A Different Class For Small Biz
The third generation of the Free BSD Virtual Private Server (VPS v3) was released last month, and the solution has been updated to work more efficiently and utilize new developments in technology. The last version of the product was released about four years ago, and the service allows solution providers to resell managed, hosted server space on Verio servers by the gigabyte.
"The product offers [resellers and their customers] enterprise types of services at a very cost-efficient price," said Jim Ciampaglio, senior director of the viaVerio reseller program.
"You don't have to be an IBM or a Verizon to have access to this type of technology and the benefits this system provides. It's more than just a server, it's a solution to allow [users] to install their applications and understand and know that they're on the latest versions of technology," he said.
Verio, a hosted server and managed services provider in Centennial, Colo., has more than 3,700 indirect channel customers, 90 percent of which come through reseller partners and large corporations, and 10 percent of which are affiliates that service businesses.
The third-generation product has been updated with the FreeBSD 6.0 operating system to run more efficiently and support newer technologies. Verio manages security updates and backups. Resellers also are able to use tools from Verio that allow them to add programs such as MySQL or Urchin Web analytics software to the hosted servers without manual configuration.
"The resellers are going to have greater resources for less money," Ciampaglio said.
Verio offers several versions of the product, starting with the VPS v3 Basic for $89.95 per month for 10 Gbytes of disk space. Larger versions also are available with 20-Gbyte and 40-Gbyte disk space allotments, as well as smaller versions with 1.25 Gbytes and 2.5 Gbytes of disk space designed to be compatible with Sun Solaris environments. The 40-Gbyte VPS v3 2000 product supports the latest implementations of Java, and all come with Apache 2.2.3 installed for increased performance.
Web-based training on the v3 server products and technologies also are available to resellers in the viaVerio program.
Accrisoft, Boca Raton, Fla., has been reselling Verio's hosted server products for nine years and already has begun selling the latest version. Accrisoft writes its own content management software using open source platforms, and 95 percent of the deployments are running on Verio's VPS boxes.
"The VPS platform works the best for us by far. You really get the benefit of the full server at a shared hosting cost, [like] the fact that you can give somebody root access, but they can't mess with other people's machines. Many clients can run on the same box without them being negatively impacted," said Accrisoft CTO Mark Zeitler.
The company also has been able to leverage Verio's reseller channel to generate sales of its own product.
"We have boxes with quite a few competitors, but I would say a large majority of our hosting has been done on Verio," he said. "We like the technology a lot. It really complements our software offerings."
Zeitler also likes the viaVerio reseller program. "We've worked with a lot of their biggest competitors, and the fact that they have the reseller channel is unique in the industry. They're very competitive as far as [margins] are concerned. We have a hard time finding better value, specifically with the level of support that they have. There's no reason for us to leave or look elsewhere," he said.
For Ciampaglio, resellers such as Accrisoft are what make Verio a stand-out component of their solutions.
"If a reseller is looking to really go to market with a unique application, what they need to do is look at the platform they're going to put their application on," he said. "Verio is going to be here. The systems are going to be reliable, and you're not going to have to worry about the security of the systems. When you get into the enterprise world, people pay a lot of money for that peace of mind."