Katie brought up some great points about an IT infrastructure provider checklist in her recent “World News from The Planet” video from ad:tech. Regardless of where you’re planning to host, you should always ask probing questions to determine just what, exactly, your provider brings to the table. Here are some points to consider:

Network

How does the provider’s network compare to the competition? Can it survive multiple bandwidth partner failures? Can it neutralize a multiple-Gbps DDOS attack?

Support

Is support staff available whenever I need it? Can I talk to a human immediately if I have an emergency? Does the provider employ certified staff that can help me with advanced issues?

Facilities

Can the provider host my IT infrastructure in multiple data centers and in more than one city? Does the company own its own facilities (or is it renting)? Is the data center entirely within the hosting provider’s control?

Power

Can the company survive a catastrophic power event such as being cut off from utility power for more than a week? Is the provider on a dedicated power grid within its facility or does it share a power infrastructure with other companies? Is the company’s power generation and distribution infrastructure regional (i.e., one unit per section of a data center) or is it integrated, providing true N+1 or better redundancy?

Vendors

Does the company use high-quality, name-brand vendors with equipment under warranty or does it offer generic, off-brand solutions? Do its vendors consider the company one of their top customers?

Product Portfolio

Does the provider offer a wide range of upgrades and add-ons or am I limited to its predefined packages? If the provider doesn’t have exactly what I need, can I special-order it?

Without definitive answers to questions like these, a price quote alone is pretty meaningless. After all, it’s the total value of the service — and not just the monthly fee — that is the true measure of any service offering.

Doubling down in Las Vegas happened more than just at the blackjack tables this weekend. We attended the Affiliate Summit at the Rio and learned how to double down in a different fashion.

So what’s all this fuss about doubling down? Well, affiliates participate in programs that allow individuals or businesses to drive potential customers to a third-party’s Web site, usually via a link or a banner ad on the affiliate’s site. When a sale is conducted on the third-party site, the affiliate who drove the traffic there receives a commission on the sale. In some cases, the affiliate generates revenue for services the affiliate already uses, such as a Web hosting service.

The conference keynote speaker, Jason Calacanis, made an interesting point about Internet pollution. He said that the increase in spam and deception in the online world is creating polluted information, which frustrates users’ online experiences. This caused quite the stir; however, the speaker stated that he wasn’t referencing the affiliates at the conference but was addressing the ones that weren’t there.

After that start to a conference, the rest was a whirlwind adventure.

Photo Courtesy of the Las Vegas News Bureau

There were several talks about how to incorporate video footage on affiliate Web pages, along with the best way to do it. For instance, it was recommended that HD be used so that DVDs can be made later on as needed. There were other talks about incorporating widgets in the current affiliate marketplace and how few people have seen success with it.

It made for a very interesting few days and we’re looking forward to the next Affiliate Summit in August.

Visit The Planet’s Affiliate page for more details about our program.

Well that’s how the dice rolled this week, until next time!

-Rachel

Are you a shared or dedicated hosting reseller? If I told you about a reseller program with increasing monthly discounts, easy account management and a free month to start, would you be interested? If you’ve screamed “Yes!” at the top of your lungs in response to any of these questions, I’m excited to share the launch of The Planet’s brand new Reseller Program … and I’d also recommend speaking with someone about that whole “yelling while reading a blog post on the Internet” problem you’ve got.

If you know The Planet, you know that we’re the largest privately held dedicated server hosting company in the world. What you might not know is that more than half of our business is made up of Web hosting resellers of various shapes and sizes … from garage-based operations reselling a few servers to close friends to multi-million dollar companies seeking market share in the global shared hosting arena. We provide the back-end network, hardware infrastructure and support to keep those businesses online and thriving. To accommodate the unique needs of these customers, we reinvigorated our reseller program to feature a customized control portal, enhanced discount structure and a free month of service for our charter members on all new server orders.

What Participating Resellers Get

• Monthly discount on already competitive prices
• A dedicated sales team with extended hours
• A custom portal with reseller-specific functions
• Ability to order online with discounts 24×7
• The Planet’s enterprise-level data centers and network
• The freedom to focus on your core competencies without worrying about your infrastucture

How the Program Works

When you join the program, you are eligible for a free month of service on every new server order, and as you grow your business, you will be eligible for our three tiers of membership: Tier 1 ($500-$2,500 per month), Tier 2 ($2,501-$5,000) and Tier 3 ($5,001+) levels each entitle you to larger monthly discounts on your server orders. Every member of the program will have full access to The Planet’s marketing resources, frequently asked questions, and account management staff to be sure that you have all the information needed to help ensure your business can to grow quickly.

After you sign up (hint, hint), we’ll fill you in on all of the details. We are excited to offer you an enterprise-level program at small business prices!

-Todd