Archive for March, 2009

Happy New Year!

No… it’s not January.   But it  is almost 1 year since I’ve posted a newsletter.

Okay… before you start yelling at me, let me explain:

Nothing really happened during the spring and summer.   And while I may like the sound of my own voice, I didn’t think you’d want to listen to me ramble on about utterly irrelevant stuff just so that I could fill up space.   In the late fall, we started a slow migration to a new Data Center and new servers.   Except for a few people who have special requirements, we didn’t advertise this.  It has been, however, an upgrade for everyone.   After that, to be perfectly honest, I’d gotten out of the habit of writing newsletter posts.   Sorry.

But now I’m back!  And I even have news!

New Servers

As I said, we’ve moved to a new Data Center and new servers.  On a day-to-day basis, this really doesn’t mean anything to you. Things will continue to chug along as they have in the past.   However, the move has opened up some great new possibilities for all of you.

The new DC allows us to offer dedicated servers at a very affordable rate.  What’s a dedicated server?  It’s a room of your very own.  Right now, most of you are on a shared server.   That’s typical for web-hosting.  It means that you’re sharing space and resources with other clients–like roommates in an appartment; you each have your own room, but you share the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, etc.  That’s not a bad arrangement.  Everyone gets their own space, but the expenses are shared.    The problems arise when things aren’t shared equally–or when one person needs more than everyone else.

On a shared server, everyone shares the resources.  If one person hogs the bathroom, everyone else suffers.  On the flip side, in order to make it fair for everyone, we have to limit how much time each person can spent in the shower.

A dedicated server solves that.  It’s your own place.  Yes, it’s a little more expensive, but if you really need your own space, it’s more than worth it.  A dedicated server means that it’s all yours.  No sharing with anyone.  Use it however you want, there’s nobody to complain.   That’s right…  the bathroom is all yours!

The other advantage of a dedicated server is scalability.  As we grow, we have more and more customers who don’t fit into the pre-fab boxes that most web-hosts (including us) provide.  If you’re operating multiple websites or websites that are–or might be–growing, a dedicated server might be what you’re looking for.  Going back to the “house” metaphore, a dedicated server is a “stretchy” house.  It can grow when you need it to.  Need more room?  Need more utilities?  Not a problem.  We can take care of it in a matter of minutes.

Dedicated servers aren’t for everyone, but if you think you might want one, let us know.  We’ll work with you to find the best solution.

Tweet?

Are you on Twitter?  If so, you might want to follow us.  We’ve set up a Twitter account under the name “geekniche”.  We’ll be using Twitter to send out quick updates about server status, maintenance times, and other issues (but NOT what we’re having for breakfast).

Empire of the Geek

For a while now, