliver sufficient, stable and premium bandwidth, offer an excellent alternative to an in-house infrastructure.
3. E-commerce sites: These site owners need to be secure, compliant, scalable and available 24×7, so they rely heavily on infrastructure and support. They understand the impact of unexpected downtime or security breaches on their revenue and reputation, and managed dedicated hosting is often considered the best, most cost-effective solution.
4. SaaS, ISV, ASP providers: Service providers in these growing fields require a network and infrastructure that is reliable, secure and scalable, not to mention the guaranteed uptime a hosting company can provide to enable them to deliver their software via the Internet.
Being very clear about what you wish to achieve through the managed dedicated hosting service you’re exploring will provide a solid foundation from which you can plan and deploy the right solution for your business. And remember, you’re not just planning for today’s needs, you’re laying the groundwork for the possible future requirements of your business.
Speak to one of the technology professionals at Robson Communications Inc. to find out how we can help smooth out the planning and deployment of your custom solution. We offer a comprehensive array of Managed and Dedicated Hosting services that are fully customizable and scalable, 100 percent reliable and highly cost-effective. And best of all, these solutions are fully backed by our industry leading technology infrastructure and no compromises approach to customer service.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Jennifer Muzzin
Content Director
Robson Communications Inc.
1-877-472-3425
Tips for Designing a Website for Sales
Whether you’re looking to shift a sales function onto the world of e-commerce or you have a new business that will be selling a product or service on the Web, you need a website that is designed and built to sell. Here are some simple design and marketing tips that will help your website stand out from the crowd.
- Purpose
A great place to start is determining the purpose of your website. Some of the many reasons for creating a web presence include building up a brand, providing customer service and support, selling products or services, capitalizing on online efficiencies to save money or a combination of these. What is the purpose of your website?
- Navigation
Once you have a good handle on the purpose of your website, you need to think about how you’re going to divide up the information you’ll be presenting. You want your site to be well-organized, easy to navigate and designed to guide your prospective customers towards the checkout page. The last thing you want is your visitors getting lost or frustrated. Remember: leaving your site and your business is just a click away – and chances are they won’t come back.
Also, your homepage is the gateway to your business, so make sure it includes a statement that clearly communicates what your company does, including a unique selling proposition that will draw in your audience.
- Design
It goes without saying (but we’re going to say it anyways) that your business website should have an attractive look and feel. A simple, clean and professional design that uses lots of white space is a good place to start. Nowadays there are some great Small Business Panel products that empower you to create and publish the website yourself. These SMB Panels offer loads of flexible design templates, easy-to-follow setup wizards, email addresses with your domain and e-commerce functionality for setting up your online store – all for a low monthly fee that includes domain hosting (which you’ll need anyways). The great thing about a reliable SMB Panel is that it puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing your online identity, unless of course you have the budget to hire a website designer to do it for you.
- Marketing
Content & Keywords
Your website’s design should reinforce the content on your site (not the other way around); making the content stand out so visitors will actually read it. Design alone will not sell, so you need strong, targeted content because this content will be doing most of the work. A good place to start is to approach your content like a conversation between you and your prospective customers. This will help draw them in and connect to what you’re trying to communicate. Talk to them, not at them. And if you don’t have a flair for words, consider looking to a professional business writer to take the pain out of writing the content yourself.
Also, make sure the first thing your visitors see really grabs their attention and this means paying attention to the flow of the page and content. You want to direct their focus to the items that will create both an interest in your product and a desire to buy it.
Your web pages should also help to index your website with search engines by attracting search engine bots. To help achieve this, your website should contain the following: titles with the most important keywords from the page that are a maximum of 80 characters; headlines in HTML including at least one instance of your important keywords; meta tags, which are basically one to two sentences approximately 250 characters in length that describe the content on the specific web page; a first paragraph that includes the main keywords for the page and hyperlink text and file names because they’re ranked higher in search engines since words contained in hyperlinks are considered more important by search engines. Basically, you want to help search engines recognize and index the actual content on your web pages appropriately.
