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Aware of the priority of billing rituals undertaken daily in the web hosting reality, we made a point of taking proper steps in the field. The path we decided to pursue has led EasyDCIM to its current position as a top data center management platform offering robust integration with popular billing software systems like WHMCS and HostBill, and not solely them. What powers billing, comes with EasyDCIM At EasyDCIM, we managed to make the integration dream come true by extending our reach to these versatile solutions crafted in the course of teaming up with ModulesGarden: EasyDCIM Dedicated Servers For WHMCS This WHMCS module allows you to conduct all the tasks connected with delivery and management of dedicated servers powered by EasyDCIM in the well-known zone of your WHMCS platform. EasyDCIM Colocation For WHMCS It adds convenience to the process of placing orders for EasyDCIM collocation services, by letting your clients do it within the confines of your WHMCS. Products Reseller For WHMCS Why not push the boundaries of your WHMCS business a bit further by including others in the process of selling EasyDCIM-powered servers? The module lets you effortlessly build up and oversee your reseller network, equipping everyone involved with useful tools for effective price setting and income tracking, among other things. EasyDCIM Dedicated Servers For HostBill Just like its WHMCS twin, the tool streamlines the provisioning of dedicated servers and allows both administrators and customers to monitor and handle server details directly from the HostBill panel. EasyDCIM Colocation For HostBill Thanks to this extension, administrators and clients have the opportunity to benefit from the enhanced approach to managing colocation services without the need to leave the environment of HostBill. Build-in API If you are not inclined to stick to WHMCS or HostBill, EasyDCIM enables you to integrate with any billing system of your choice. This is possible by means of the extensive API, supported by a detailed documentation as well as the ACL mechanism - the trio that holds responsibility for both the smooth conduct and security of the whole process. Making billing fit your preference Each of the above-mentioned solutions brings a breath of targeted automation to the most paramount tasks connected with the provisioning and handling of dedicated servers and colocation services. These include creating customer accounts, accepting orders, assigning the most suitable devices, installing operating systems and additional software, or even tracking resource consumption. To top it all off, the essential capacity of EasyDCIM's billing integration lies in empowering you to charge your clients in various ways: for the total amount of data they transfer over a specific billing period applying 95th percentile method within which charging is based on the sustained bandwidth usage, ignoring the highest 5% of peaks and by this better responding to the needs of clients with variable traffic patterns for the actual power usage (in the case of EasyDCIM Colocation For WHMCS and EasyDCIM Colocation For HostBill) It’s worth mentioning that you can get access to even more sophisticated billing formulas in your WHMCS by means of combining the modules with Advanced Billing For WHMCS. Keep calm and carry on billing We don’t have to imagine it, we know it for a fact: you do need your data center operations to run smoothly and safely, so that you can enjoy the blessed peace of mind and concentrate on expanding your business. Responding to that need, EasyDCIM opens the door to billing integration, one of our key features thanks to which you don’t have to worry about the efficiency of your billing processes and which grants you the level of automation that you seek. Why not leverage our powerful integration tools then, and rest assured that things are just great in your data center, both for you and your customers? Keep on learning!

EasyDCIM began with a simple premise: to reconstruct what has long appeared as an industry standard for data center management. With each passing year, we evolved, fueled by a blend of the latest technologies and customer feedback. Today, as we are about to proudly enter the monumental chapter of 10 years filled with professional growth and success, we find it essential to reflect on the unique factors that allowed our platform to originate the new standard for DCIM. The "THEN" Let's rewind the clock. The year 2014 sees ModulesGarden reaching the first of many accomplishments, with a team of nearly 40 talented individuals sharing an insatiable appetite for growth. It was in this vibrant atmosphere that we dared to venture into uncharted territory and establish a new brand - a decision that, as time has proven, would not be our last of its kind. Drawing heavily from the resources and expertise of ModulesGarden at early stages, especially in the context of the full-scale billing integration with WHMCS, EasyDCIM quickly became a self-sufficient branch of INBS.software. I remember it like it was yesterday. Ten years ago, there was a trend predicting that "dedicated servers will die" because of the large cloud hyper-scalers potentially taking over the entire market. We knew that dedicated servers had huge potential in terms of cost and performance, and that the cloud would never be able to compete on that level. In our opinion, the main problems were accessibility to the service and lack of automation. This is why we decided to build EasyDCIM - to make bare metal servers as simple for end customers as cloud services. This move was bold, to say the least. Launching a new brand mixes in equal proportions the excitement, the long hours of hard work (especially with ModulesGarden expanding rapidly at the time), high hopes, and numerous challenges. However, we succeeded. Over the years, we have grown consistently and strategically, shaping EasyDCIM based on regular updates that represent a combination of our own vision for enhancing DCIM and our clients' wishes. If we were to identify the most groundbreaking releases so far, the following would surely be on the list: Version 1.5.0:Built-in OS installer - Automatic installation of multiple systems from the Linux and Windows families. Version 1.5.2:IPMI Proxy and noVNC console integration. Version 1.6.0:A dispersed architecture model based on remote agents. Version 1.8.0:Visualization of locations, floors, and rack cabinets - featuring the world map, multiple graphs, and the building’s 2D view. Version 1.9.2:Quick Configuration Wizard - Basic setup of EasyDCIM in six simple steps. With EasyDCIM showing absolutely no signs of slowing down, we understood that our website had to undergo a similar transformation to stay current and maintain the platform’s modern appeal. In 2023, every single part of the website, from the Client Area to the Documentation and Blog, was rebuilt from the ground up with a focused agenda: to provide smoother navigation, richer resources, and an overall enhanced user experience. All to ensure you get the best out of EasyDCIM. The "NOW" Fast forward to the present, and our ethos remains unchanged: prioritize product quality over flashy marketing campaigns. After all, this project has never meant to be about chasing easy gains but about finding a long-term response to an authentic need and the lack of a suitable solution for ourselves and our existing clients. We continue to invest almost all our time, energy, and commitment into the platform itself. This approach extends to supporting various server hardware and software vendors. It turns out we were right. EasyDCIM has proven to be a successful project, helping hundreds of businesses and making a difference in our industry. The platform has now reached a high level of maturity and stability, though we continually find ways to optimize it, both in terms of the application's UI/UX and system requirements. Our goal is to keep EasyDCIM always up-to-date and built on the latest proven solutions, thus the latest version includes full support for Debian 12. After a decade, we are confident that a truly good product stands on its own merit, and that's where we focus our efforts. Our customer churn is virtually non-existent - once someone tries EasyDCIM, they stay with us for years. This philosophy has also brought us some impressive milestones: 500,000 servers and network devices around the globe are managed with EasyDCIM - and the count keeps rising! 