Madison, Wisconsin - (The Hosting News) - February 28, 2008 - Automated rich media communications technology firm, Sonic Foundry, Inc. customer, Villanova University’s College of Engineering, has been named a finalist of the IMS Global Learning Consortium 2008 Learning Impact Awards.

Villanova University’s College of Engineering, a Sonic Foundry customer since 2003, was singled out for its established classroom capture initiative using Mediasite, Sonic Foundry’s patented webcasting and knowledge management platform. The Learning Impact Awards recognize advances in technology that address key educational challenges worldwide. Qualifying technology products and services are evaluated in the context of an actual educational institution’s implementation for their impact on the global learning industry with criteria including access to learning, efficiency, cost reduction, quality, adoption and interoperability. Studies show that due to the archiving of classes with Mediasite, Villanova’s College of Engineering was able to raise average GPAs, increase student satisfaction, lower the overall class dropout rate, and in one particular year, completely eliminate failures from in-class students,” said Sean O’Donnell, director of distance education at Villanova’s College of Engineering.

Darrin Coulson, Chief Operating Officer of Sonic Foundry noted, ”We are proud to count Villanova University among our customers who continually distinguish themselves in classroom capture and advance education and learning. We congratulate them for earning this prestigious recognition, and on their position as a globally competitive educational institution.”

Sonic Foundry and Villanova University will present Mediasite at the IMS Global Learning Consortium Learning Impact Conference May 12-14 in Austin, Texas, where a panel of global experts will rank the finalists and announce the 2008 award winners. For more information on the conference, visit www.imsglobal.org/learningimpact2008/agenda.html.

IMS Global Learning is a global, nonprofit, member organization that strives to enable the growth and impact of learning technology in the education and corporate learning sectors worldwide. IMS GLC members provide leadership in shaping and growing the learning industry through community development of standards, promotion of innovation, and research into adoption practices. For more information, including the world’s most comprehensive set of learning technology interoperability standards, information on the annual Learning Impact conference and awards program, and free community resources for learning technology leaders, visit www.imsglobal.org/.

Founded in 1991, Sonic Foundry provides rich media communications and knowledge management, providing enterprise solutions and services that link an information-driven world. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, the company has received numerous awards including the 2007 Frost and Sullivan Global Market Leadership Award, Ziff Davis Media’s Baseline Magazine’s sixth fastest-growing software company with sales under $150 million and Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500. Named a Bersin and Associates 2007 Learning Leader, Sonic Foundry’s webcasting and knowledge management solutions are trusted by education institutions, Fortune 500 companies and government agencies for a variety of critical communication needs.

To learn more, please visit: www.sonicfoundry.com.

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Vancouver, British Columbia - (The Hosting News) - February 28, 2008 - Internet infrastructure and hosting solutions provider, PEER 1 Network Enterprises, Inc., along with Microsoft, will offer 50 free developer sandbox servers for a 30-day trial.

The collaboration has been instituted, so that web developers may have a chance to work with full control, on a collection of Microsoft website development applications in a dedicated server environment.

Robert Miggins, Vice President of Business Development for PEER 1 noted, ”We are pleased to offer this great program that meets the needs of developers who want to explore new applications and ensure that they work well before exposing them in a production environment. With the sandbox servers we give developers the platform and tools they require to build applications, test, and deploy, all with a seamless experience.”

The 30-day free period is a unique opportunity for web developers and agencies to explore both the internal and external aspects of testing and developing a website and other online applications using some of the latest Microsoft software that has been pre-loaded into the sandbox server and is connected into PEER 1’s extensive online network infrastructure.

John Zanni, Director of Hosting for the Microsoft Communications Sector noted, ”This program is a good opportunity for developers in any field. Working together in a more collaborative and supportive environment enables developers to build better applications and compatible offerings, which can better meet customer needs and increase both business and customer revenue.”