Finally, many companies are taking the two-way conversation that a website can create to the next level by introducing blogs and/or feedback pages where customers and visitors can discuss and post thoughts and feedback. This can help reinforce the bond between you and your customers. Introducing social networking to your business is also becoming more and more popular. Learn more about how social networking can help your business by reading our blog, How Can Twitter and Facebook Help My Business?
Image Selection
It’s important to carefully consider the message you’re trying to send when choosing images for your website. Meaningful images that provide a visual illustration of the message or feel you want to communicate are the most effective. The graphics on your site have a job and they can have a significant impact on how your prospective customers will feel when they visit your company online.
Choice Clarity
Giving visitors too many options can create something called choice paralysis, which basically says that when presented with too many choices, your customers may get confused and end up leaving your website without making any choice at all.
Keep your options as simple as possible to make it easier for visitors to find the right product or service for them. Visual cues that highlight the most popular product or service can be a useful way to direct prospective customers, and if it’s not the right one for them, they can still select another. The goal of highlighting the most popular product or service is to mitigate their potential confusion or uncertainty by providing them with a solid option instead of running the risk of choice paralysis.
Product Positioning
Although your online store doesn’t have the same advantage of a physical store in terms of letting your customers touch and feel the product before making a decision to purchase, you still need to showcase your product. Even Software as a Service providers need to consider what a potential customer will think about the look and feel of their program. Offering screen shots and online demos are a good way to accomplish this.
Right or wrong, good or bad, the fact is consumers evaluate products and make decisions about usability based on looks. A complicated, cluttered and even unattractive interface may invoke a negative assumption about usability, whereas a simple-looking and attractive interface can help visitors imagine using your product, getting you one step closer to a sale.
The Test Drive
Each moment your prospective customers spend trying out the features of your product or service is a moment invested in learning about it and using it. Depending on what you’re selling, consider letting visitors either use a portion of your product/service or offer full access for a limited trial period free of charge. There is no monetary commitment, but it may cause your visitors to begin relying upon what you’re selling, therein creating the potential to drive the conversion of prospects to customers.
Call to Action
When you consider both the design and content of each page on your website, you always need to be thinking about how you’re making the sale. Although this doesn’t mean having big “Order Now” buttons all over the page, it does mean having an intuitive location for a check-out link. You don’t want to leave visitors searching around the page for the link they need to close the sale.
Next action links on each page will also help optimize the flow of your web pages, which will in turn help to keep visitors engaged. Links like “Learn More”, “Try a Demo”, “Shop Now”, “Take a Tour” and “Ready to Order? Click here” can direct prospective customers to a page with more information about your product or service or to the actual page where they can place their order. Bottom line: always suggest where your visitor should go next.
The Parallels Small Business Panel offered by Robson Communications Inc. is a powerful, next-generation business-ready solution that can help you build your online identity faster and easier than you thought possible. Starting at just $9.99/mo and with no set-up fees, this SMB Panel is also highly affordable and has everything your small business needs in a hosting package.
We also offer a full suite of award-winning hosting solutions for your business. Contact us today to learn more!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Muzzin
Content Director
Robson Communications Inc.
1-877-472-3425
Discounted – Canadian Dedicated Hosting Systems
Robson Communications’ Managed Dedicated Server Hosting lets you focus on growing your business, not building an IT infrastructure. With our dedicated hosting services, you can deploy an enterprise solution quickly and for considerably less than an in-house solution. All dedicated servers are fully managed, meaning we take care of security, patching, monitoring, troubleshooting, backing up and upgrading for you.
It gets better because for a limited time only, you can take advantage of our high-quality, in-stock hardware at highly discounted pricing.