150+ countries are home to our clients who have already experienced the benefits of using EasyDCIM, and the platform is set to reach even more! The "BEYOND" Another major factor that keeps us motivated is that our schedule never lacks new feature ideas for EasyDCIM’s future development. With our vast experience and thorough understanding of the web hosting sector, we have a clear vision of our path forward. We are continuously innovating and expanding our control panel to meet the evolving needs and requirements of our community. Our next objective is to expand EasyDCIM for more use cases, responding to the high demand for reliable automation solutions in different industries. That's all I can reveal at the moment ;) From day one, this experience has been nothing short of valuable and rewarding. What began as a spark of inspiration has ignited a revolution in data center management. We stand tall, not just because of our passion, but because of the profound impact EasyDCIM keeps on having on real companies like Colohouse, DigitalServers, and countless others - industry giants and up-and-coming players alike. Today, as we embark on this next chapter, we would like to thank you, our dearest customers, for being a vital part of our decade-old story. Without your invaluable input and encouragement, reaching this significant milestone would have remained far out of reach. And to celebrate our ever-growing community, we are now equipping every single order placed up until 31st July, 2024 - covering whatever plan and pricing period you choose - with a special 25% discount! Promo Code: 10AnniversaryExplore your options! Together, let’s shape the future of data center management – one innovation at a time! @media (max-width: 900px) { .explore_options { width:100%;margin:20px 0!important;text-align:center;} .explore_options > span,.promo_code {width:100%;display:block;} }

With technology advancing at breakneck speed, staying ahead of the curve is essential for any data center looking to thrive. One forward-thinking strategy gaining increasing traction is establishing a reseller network. This article delves into why having resellers on board can revolutionize your business dynamics, and how Products Reseller For WHMCS can help you seamlessly navigate through this vibrant, ever-changing environment. Benefits This collaborative distribution model empowers you to leverage the strengths and circles of independent partners to promote and sell your dedicated servers. As demonstrated through a spectrum of reassuring case studies, the advantages of building a reseller ecosystem only grow over time, extending far beyond mere sales numbers. Challenges However, with great power comes great responsibility. As the number of benefits multiplies, so do the challenges associated with managing resellers, which can be increasingly felt as their ranks continue to grow. While WHMCS stands as the industry standard for orders and billing management in web hosting, it's essential to factor in that there might be a mixed bag of preferences among your resellers. Some may gravitate toward alternative platforms that resonate better with their unique business strategies, which may lead to a bit of a hiccup in communication and workflow. Ensuring a uniform experience for each reseller, no matter their system choices, is crucial for maintaining consistency and professionalism. Bridging the Gap Surprisingly, there didn't appear to be a single comprehensive solution dealing with challenges like these until a few years ago. That's when ModulesGarden took the initiative to build one from the ground up, drawing on their nearly decade-long expertise in WHMCS software development. This is how Products Reseller For WHMCS was born. The module's continuous evolution took an exciting turn for the EasyDCIM community when the integration with another ModulesGarden creation has been announced. Specifically, with the free EasyDCIM Dedicated Servers For WHMCS which streamlines the provisioning and management of EasyDCIM servers, all from within the WHMCS interface. This unique combination of WHMCS modules represents a universal equipment for managing various reselling operations, tracking revenue, and working with multiple reseller groups. Importantly, Products Reseller For WHMCS comes with its own API, allowing resellers to seamlessly offer your servers across different platforms. For providers, the level of control is unmatched, as Products Reseller For WHMCS enables you to organize resellers with similar target markets into easily manageable groups, each equipped with their own individual pricing settings. With detailed graphs and billing summaries generated dynamically in the addon, you are always up to speed - simply drill down into specific servers and timeframes until you find the level of detail you need. It only gets better from here - not only can your resellers handle vital tasks from whatever system they see fit, but they also have the flexibility to dive into the dedicated Reseller Area located right in your WHMCS, complete with insights on end-client orders and applicable pricing rates. This ability to take remote actions on sold servers adds an extra layer of convenience and control into their reselling experience. We can all agree that extending top-notch service to end customers is just as crucial. Products Reseller For WHMCS eliminates the hassle of logging into multiple accounts, allowing the clients acquired by your network to oversee their EasyDCIM servers right from the reseller's platform. Beyond basic actions (booting, rebooting, shutting down), they also enjoy access to dynamic graphs illustrating changes in total traffic. The Big Picture To complete the picture of the module's impressive capacity and energetic progress, let's not forget that Products Reseller For WHMCS has recently celebrated a brand-new release, featuring a dedicated integration with EasyDCIM Dedicated Servers For WHMCS in version 2.2.0 and beyond. Is there a more compelling push to invest in your success? As we wrap up our exploration of reseller networks, remember this: they are not just about business, they are about genuine relationships. So, go ahead, and witness firsthand how building a robust reseller base around your EasyDCIM experience may be just the catalyst your data center needs to soar in today's competitive reality. The journey might start with a single partnership, but the potential is boundless. Seize it! And to all the curious minds looking for an even more in-depth knowledge on the subject, we invite you to explore our documentation, rich with comprehensive insights. View the Guide!