The developer sandbox supports IIS 6, .ASP.NET 2.0 and PHP 5 and provides the following design and management tools:

• Microsoft Expression Studio: Expression Studio includes Expression Blend, Expression Web, and Expression Design - The professional design tools and innovative technologies in Expression Studio give you the flexibility and freedom to bring your vision to reality.
• Microsoft Visual Studio Express Editions: Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition and Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition - This is the ideal tool for productively building object-oriented applications for Windows on the .NET Framework.
• Microsoft Silverlight - A cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs) for the Web
• Microsoft SQL Server Standard 2005 - This tool contains features that will help your team develop data applications in a fraction of the time, helping to drive data to the corners of your business.

Microsoft and PEER 1 invite developers to apply to participate in the sandbox. Once approved developers gain free root access to a server set up in PEER 1’s San Antonio data center for 30 days with no contract and no obligation. As a bonus, developers who decide to order a server from PEER 1 at the end of the free sandbox server period will receive a Microsoft tool package, including Microsoft Expression Web ($299 value), Microsoft Expression Studio and Microsoft ASP.NET training ($1099 value), at no additional cost.

PEER 1online IT infrastructure provider, serves over 9,000 customers, with scalable managed hosting and co-location solutions. Since 1999, PEER 1 has grown to include data centers and network points of presence in 17 major cities across North America and Europe. Serving a variety of companies, PEER 1 offers solutions that grow through every stage of web commerce, regardless of company size. The company’s headquarters are in Vancouver, Canada and the stock is traded on the TSX Venture exchange under the symbol PIX.

To learn more about the new offering, please visit: www.peer1.com/hosting/sandbox.php.

For more information about PEER 1, please visit: www.peer1.com.

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Phoenix, Arizona - (The Hosting News) - February 28, 2008 - Subsidiary of Newtek Business Services and a provider of Windows-based web hosting, CrystalTech Web Hosting, is participating in Microsoft’s 2008 Global Launch Wave as an official partner.

Bob Cichon, President of CrystalTech noted, ”As a longtime Microsoft partner, CrystalTech has consistently been at the forefront of new Microsoft technologies. Their highly-anticipated new operating system, Windows Server 2008, provides us with an ideal environment to support the vast needs of our web developer customer base. This especially includes security and innovations that improve administration and development.”

The provider of Windows web hosting, has made available the Windows Server 2008 on shared and dedicated hosting plans, in addition to being named an official partner in Microsoft’s ”Heroes Happen Here” 2008 campaign.

With built-in web technologies, lead by the robust capabilities of Internet Information Services (IIS) 7, Windows Server 2008 has been built specifically for the web, featuring new security enhancements and a reliable foundation on which to develop, deliver and support web applications. As one of the few web hosts to offer Windows Server 2008 as a release candidate, CrystalTech has already been supporting Microsoft’s latest operating system for several weeks in their own environment in preparation of the official launch.

Windows Server 2008 is designed to enable developers to deliver rich web-based applications efficiently and effectively, and will improve administration, diagnostics, and application tools. The new operating system also includes built-in server virtualization technology that can reduce costs, increase hardware utilization, and improve availability.

Mr. Cichon added, ”CrystalTech’s participation in the 2008 Global Launch Wave is another example of our close relationship with Microsoft. As with previous Microsoft web-related technologies, we will continue to be among the first to participate, whether that is testing a new product in its beta stage, or helping launch a new product to the public as we are now doing with Windows Server 2008.”

Founded in 1992, CrystalTech Web Hosting, Inc. is one of the largest Windows-based web hosting companies in the world, hosting customers in over 100 countries, ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations. CrystalTech is responsible for hundreds of millions of visits each day on the Internet and uses a data center that includes redundancy throughout core systems such as, power, air conditioning, network connectivity, network transportation, as well as a secured environment for their network operations center. CrystalTech is a subsidiary of Newtek Business Services, Inc., a provider of business services and financial products to small and medium-sized businesses.

Newtek Business Services, Inc. is a direct distributor to the small to medium-sized business market under the Newtek TM brand. According to the SBA, there are over 25.8 million small businesses in the United States, which in total represent 99.7% of all employer firms, generate 60 - 80% of all new jobs annually and create more than 50% of non-farm private GDP. Newtek focuses on providing its 84,000 customers with access to financial, management and technological resources that enable them to better grow and compete in today’s marketplace. Newtek’s products and services include:

• Business Lending: Business loans to start up, acquire, or expand a business
• Electronic Payment Processing: Credit card, debit card, check conversion, and ACH solutions
• Insurance Services: Nationwide commercial and personal lines of insurance
• Outsourced Digital Bookkeeping: Bookkeeping and recordkeeping at a fraction of the cost of in-house staff
• Web Hosting: Full service web host including domain registration and online shopping cart tools
• Web Design and Development: Customized web design and development services for a powerful web presence
• Tax Preparation and Advisory Services: Expert tax planning and consultation for your business
• Data Backup, Storage and Retrieval: Fast, secure, off-site data backup, storage and retrieval
• Business Plan Preparation: Professional business plan assistance providing a roadmap for success
• Payroll: Payroll management processing and employee tax filing

To learn more about CrystalTech’s offering, please visit: www.crystaltech.com/ws08offer.

For more information about CrystalTech, please visit: www.crystaltech.com.

To learn more about Newtek Business Services, Inc., please visit: www.newtekbusinessservices.com.

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The services provided at drop.io are much more than just your standard free file hosting. The describe themselves as “enabling users to create simple and private exchange points called ‘drops’ to help share information”. Unique to this type of service, it has no signing up you have to do and no “accounts” [...]

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While email spam is battled with relentless focus, web spam becomes more powerful while we aren't watching. By "web spam" I am referring to the type of spam that is posted on blogs, comment sections or forums. Because we have been so barraged with unwanted messages from bots, many sophisticated plugins and scripts have been developed. The Akismet web service blocks nearly all of the common bot-posted spam (online casinos, pharmacy links) and does its job so well, you may be lucky enough to only receive one bogus comment or trackback every few months. Akismet can be implemented into many applications which receive submitted content such as forums, wikis, contact forms and blogs.

So we finally have adequate protection available for these kinds of annoyances. The new arising problem is the spammers are realizing their success rates are dropping. If the bots can't get into our forums and blogs, then who can? Only real human eyes. In the past few months I have witnessed a definite increase in the amount of spam being posted by real people behind their smeared monitors. Unless these posters are directly benefiting from the spam they spew, they must be "employed" by the head spammers. The good part of this is that spammers' pockets are now being emptied. While their bot-operation failure rate climbs as we build more walls, they are reluctantly spending their own money to recoup losses.

The new breed of web spammers aren't just posting about their regular reduced-price selection of watches and illegal software. Now they are even targeting web hosting. It's a bit scary to think that some seedy host start-ups out there are recruiting this underground advertising. Luckily most of the big forums or high traffic blogs are quick to catch their posts and remove them fast. Now that we're back to fighting the old fashioned way, hopefully we'll show them what we've got.

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February 28, 2008 — ( <http://www.thewhir.com> WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web hosting provider Crucial Paradigm announced on Thursday it has introduced its new line of Managed Xen Virtual Dedicated Servers, after nearly a year of research and development.

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February 28, 2008 — ( <http://www.thewhir.com> WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Application technology software provider Zeus Technology announced on Thursday it is donating its application traffic management software, ZXTM, to provide support for the Sport Relief website.

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February 28, 2008 — ( <http://www.thewhir.com> WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Level 3 Communications Content Markets Group announced on Wednesday that it has signed a multi-year contract with the National Hockey League to support the organization’s video, high-speed IP and content delivery service needs.

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February 28, 2008 — ( <http://www.thewhir.com> WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — In conjunction with yesterday’s worldwide launch of Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Web hosting providers Rackspace, Hostway and INetU Managed Hosting announced they are now offering Windows Server 2008 hosting.

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February 28, 2008 — ( <http://www.thewhir.com> WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Utility hosting services provider Layered Technologies announced on Wednesday it has launched a new affiliate program which provides partners with unlimited earning potential.

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