Don’t wait to order. ORDER NOW! This inventory won’t last.
| System | Ram | Hardrive | MISC |
Monthly | |
| Single Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $99.00 | |
| Single Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $99.00 | |
| Single Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $99.00 | SOLD |
| Single Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $99.00 | |
| Single Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $99.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | SOLD |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 |
SOLD
|
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | SOLD |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 | |
| Dual Xeon 1.8Ghz | 4GB | 2x 146GB SCSI | Redundant PS | $139.00 |
Don’t see a server that suits your needs? Contact us to find out about our custom systems.
The sooner you act the more you save! All servers are housed in Robson`s state-of-the-art Canadian datacenters, giving you all the power, control and flexibility you need and expect from your dedicated hosting provider.
Give us a call today and find out more about our Managed Dedicated Server Hosting.
P.S. Enjoy all the email, calendaring, collaboration and mobility features of Exchange Server 2007 at a fraction of the cost of an in-house system with Robson`s Hosted Exchange. Sign up risk free with our 30 Day Money Back Guarantee!
We look forward to hearing from you.
Jennifer Muzzin
Content Director
Robson Communications Inc.
1-877-472-3425
Haiti Support – 20% Donated On All Online Orders to the Canadian Red Cross
In an effort to help the relief efforts in Haiti Robson Communications is going to donate 20% of all online orders. The donation will be made in your name to the Canadian Red Cross. On top of that, if you are a Canadian Citizen the Canadian government will match any donation by you up to $50Million dollars. Every little bit helps, and it’s for a great cause.
If you would like to participate in this please act now. When you place your order online use the promo code HAITI. From there we will track the order and make the donation on your behalf. If you would like the donation to be anonymous then please specify that in your order details.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. This is an important issue for us, for everyone and we have to get involved. You can track donations and our progress here Canadian Red Cross
NOTE: You do not need to place an order to donate. You can make an individual or corporate donation by visiting the link above. Please don’t let your current hosting needs dictate whether or not you help support the Canadian Red Cross effort in Haiti.
Sincerely,
Martin Robson
CEO / President
Robson Communications Inc.
martin(at)robsoninc.com
http://www.robsoninc.com
Where do I start?? What hosting package best suits your needs?
Choosing the Right Package for Your Business
Whether your company is a small start-up or well-established and growing business, choosing a web hosting package is an important consideration that could have far reaching implications.
With the right package you have the performance, stability and security you need. With the wrong package you could end up paying for disk space and bandwidth you don’t need or paying extra fees if, for instance, your bandwidth needs consistently exceed allowable levels for your plan.
At Robson we take the time to understand your needs and work closely with you to design the perfect solution for today, while also looking ahead so there are no surprises as your business grows. Here’s a look at our award winning, 100 percent reliable web hosting solutions.
SMB Panel
The Parallels Small Business Panel (SMB Panel) is a revolutionary new way for you to manage your company’s online identity. It lets you manage your company’s email, websites, applications and file storage within a user-friendly control panel.
| FEATURES | 1 USER – $9.99/mo | 5 USERS – $19.99/mo | UNLIMITED – $29.99/mo |
| Storage | 1 GB | 5 GB | 10 GB |
| Memory | 512 MB | 768 MB | 1 GB |
| Bandwidth | 25 GB | 50 GB | 75 GB |
| Domains | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Websites | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Setup Fee | FREE | FREE | FREE |
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Shared Hosting
If you need an economical way to establish an online presence or safeguard the presence you already have then Shared Hosting could be the perfect solution. Whether you’re looking to develop a blog or have a complex web application, our Shared Hosting gives you the stability, flexibility and scalability you need.
| FEATURES | LINUX PLATFORM – $5.99/mo | WINDOWS PLATFORM – $6.99/mo |
| Storage | 5 GB | 5 GB |
| Bandwidth | 25 GB | 25 GB |
| Email Mailboxes | 50 | 50 |
| Domains | 1 | 1 |
| Setup Fee | FREE | FREE |
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VPS Hosting
Our Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting is a cost-effective alternative to a dedicated server without the need to sacrifice control, security or flexibility. Suitable for website hosting, application hosting, email hosting or a sandbox for an offsite development environment, VPS Hosting gives you the features, autonomy and functionality of a dedicated server at a fraction of the cost.