Owning and operating a web hosting business is about more than just the technology. In fact, one could strongly argue that attributes such as disk space or RAM come second to the most important part: the customers. After all, a web hosting enterprise is not much of a business at all without them. While technology is important and ultimately drives customer success, a number of other, often overlooked factors goes into making a company thrive in this particular industry. In this post, we will outline ten things that web hosting providers can do to keep clients satisfied. While this is far from exhaustive, it does provide a good foundation to best fulfill your customers' expectations and make them happy for the long term. 1. Keep your hardware and software up to date Nothing will drive clients away faster than a security breach of their website or application. One way these happen? Insecure networks or hardware. Whether you are offering bare metal servers or shared hosting accounts, take great care to apply all patches and updates in a timely manner. It’s extremely important to do so, otherwise you might find yourself in a situation where you’ve left your customers open to nothing other than potential security breaches. Not only will this negatively affect their trust, but it could also lead to refunds or even lawsuits if any client was affected by the breach. For this reason, it is crucial to remain extremely careful when applying patches and updates for both networks and hardware. This includes making sure that all of your servers are patched (or replaced) before they can be used again after an attack. 2. Offer round-the-clock customer service One of the best ways to keep clients content and make your company stand out from the competition is to offer 24/7 support and customer service. Many of your customers are likely to work on websites and applications outside of standard business hours. Additionally, if they are located in different parts of the world, then providing support only during specified hours is unlikely to meet their needs. By being in a position to help the clientele at all times you are showing that you care about their success, which is directly related to your own! It is worth noting that providing round-the-clock service and support can be very expensive. One way to lessen the costs is offering only critical support during your typical non-working hours. For example, you could set up a mailbox for less important inquiries that you only check once a day while a separate inbox is connected to the mobile phone of support team members. This way the primary support needs can be monitored at all times while lesser priority inquiries can be addressed at a later, more convenient time. Many web hosting companies even charge an extra fee for 24/7 support, which can be a great way to increase revenue and offset costs. 3. Stay current with ever-changing technology New technical solutions get released on a regular basis when it comes to servers, storage, and connectivity. The EasyDCIM control panel also frequently introduces new features that benefit not just web hosting providers, but their customers as well. Sometimes these technologies introduce better security, other times they make servers, applications, or websites easier to use. What all providers need is to stay updated on what is new in order to offer their clientele exactly what they are searching for. From a business perspective, your offerings should be up to date so you can remain in line with or even ahead of competitors. On the other hand, you want to offer as much value as possible to those that choose to do business with you. Keeping abreast of new technology allows your company to achieve both of these goals. 4. Allow customers to restart servers on their own Many web hosting companies do not realize how absolutely crucial it is for their clients to be able to restart their servers independently. They may not sell dedicated servers, or simply do not receive that many restart tickets and, as a result, overlook this. But customers that utilize dedicated servers absolutely do not want to have to wait for a support specialist to open a ticket, log their information, and THEN restart a server when they could do it themselves if only they were granted permission. Servers can require restarts for a number of reasons. From new software updates requiring a restart to purging old files, some activities can only get carried out via a restart, which is all the more reason to give clients the ability to restart servers on their own, just like EasyDCIM does. 5. Offer flexible payment options... The majority of web hosting providers offer two types of payment options: monthly or annual. Annual payments often carry a discount in the form of a "free" month or two. And while these options tend to work for most customers, what about payment options themselves? Some hosts accept credit card payments, others ACH or wire. However, physical checks still tend to be the preferred method of payment in many countries. As a web hosting provider though, you should definitely consider new forms of payment, such as Bitcoin. Additionally, offering multi-year payment terms can be a great way to not just lock in customers for longer terms, but also serve those that have complex procurement processes. Pay-for-use or pay-for-consumption models have been popular for years with public cloud providers. Traditional hosts should consider offering similar pricing models when possible, as more and more businesses in many sectors are looking to maximize their return on investment by paying only for what they use. These various payment terms are not right for each individual web hosting provider, of course. However, knowing what works best for your customers is always a worthwhile business strategy and payment terms are no different. 6. ...And reasonable prices Nobody likes overpriced products, but picking out something that is not expensive can become quite a difficult task. Web hosting providers need to make sure that their prices are reasonable in order to give customers what they need without breaking their budgets. It is important to note that "reasonable" pricing does not necessarily mean "lower" pricing. As more and more web hosting services become commoditized, thus driving prices down, it is imperative that the providers work to deliver value that matches the prices they do charge. Better performance and support are great ways to add customers and increase revenue. Even better, a reasonable price for excellent web hosting service is much higher than a price for sub-par, lower-quality one. 7. Make it easy to upgrade Customers are not always fully certain of what they need when it comes time to upgrade their hosting, but that does not mean that they should be forced into a package in order to save money. All providers need to make sure their clients can easily upgrade and downgrade in order to get the features that they want without having to pay for anything extra. Today's traffic patterns for websites and applications can change in the blink of an eye. A big announcement or a viral blog post can bring in colossal scores of traffic. Seasonal businesses might be super busy for weeks at a time, just before their doors close completely for months. What you should do, is to always keep your offer scalable and allow your customers to upgrade (and downgrade) effortlessly, based on their needs. No one wants to feel stuck in the wrong solution because their web hosting provider does not have a clear path to easily change their plan. 8. Check-in from time to time Web hosting providers often fail to stay in touch with their customers. One way to reduce churn and benefit from the upsell and cross-sell opportunities is to regularly reach out to individual clients. For your highest value clientele, a simple phone call or video meeting once a quarter or a couple of times each year can go a long way. Firstly, clients will be glad to know you care about their business and their goals. Secondly, and more importantly, these conversations or meetings can help uncover areas of opportunity for you both to expand your relationship. Make it a point to review support tickets prior to the meeting and address any concerns or comments. Customers will be amazed by your involvement and will start to see your business as a partner instead of as a vendor. 9. Proactively communicate with customers In the same vein, a regular newsletter or release note about feature introductions or improvements will regularly bring customers up to speed. For example, we have recently emailed our clients about implementing the "Mass Edit" toolkit as part of the EasyDCIM platform. This way, they immediately got to know new tools and functionalities which not only strengthen our relationship with them, but more importantly, helps them grow their businesses. 10. Keep an eye on the competition Barring a bad support experience or outage, many clients of web hosting companies are disinclined to switch to a new provider. A great deal of churn with hosts, particularly for those providing VPS and dedicated servers to business clients, comes when a project ends or a resource is no longer needed as opposed to canceling the service with the intention to move it elsewhere. However, one area of vulnerability may well be all it takes to make web hosting providers lose their clientele to competitors - not keeping up with features and functions offered elsewhere on the market. One such example is automatic backups. As recently as a decade ago automatic backups were not available from many (most?) web hosting providers. They have become so popular during this time though, that it would be a great disappointment if one’s offer did not include them. A great way to keep customers satisfied with their choice of provider is to make sure your offerings match or exceed the market standard. To sum up: Focus on the customer! Web hosting providers should strive to create a customer-centric business model. This includes web hosting that is fast and reliable, as well as effortless upgrades and downgrades when needed. While the best way to keep clients happy may vary from one person or company to another, you should definitely know what your target audience needs so you can provide them with those solutions. This way you will ensure their cooperation now and in the future. Take care of your customers and they will take care of you. Do you have questions about how EasyDCIM can help your web hosting business deliver on the promise of greater customer happiness? Get in touch!

Like most businesses, regardless of their sector, web hosting companies are always looking to increase their operational efficiency and reduce costs. This is where automation comes in, as it can help with both of those goals. Automation speeds up processes while reducing the possibility of an error occurring. This frees up employees to focus on core tasks instead of necessary but low-intellect work. While there are many tools on the market for automating dedicated servers, not all of them are well suited to your needs. Some are likely to be too expensive. Other ones are technical in nature and require an expertise too comprehensive for most individuals. There are also ones that still will not include the automation functionality crucial for your web hosting business to continue growing and reaching its goals. In this blog post, we will talk about four different automation systems available to web hosting providers offering dedicated servers: WHMCS, WISECP, Blesta and HostBill. While this list admittedly does not cover all available ones on the market, it does represent the options that we find to be the best fit for small and mid-sized companies looking to add automation without high costs or complexity. We'll cover what these four tools do and how they compare so you can find the perfect server automation software for your company! Recommended Automation Tools for Web Hosting Providers WHMCS To start, let's talk about the best-known and most widely used management platform in the web hosting industry: WHMCS. The acronym stands for Web Host Manager Complete Solution and it is considered one of the most popular options available to you as a business owner. WHMCS has an integrated billing system that can help with your day-to-day tasks such as invoicing and accepting payments from users in addition to a suite of tools for managing your dedicated servers. WHMCS includes an industry-standard billing platform with many powerful features, but it's also known for being slightly more complex to implement into your business workflow. WHMCS can require a lot of customization and configuration for some users. This means you'll be spending more time on the backend to make sure everything is working properly. However, once WHMCS is operating correctly for your web hosting company, it is undeniable that it provides the functionality necessary to successfully automate a number of key activities. One aspect should be kept in mind: WHMCS charges an annual license fee for each user that accesses it, so if your business has a large number of customers this can add up quickly. WHMCS standard features: Integrated billing system Automated server provisioning system Dedicated server management tools Invoicing and accepting payments, including support for recurring payments WISECP WISECP is an automated billing system that works best for smaller web hosting companies. It includes a suite of tools for managing dedicated servers and can be installed on any operating system. WISECP also has an API so you can integrate it with all sorts of software products without having to worry about compatibility issues, or hiring programmers to write custom code, just because they're not using the same platform as you are. This allows businesses to use multiple systems simultaneously while still being able to sync data between them seamlessly. The API even lets developers export data from WISECP into other applications if they want to. WISECP is a one-stop-shop for managing everything that running your business involves. It's a good choice not just for web hosting providers but also security firms and other types of business that need to automate the management of their dedicated servers. WISECP offers comprehensive solutions for billing, customer service automation, CRM integration, chatbots, and more. WISECP standard features: File manager Domain manager Device configuration tool Account creation Rebuild, restart, start, and shutdown functionality Blesta Blesta is an automated billing platform that includes an integrated customer log-in with their own portal. It also provides a software to help you manage your dedicated servers including file manager, domain manager, and server configuration. Another stand-out feature is that it can be installed on any operating system. Blesta is another powerful system that service providers and hosts use to simplify their workflows. It has everything WISECP does plus a few more tools like billing automation, recurring invoices, and automated provisioning. It also integrates with WHMCS so you can get an even more powerful single sign-on experience where users only need to log into one system and they're automatically signed in on all other areas of your business too. Blesta includes a complete billing suite that helps user companies run efficiently and save both time and money. Blesta standard features: Integrated customer login with their own portal Suite of tools for managing machines File manager Domain manager Support platform for managing customer inquiries HostBill HostBill is a full-featured billing and CRM solution that gives you everything you need to run your web hosting company. You can easily manage customers, invoices, recurring bills, warranties and more, all in one system with no extra add-ons required. HostBill also integrates seamlessly with WHMCS so if you're already using it you can get the same benefits that WiseCP and Blesta offer. Perhaps the best thing about HostBill is how affordable it is to start up. HostBill also has an API that enables developers to integrate multiple systems simultaneously without having compatibility issues or hiring programmers to write custom code just because they're not using the same platform as you are. HostBill standard features: Automated billing Device and domain automation Client support and management Client self-service portal The Right Automation Tool for Your Web Hosting Business So how do you choose what's right for your business? As with any other software consideration it is important to understand your existing technology stack as well as the goals you are trying to reach. Automation for automation's sake is unlikely to succeed. Have a plan for what challenges you are trying to address and how new automation will impact, and hopefully improve, not just your business but your customers' experience as well. Automation greatly reduces costs, by removing manual tasks from employees' daily routines and allowing them to focus on more productive activities instead, which is its most important benefit. In addition, automation makes it easier for companies to streamline their business processes, which is another way of saying that it helps them save money. If you are looking to add automation to your web hosting company, the four above mentioned options are worth considering. While each has its strengths and drawbacks, all four can help save time and streamline processes in your business. Our team at EasyDCIM is proud to work with WHMCS through EasyDCIM Dedicated Servers For WHMCS and EasyDCIM Colocation For WHMCS modules officially maintained by ModulesGarden. Simultaneously, the platform supports a number of other systems designed to help growing web hosting companies. Interested in leveling up your workflows with the extra potential of integration between EasyDCIM and such esteemed automation tools as HostBill, Blesta, WISECP or any other suitable alternative? Get in contact with us!

Many web hosting providers wonder if selling dedicated servers is a good idea. On the one hand, dedicated server sales generate more revenue per unit than shared or VPS hosting. On the other hand, the technical knowledge and financial investment necessary to offer dedicated servers can become an issue if done in a hurry. As with most things, there are trade-offs with selling dedicated servers. Calculating if this product fits your business offer requires more than a simple checklist. Concentrating on your business goals, existing resources, and ideal customer set is crucial when considering whether or not to sell dedicated servers. Selling dedicated servers vs. selling shared hosting Dedicated servers require various investments, buying or reselling hardware, expanding to a clientele that will spend more money, and technical ability that is different than spinning up a VPS and selling small chunks via inexpensive shared hosting. This post will address what goes into adding dedicated servers to your hosting business and answer the question: "Would it be difficult for my web hosting company to sell dedicated servers?" From technical know-how to marketing, we will explore how to sell dedicated servers and help determine if this exciting product makes sense for your next venture. Requirements of selling dedicated servers Technical know-how required Unlike virtualized technology where the web hosting provider's responsibility often starts at the hypervisor, with a dedicated server you may also be responsible for the hardware itself. To sell dedicated servers you will need to have or gain access to a resource with deeper technological expertise than if you are only selling shared hosting. In most cases selling dedicated servers means understanding the physical machines themselves as well as their connectivity, power, and security. Investments and resources Selling shared hosting is fairly straightforward: set up a VPS and WHM along with a simple website and you have a fledgling web hosting company. Selling dedicated servers requires resources and investment into more powerful and more expensive hardware. Reseller programs from web hosts do provide access to dedicated servers if you do not want to purchase or lease your own hardware, but the investment in time and resources to sell them is significant. Marketing to a different clientele The customers seeking out dedicated servers search for something completely different than those choosing shared or even VPS hosting solutions. As the name implies, dedicated servers mean not sharing any server resources with other tenants. That means a higher price and thus a different set of customers than those used to paying a few dollars a month to host a personal website or blog. Dedicated servers typically cost well into the hundreds of dollars per month per server. Crafting a message and marketing plan that resonates with this type of buyer is key. Benefits of selling dedicated servers Dedicated servers provide upsell opportunity While technical know-how, more resources, and different marketing can be the hard parts of selling dedicated servers, there are some significant and worthwhile benefits as well. The most obvious one? Having a better, higher-performance solution for existing customers as their hosting needs grow. Most web hosting providers know the awful feeling of a customer leaving because the provider no longer has the product the customer needs. Dedicated servers provide a logical upsell path that reduces churn, increases revenue, and keeps customers happy for the long haul. Dedicated servers cover a wider range of customer needs Just as dedicated servers offer an opportunity to generate greater revenue and reduce churn, so too do they offer a way to address a wider and more varied range of customer needs. For example, imagine you have a business-class customer that chooses to invest in a new ERP system that requires a dedicated server. If this is not part of your product catalog then you run the risk of losing some or all of that customer's web hosting business to a provider that does offer dedicated servers. By offering this technology your hosting business becomes a viable option for almost all clients across industries with various hosting needs. Dedicated servers generate more revenue... and profit It is wonderful to have a natural upsell path for existing customers. It is also great to cover a wider range of customer needs. Another excellent potential outcome aligns with your web hosting company's goals: generating more revenue. Dedicated servers command a higher price point which can positively affect your business in many ways. A solution that generates hundreds or even thousands of dollars per unit of profit is considerably more profitable than shared hosting which can generate only a few dollars of profit per month per unit. Selling dedicated servers means you need fewer customers to reach similar financial goals and opens new areas of opportunity for your business. What you need to sell dedicated servers Despite initial assumptions, selling dedicated servers is not complicated once you understand what you need to be successful. Additionally, the benefits of selling these can substantially outweigh the challenges, particularly once you get your dedicated server offerings out to the market for the first time. In the most basic sense, you need three things to successfully expand your business offer to new and existing customers. Dedicated servers through purchase, lease, or reseller agreement First, you will need access to dedicated servers. In some cases, it makes sense to purchase or lease servers and take responsibility for their complete management, maintenance, and security. However, if you are new to selling this solution then we would suggest finding a reputable web hosting provider with a reseller program you can join. These programs typically include a generous gross margin for you when you resell a dedicated server. Additionally, reseller programs often leave the provider responsible for power, connectivity, and physical security for the dedicated servers. This means less for you to handle while still recognizing the benefits of selling this new solution. Software to manage dedicated server automation Next, a number of software offers including EasyDCIM can help automate a lot of the technical aspects of offering dedicated servers. For example, inventory counts and server provisioning can be handled by EasyDCIM. Tools like WHMCS and HostBill can help with billing. In fact, most of the actions necessary for the management and maintenance of your dedicated servers can be addressed with software. The right software can completely remove the need to do anything manually when it comes to the dedicated servers you are offering. A marketing plan to target new and existing customers Finally, to succeed in selling dedicated servers you will need a marketing plan or strategy to promote this new addition to your offer. Email newsletters announcing and promoting dedicated servers to existing customers can be very effective. Otherwise, the marketing channels you are already utilizing can be excellent for promoting dedicated servers, you simply have to fine-tune the messaging a bit. From targeting potential buyers with larger budgets to sharing potential use-cases where dedicated servers are the best option, different messages and audiences can lead to a significant increase in sales. Difficult or not? The conclusion Selling dedicated servers can feel difficult but in reality, it is not complicated in the slightest! With essentially the same amount of hard work as selling shared or VPS solutions, you can find success selling this higher-end solution. The challenge emerges when gaining access to the servers themselves, managing technical requirements, and getting the word out. Thankfully there are straightforward solutions for each of these. The decision if your business should offer dedicated servers ought to be driven by your business goals and the amount of time and attention you can offer to make such an initiative a success. To learn more about how automation software, including the EasyDCIM platform, can make selling dedicated servers easier for you, feel free to reach out to us. We would love the chance to work with you as you begin offering dedicated servers to both new and existing customers. Contact us!

