August 27, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Data Return, LLC (datareturn.com)
takes a refreshingly sophisticated approach towards its business.
Instead of focusing primarily on infrastructure such as pipes and
servers, as many other hosting companies do, the firm preoccupies
itself with enhancing its customers' applications.
Many large companies, like HP, RadioShack
and H&R Block rely on the firm's experience, and proven
capabilities, to manage their complex, transaction-intensive Web-based
systems. Over the course of eight years, the company has developed its
own comprehensive service delivery platform, digitalOps, which manages
mission-critical business infrastructure on the Windows, Solaris and
Linux platforms.
The power of its unified business
environment gives Data Return the ability to deliver a highly tailored
and flexible service to its customers, which can control any aspect of
its highly complex hosting environment from a singular software
interface. DigitalOps is more than a service delivery platform that
simply automates server and network functions. It is also designed to
optimize technical operations and business processes across the entire
enterprise. As a result, the environment can afford total control over
a distributed hosting and IT architecture, thereby enhancing enterprise
workflow and asset management.
This approach speeds response times,
reduces the possibility of error, and raises systems availability
through increased accuracy, comprehensive change control, and rapid
fault resolution. The system is also advantageous because it can offer
such customized service, at a price more conducive to a commodity-like
offering.
"Our system is different from other
managed hosting services because we take a more holistic view of the
complexity of the environment," states Sunny C. Vanderbeck, Data
Return's chief executive officer. "We ensure the availability and
scalability of our environment so that we can focus on customer
applications that power large data operations with large traffic and
financial transaction demands."
Based upon a strong foundation of
infrastructure, expert product engineering and digitalOps, Data
Return's managed hosting provides value to its customers through
intelligent systems design and testing; comprehensive and systemic
change management; proactive performance analysis and optimization. The
firm also maintains a rapid customer service philosophy, with a
commitment to full production support that includes troubleshooting
custom application code.
The hosting firm is also highly
experienced in powering intensive, transactional driven sites. As an
example, Data Return provides a complete managed solution to Fandango,
the largest online and phone movie-ticketing service in the US.
Fandango sells tickets for over 1,000 theaters and 11,500 screens -
which equates to nearly 70 percent of the theatres in the United States
enabled for remote ticketing. Recently, Fandango's online systems
processed eight percent of the total global ticket sales for the
blockbuster hit The Passion of the Christ. Data Return's ability to
respond to large spikes in traffic through its digitalOps platform
allowed the host to effectively deal with the influx of transactions.
That ability also facilitated the firm's
capacity to successfully enable H&R Block's online tax preparation
service. The demanding application, which integrates with its
shrink-wrapped software, recently processed over 2.5 million tax
returns during the previous individual tax-filing season.
"We excel in providing a high level of
technical expertise and experience to maintain highly-trafficked,
transactional sites due to the operation maturity model that we have
implemented," says Vanderbeck. "The model allows us to measure the
quality of our operation."
The model is based on the IT
Infrastructure Library framework; a set of IT best practices. Data
Return also leverages its internal, in-depth knowledge of IT
environments, and is recognized for its operational excellence through
Microsoft, HP and SAS-70 certifications.
Due to its integrated platform and
customized approach to customer service, the company has continued to
grow its accounts and retain important clientele. Key new clients
include PerkinElmer Inc., Landry's Restaurants Inc., and Everdream.
"While other companies take a Home Depot
approach to hosting and simply provide all the parts, we endeavor to
act as a custom contractor, and put all the parts together to create a
full solution," states Vanderbeck. "This is why we continue to grow our
business."
Over the past nine quarters the company
has consistently reported a profit, while carrying very little debt.
The company intends to grow its balance sheet even more by offering
enhanced options to control distributed IT architecture within
corporate data center facilities in the near future.