| FEATURES | BASIC – $29.99/mo | BASIC PRO – $49.99/mo | SMALL BUSINESS – 69.99/mo | SMALL BUSINESS PRO – $109.99/mo |
| Processor/Core 2.0 GHZ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Memory | 512 MB | 768 MB | 1 GB | 2 GB |
| Storage | 20 GB | 40 GB | 60 GB | 80 GB |
| Bandwidth | 500 GB | 500 GB | 500 GB | 500 GB |
| Setup Fee | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE |
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Affiliate & White Label Hosting
Our Affiliate Hosting is ideal if you’re looking to earn some extra income based on referrals to Robson Communications. White Label Hosting takes it one step further with a web-based storefront that lets your customers select from our hosting solutions in an environment branded to your website, including your fonts, colours and layout. You also have access to an intuitive reseller control panel that lets you easily modify your storefront branding and much more.
| FEATURES | AFFILIATE | FEATURES | WHITE LABEL – $249.99/mo |
| Commission on 1 Year Deal | 1 Month | Hardware | Dell PE R210 |
| Commission on 2 Year Deal | 2 Months | Memory | 4 GB |
| Commission on 3 Year Deal | 3 Months | Storage | 2 x 500 GB |
| Remote Access Card | Dell | ||
| Operating System | CentOS | ||
| Hosting Panel | Plesk 10 | ||
| Setup Fee | $99.99/mo | ||
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At Robson we stand firmly behind our promise of offering industry leading solutions backed by proven industry leading technology and customer support. There are so many reasons why you should choose Robson as your hosting partner, so contact us today to learn more.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Muzzin
Content Director
Robson Communications Inc.
1-877-472-3425
How can I make the most out of my Hosting Provider?
How the Right Hosting Provider Can Deliver a Critical Competitive Business Advantage
You’ve done your research and found a hosting provider that’s right for your business. You understand that choosing a hosting provider is a critical business decision, and perhaps more importantly, you understanding that cheap can actually be expensive if your provider doesn’t have the expertise and scalability you need over the long-term. Whether you’re looking for a Shared Hosting solution, VPS Hosting, Exchange Hosting or access to a Small Business Panel to kick start the development of your online identity, the question remains: How do I get the most out of my hosting provider?
The fact is that outsourcing certain IT functions can help you gain a competitive advantage over larger businesses that may have a fully staffed IT department. This is especially true when outsourcing is viewed as a strategic, long-term investment that can bring better overall value and result in a lean, highly efficient technology infrastructure that supports competitive advantage.
Your hosting provider will quickly become a part of your company’s family, but that doesn’t mean this provider shouldn’t continue to show true value. A high-value hosting provider will deliver a broad range of expertise (whether you need it today or some time in the future) that will help you move key business initiatives forward without a significant financial outlay in the form of technology or staff.
For instance, once you understand the features and services included in the plan you’ve selected, you should then ask your provider if there are any restrictions or limitations that could affect your business down the road. The scalability of your plan to include useful applications like shopping carts, auto-responders and blogs, which may be needed in the future, is an important consideration since not every hosting provider offers these features.
You also want your hosting provider to take a customized and personalized approach to service, rather than your business conforming to a standardized service offering or paying a high premium for a more customized approach. Interestingly enough, this can be a tall order for larger hosting companies because internal processes often discourage or even prohibit a more customized and personalized approach.
Alternatively, providers such as Robson Communications Inc. can leverage their lower cost structure to the benefit of their customers in the form of a wide range of expertise and the flexibility to customize their service offerings. These providers can often shift gears quickly in order to accommodate changes in your business needs with fewer layers between you and the experts providing the service.