If you own a hosting business then you are likely familiar with the potential that comes from upselling accounts. The most common way that providers upsell customers? By offering larger and more robust infrastructure options. Dedicated servers, specifically, offer huge growth opportunity for companies and their clients alike. Such a server gives users the technological horsepower needed to run even the most ambitious sites, applications, and projects. Similarly, these higher-end offerings can be a huge profit center for the company as well. More reliable in nature, those solutions command a higher price point and result in increased customer satisfaction. In fact, while many providers begin by selling simple shared accounts, most have the ambition to offer bigger - and more expensive - services to customers over time. However, if selling dedicated servers was so easy then everyone would do it, right? The truth is that expanding your hosting offerings with solutions more complex in scale is fraught with challenges and roadblocks that can frustrate even the most experienced technologist. In this Blog post, we will cover seven main struggles that you may be forced to deal with if you own a hosting company and start providing different, high-priced offerings to your customers. 1. Reading customer needs Dedicated servers are often more trustworthy and offer better performance than shared hosting plans since they have access to more resources. Furthermore, those resources are not shared with other tenants. Even if they sit idle when not in use, resources from this type of a server are specific to the customer, and not impacted by other users or companies. The difficulty behind selling dedicated servers may lie in figuring out what customers want with regard to server specifications, which can depend on the company's target market. Some users want higher quality at a lower price, while others need devices for high-traffic websites that experience spikes in demand throughout the day. 2. Taking inventory One of the main challenges in offering dedicated servers comes in how to keep up with them as they grow more and more in demand. There are typically two ways to maintain the inventory: by hand or with some type of an automated system or software. The manual method includes counting from an account dashboard. For some businesses, the manual calculation comes from literally walking into the data center and adding up devices on the rack. With an automated system, the number crunching is handled regularly by software, reducing the manual work and improving the accuracy of calculations. For example, EasyDCIM automates inventory counts for connected servers, showing what devices are in use and which are idle, and thus available for provisioning. This allows owners and administrators of hosting providers to save vast amounts of time. Additionally, the platform makes the inventory calculations more precise and stored in a streamlined system instead of being kept in a random spreadsheet or notebook. 3. Server restarts Another challenge comes in how you choose to handle device restarting processes. The common ways of addressing this need are either performing restarts internally or allowing customers the freedom to handle this task individually for servers they purchased from your company. In case you choose to shut down and turn on the servers all by yourself, then it becomes an integral part of your professional workflows, costing time and resources. Then again, if you choose to give users the ability to restart servers they are using, it ends up being a shared responsibility. In general, it is not possible to equip clients with the power to perform server restarts without the right software. Hosting providers that utilize EasyDCIM can easily offer this sort of functionality to their customers, and all that without sacrificing control over the provisioned devices. 4. Server hardware investments and expenditures Dedicated servers are a sizeable investment for most hosting companies mainly because there are ongoing costs associated with upkeep and maintenance. The challenge is knowing when or how often server hardware needs to be upgraded or replaced. In many cases, reseller programs can be a great option for hosting providers looking to grow. By leveraging a reseller program held by a larger provider, a company can branch out into offering a wide range of dedicated devices without taking on the burden of buying or leasing any hardware. When adding in the costs of data centers, connectivity, electricity, and security, it rarely makes sense for a small or even mid-sized entrepreneur to purchase hardware for sale. 5. Migrating customers between hosting server types Migrations are complicated in almost every situation, and the migrations from a shared hosting account or VPS to a dedicated server are no exception. If you are going to offer more powerful infrastructure, you should first consider how customers will be transferred to these new offerings. Will you have a separate team for professional services to lend a hand? Automated software to handle the process? Or, like many providers, will you leave the migration to the users and their team, and not provide any help at all? Ensuring migrations go smoothly is a go-to way to sell more units and keep customers happy. At the same time, you should take into account that providing technical assistance can prove to be a costly burden to your company’s support and engineering teams. 6. Pricing strategy Settling on the price of any infrastructure service can be complicated. Some hosting providers choose their pricing rates based on the rest of their products and solutions catalog. Others price their offerings relatively to competitors or according to customer surveys. Because dedicated servers are inherently higher-performing, more reliable devices then they are typically priced higher than VPS and shared alternatives. Outside of that guidance, however, you’ll likely need to try different price levels to see what your market and your clientele will bear. 7. Marketing dedicated servers Lastly, many providers may face various challenges when it comes to marketing and selling dedicated servers. The goal is to advertise these devices as a premium product because they are more robust and powerful than shared web hosting or VPS plans. The best way to market your new, higher-priced offerings is to position them as the next stage in the natural growth path for customers as their businesses evolve. This is an effective technique to let your clients feel you are a partner in their success and not simply trying to sell them something more expensive. Dedicated servers provide high performance and uptime - users that need both will recognize the value in your new offering when the time comes for that to fit their needs. Should you make dedicated servers part of your business? As you can see, there are quite many challenges hidden in the craft of selling dedicated servers. However, what should be stressed above all is the fact that each of these possible struggles is far outweighed by the positive impact that branching out has on your business. Improved customer satisfaction and higher-value sales can be transformative for your hosting business. Our team at EasyDCIM is on a mission to help hosting providers and their customers get the most possible value from dedicated servers. The platform's suite of extensions as well as integrations with key systems like WHMCS turn the server management into something to look forward to. If you are keen to learn more about adding dedicated devices to your product base, simply click the button below. We would enjoy the chance to help you explore how adding better solutions and more valuable revenue streams can impact your hosting business. Contact us!

