IsMyWebsite Free Hosting Development Blog

I have just finished the preparations for the upgrade of our Node 6. Nixism, the company managing this server, has also mentioned the following:

The migration will begin shortly, we will continue to send you emails to update you on the status of the migration.

During the time of the migration, [no] websites will not be affected, therefore there wouldn’t be any downtime. You may lose a little data, such as AWStats reports, etc..[.] But this will be fixed once moved onto the new server.

Hope everyone enjoys the new server. If you do experience any troubles, please be sure to report them.

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, there are major changes afoot in the world’s economy. Whatever the cause, the fact is, a lot of people have been and continue to be affected. I just visited the website of DigitalWorldHost, a very solid company set to manage our Node 14 back in the Pre-Nathan Era, to find this:

DigitalWorldHost announces the closing of its services after more than three years of successful operation. This decision does not come easy from our management team but given recent decline in growth and economic conditions, it is the best option for all that DigitalWorldHost stop operations. We apologize sincerely to all of our loyal customers and will assist in any way possible over the next two weeks to make the transition to another hosting provider easy. Our servers will remain operational for another two weeks at which point any and all data remaining on the server will be considered lost. Until then all remaining websites will remain operational and online with all logins available.

It has been a great journey for all of us involved and we would like to offer our thanks to all those whom we’ve come in contact with throughout the last three years.

As a hosting company, they did well. They were reliable, supportive, and well established. There was just one thing I saw. They were not effective in how they handled the unexpected. They did not have plans in place to handle disaster situations. When the ladder started to slide, I could tell they were set to fall.

Here’s the top 3 factors which will keep us afloat while many of our competitors sink:

Administration – Looking at our primary competitors brings out a general trend. Financing comes from larger companies, or from entrepreneurs looking to invest. We are at the top of our financial chain, dependant on nobody to keep us operational, and we have always spent wisely. We are financially safe for at least another full year.

Configuration – Now that I look back at all we did for reliability and stability, the node setup is absolutely perfect for handling a recession. No company can ever cripple us by going out of business, whereas most of our competition is dependant on just one company (or even multiple companies) to keep their service running smoothly.

Dedication - Our focus has always been our clients, and providing the best service to them. We rely on the support, encouragement, energy, and donations they invest back each and every day towards keeping our service running for the future. In short, our dedication is not to the dollar bill, it’s to the future. Our future.

The recession is built on fear, and the widespread effects have been both beneficial and disastrous. The irony is, most people will come out of the recession spending and investing more wisely than ever before, a trend that will last decades. Why it takes a recession to cause this is one of the great mysteries of the universe.

Here’s how the recession works to our advantage:

Frugality – Less money is being spent and people are cutting costs. They are buying where the goods are cheaper. Wal-Mart, for example, saw it’s revenues increase while most of the competition saw a decrease. I expect the same to happen to hosting. People want to cut costs and get the same quality of service, which I know we can provide.

Expectation – Fear is all around. People learn to expect less, and prepare for the worse. Ultimately, this means we can provide a comparatively better service, and exceed their expectations by a wider margin. It also means, people will be more likely to take backups, something we’ve always encouraged. With companies like WebByCart out there, you can never trust anyone with the task.

Cooperation – It’s always been interesting how disasters, of any time, bring people together in a way nothing else can. I know we have a strong community which is well equipped to handle the worst of situations with hope, compassion, and commitment. We are here for eachother until the end, which can never come because we are here.

Opportunity – As more and more of our competitors fall under the pressure and burden of these tough times, we will be there to help them and their clients find a prosperous future despite the hardships. There will be so many more people looking for hosting to match their past experiences.

All in all, we expect to come out this recession ahead of the competition, with tremendous growth. It may not be a time of financial growth, but it is a time to meet the needs of more people and secure our market share for the end of the recession. Thanks everyone for your support to make it all possible, and here’s to our future!