The competitive business advantage of a customized and personalized hosting service goes well beyond traditional ROI calculations and underscores the clear need to ensure your service provider has the ability to scale their services to fit your immediate needs and future projected requirements.
The ability to easily communicate with your hosting provider is another important consideration. Direct communication with your provider of choice should be easily attained and simplified, rather than asking you to navigate an auto-attendant maze that leaves you frustrated and unsatisfied or sending an email inquiry to a generic address without knowing when you might hear back from someone.
Your hosting provider should work as an extension of your internal IT department by delivering customized service and the technical expertise, flexibility and accessibility you need without the costly overhead associated with internal staffing and keeping up with the pace of technology changes.
In today’s economy where profitability is directly tied to operational efficiency and there is fierce competition for market share, many business owners are turning to hosting providers to stay ahead. But before you invest in a relationship with a provider, make sure they will take the time to assess your current and future needs, while offering you a wide range of services designed to give you a competitive advantage. Investing in a long-term relationship with the right hosting provider can mean significant ROI in terms of aligning technology with business goals, minimizing risks related to downtime and controlling costs – a three-tiered advantage that should be fully explored and leveraged to the benefit of your company’s bottom line.
At Robson Communications, we take great pride in being a leading Canadian provider of award winning, next generation hosting solutions that are backed by our commitment to impeccable customer service and support. We take the time to understand your business and your needs, and we are personally available 24/7 for support, consultation and assistance. From our 100 percent network uptime guarantee to our 98 percent client retention rate, you know your company’s hosting needs are in good hands with Robson Communications.
Contact us today to learn more about our Dedicated and Managed Hosting solutions.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Muzzin
Content Director
Robson Communications Inc.
1-877-472-3425
How Do I Switch Hosting Providers?
Everything You Need to Know for a Smooth Transition
Whether you had a disappointing customer service experience or you’ve done some research and discovered you’re paying too much for your hosting services, taking the leap and switching hosting providers can seem like a daunting task. But the fact is it’s quite straightforward and in the long run might be the best business decision you’ll make all year.
Here at Robson Communications we like to keep things simple, so here is our five step process for switching to our leading Dedicated and Managed Hosting solutions.
Canada Dedicated Hosting
Robson Communications is a leader in providing Dedicated and Managed Hosting in Canada. With over 8 years industry leading experience, Robson Communications provides brand named hardware with fantastic customer service at a very affordable price in Canadian Dollars! Our Canadian Dedicated an Managed Hosting solutions are designed to fit a wide range of business needs, from Small Business solutions to Enterprise complex multi site solutions with full system and network redundancy. Being a leading in Dedicated Hosting is more than just saying it, it’s the complete package. Commitment, Solution and Service. Give me a call today to find out how our solutions can save you time and money.
PS. Sign up for a Free trial, and get access to our award winning hosting solutions today!
Martin Robson
Robson Communications Inc.
(604) 576-8150 Ext 2001
Choosing the Right Hosting Provider for Your Business
Top 5 Questions to Ask Your Hosting Provider
There are many reasons why you should consider outsourcing key IT functions of your business to a hosting provider. Although lowering your IT costs is certainly an important one, leveraging the best practices of a company dedicated to delivering proven hosting solutions backed by a cutting edge infrastructure is just as compelling. Yet, not all hosting providers are created equal.
Here are the top five questions to ask your hosting provider to ensure their services are right for your business.
Business Websites Made Easy!
A Website Builder with 500+ Templates Puts You in the Driver’s Seat
The Robson Communications Small Business Panel (Parallels SMB Panel) is a revolutionary new platform designed to make the most out of your IT dollars by letting you manage your online identity and we are thrilled to now be offering this incredible tool to Canadian businesses. Not only can you manage your company’s email, applications and file storage within this robust platform, you can easily design and publish a website that can include blogs and simple e-commerce applications using a user-friendly five step wizard. Here’s how it works:
