Internet hosting boost for the UK’s competitive businesses

Internet host UKFast has announced a £32m development programme designed to help UK businesses improve their online solutions and compete more strongly in the global environment. Project32 includes BASE, a fund for creating a safer Internet environment and innovation capital that has already spawned Ecoservers™, environmentally friendly server solutions.

Many of the UK’s internet hosting environments aren’t keeping pace with the nations most ambitious companies, says Lawrence Jones, managing director of UKFast. The ISPA’s Best Business Host believes that a series of pressures on service providers, including limited power, scalability and internet security make it a very challenging industry as we reach an Internet tipping point.

To stay ahead of the curve UKFast has announced a £32m development programme focussing on all aspects of Internet infrastructure. A research and development fund for innovations at the bleeding edge of technology is a key feature as is BASEfund, a project that provides financial assistance to companies interested in ‘building a safer environment’.

Jones is aware that cyber crime is stifling the online economy affecting both businesses and consumers so the initial thrust has been on gateway protection. “Our primary objective is a network that is secure, robust and resilient against all forms of cyber attack,” said Jones. “To ensure this we have forged very close links with Cisco, Red Hat and Microsoft.”

Recent polls cite credit card fraud as the key reason for a consumer confidence nosedive and businesses have not made server security a priority. As an ISP, UKFast has developed a “Best of Breed” network, utilising the latest technology and software so that businesses can have the confidence to trade safely online. But the industry is constantly evolving and UKFast needs to remain ahead.

Some innovations have already received the green light from the R&D fund. CTmonitoring™, new software for monitor servers more comprehensively and predicting cyber attacks was the first commission. Jones has also given momentum to a team of eco-techies who have developed environmentally friendly servers.

Ecoservers is now a new division of the hosting company offering dedicated servers that require less power, produce less heat and use ultra efficient unlimited power supplies. Jones is so pleased with the result that he has insisted on paperless invoicing and full recycling of packaging to complement the product.

For more information on Project32 please contact Jonathan Bowers on 0870 421 1585.

You can find out more about Ecoservers at www.ecoservers.co.uk