Right after answering the fundamental question of why you should capitalize on dedicated servers, the very next one in our series that deserves an in-depth elaboration is the "how" question. However, given the many "hows" involved, in today’s article we will focus specifically on how you can upscale your business through server reselling via WHMCS with just a little effort put into it. So now that you have followed our advice, and branched out your offer into dedicated servers with a helping hand from EasyDCIM, you are actually able to spend more time thinking about ways to further polish your routine workflows. To help you put this train of thought on the right track, we are highlighting a couple of cutting-edge WHMCS tools that will make you wonder how you could possibly go so long without the advantage of business automation. Auto-provisioning at its finest EasyDCIM Dedicated Servers For WHMCS is a free module designed by ModulesGarden to create a bridge between your WHMCS and EasyDCIM, and by that means open up a whole new level of possibilities in realms of your offerings. Not only will you be able to provision adjustable dedicated servers of EasyDCIM in a fully automated manner, your customers will enjoy a wide choice of available instruments for handling their own products, and all this without ever leaving your website. Eventually, there may come a time that selling dedicated servers on your own no longer feels like you are tapping the full potential of your business. And there is nothing wrong about that! That most likely is the first sign that your company has reached sufficient maturity to go all in and establish your own circle of resellers. Benefits of the reseller model make a long list, one that seems to only grow over time - starting with reaching a much wider audience and targeting customers in sectors you may haven’t even thought of before. And if we were to give you just a single tool go-to for thorough and seamless management of your reseller network, this would certainly be Products Reseller For WHMCS. A new stream of reselling flexibility Products Reseller For WHMCS is another vastly innovative ModulesGarden module that will empower you to effortlessly manage your reseller groups without leaving the confines of your WHMCS. A number-one reason why it may mark a turning point in your career is the tool’s newly secured integration with EasyDCIM Dedicated Servers For WHMCS which unlocks an extra spectrum of using its extensive toolkit to resell dedicated servers! To be slightly more precise, the module will equip you with all kinds of features essential to set up custom pricing rates for your products and services, track generated income via smart graphs as well as supervise everyday actions taken by your resellers. Each of your resellers, on the other hand, besides being welcome to look up all crucial information on acquired customers and orders, will gain access to advanced API documentation and use it to supply your servers to end clients through their own platform, be it WHMCS or any other one. See? There are ways and means for optimizing the management of dedicated servers that you can make immediate use of in order to forge enviable bonds with your resellers and create an unblemished, tailored customer journey at the same time. Add to that the fact that these terrific modules will please your wallet as much as your business, and you already know what your next move is going to look like. Dare to thrive!

For web hosting providers the future has never been more exciting, nor more challenging. On the one hand, the demand for great infrastructure is growing faster than ever before. On the other, competition is fierce, and acquiring even a single customer can feel like pushing a boulder up a hill. Savvy hosting providers understand that success is a combination of offering quality web hosting services, excellent support, and strong business management. Thriving hosting providers share some common traits regardless of where they are on their business journey. One of those traits is offering solutions that fit customer needs while also adapting to the customer’s own growth goals. Think of it this way: if infrastructure needs to grow relative to business growth, then it stands to reason that a business will have very different needs as it grows in size. What works for a solo-practitioner starting a law firm is unlikely to be sufficient when the practice has grown to a dozen partners, paralegals, and support staff. As a result, your web hosting company should offer dedicated servers to customers. In this post, we will explore four key benefits of offering dedicated servers to both new and existing customers. 1. Dedicated servers widen your potential customer base Offering dedicated servers to the market creates a great opportunity to expand your customer base. Even with the rise of the public cloud, dedicated servers and private clouds are still used by businesses the world over. Some applications cannot run in the cloud. Some industries have privacy and compliance requirements that make such servers the only option. And some organizations simply want to be in complete control of their infrastructure. By offering dedicated servers, this entire segment of customers can start to consider your web hosting business as their infrastructure partner. 2. Dedicated servers provide an upsell opportunity and a path to customer growth While shared hosting and VPS offerings are a great and relatively cost-effective way to start a web hosting business, you’re missing out on high-value upsells by not offering dedicated servers. As your customers grow their needs will change. Small shared accounts work for scores of users, but many of those same users will eventually grow to need more robust infrastructure and grow to a VPS. But what happens when those using VPS need to graduate to a dedicated server? If that isn’t something you offer then those customers will leave for a competitor that does. What’s worse, some potential customers that anticipate future growth may not give you a chance to win their business in the first place if they see that you won’t be able to provide what they need in the future. 3. Dedicated servers increase customer retention Did you know that customers choosing a VPS are likely to keep that VPS twice as long as a shared account customer keeps a shared account? If not, then surely you don’t realize that customers who choose dedicated servers are likely to remain customers THREE times as long as traditional shared hosting customers keep their shared accounts. When you factor in a higher price point, the life-time value (LTV) of customers purchasing dedicated servers is significantly higher than any other type of hosting customer. The reasons for this customer stickiness are numerous, but one prominent theory is that businesses and mission-critical applications favor more robust infrastructure compared to a lightweight shared account. Whatever the reason, dedicated servers don’t just mean more revenue, they mean longer-term customers as well. 4. Dedicated servers increase company revenue For many web hosting companies, the best reason to offer dedicated servers is for the revenue opportunity presented. A dedicated server typically starts at a price point in the hundreds of dollars. In many cases, dedicated servers cost customers ten, twenty, or even thirty times as much as shared hosting accounts! True, the margin percentages aren’t exactly the same, but dedicated servers can be great sources of profit, especially if you’re grinding out only a few dollars per month from each shared account. Conclusion The benefits of offering dedicated servers should be quite clear. Both customers and your business benefit in a variety of ways. From doing a better job supporting customer needs and initiatives to opening new avenues of growth for your web hosting company, dedicated servers are the key to securing your future with your best clients. With the public cloud and other competitors offering robust infrastructure solutions, it is critical that your web hosting business keep up. The good news is that managing dedicated servers has never been easier. From keeping an accurate inventory to simplifying provisioning to allowing customers to restart servers on their own (and many other features), EasyDCIM provides a full dedicated server management suite for web hosting companies like yours. If you’re curious how EasyDCIM can help you grow your web hosting business with dedicated servers, learn more about our mission. We would be excited to discuss how dedicated servers can help your web hosting company reach new heights. Get in touch!