(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — UK web hosting firm Fasthosts (www.fasthosts.com) has launched a brand new company, Rise (www.rise-partners.co.uk), to provide cloud and dedicated infrastructure as well as end-to-end solutions for channel partners to either resell, or offer as a white label service under their own brand.
Concurrent with the launch of Rise is its Infrastructure as a Service platform, “Data Centre on Demand,” based upon the Microsoft Dynamic Data Center. According to Fasthost’s Wednesday announcement, Rise provides the IT and telecommunications channels the opportunity to embrace the considerable benefits of cloud infrastructure such as agility, scalability and cost effectiveness. It also offers opportunities for value-added resellers and systems integrators to partner with Rise to add cloud solutions to their portfolio as a complement to their existing business and expand their available market.
Andy Burton, chief executive officer of both Fasthosts and Rise, noted that the hype surrounding cloud computing stirred by vendors does not necessarily translate into adoption because that is simply not how many small and medium-sized businesses buy IT. “They’re aware of the cloud, but are often confused about what it delivers and how they can utilise it, and usually rely on a third party ‘trusted advisor and supplier’ to guide them,” Burton said in a statement.
“What we’re addressing with this launch is how SMBs buy IT, not just why they should. By providing cloud services to the channel partners, we’re enabling those companies that have the trusted relationship with the end customer to deliver the benefits in a way that is clearly understood by the customer.”
Rise’s Data Center on Demand positions hosted services firmly at the control of the channel partner, letting them expand their portfolio quickly and easily, yet retain full control of the end-customer and their trusted advisor status. Data Centre on Demand also serves as a showcase of Microsoft’s Hyper-V technology, enabling virtualisation efficiencies in the data centre which can pass scale as well as cost and energy-saving onto users.
“This, we hope, is seen as good news for the channel after many predicted cloud computing would be bad news for businesses who traditionally sold packaged software or on-premise hardware,” Burton said. “If anything this should give resellers an even stronger bond with their customers as they can continue to provide on-premise solutions as they always have, but can now add hosted solutions to that portfolio as well. A combination of the two looks the best bet for some years to come.”
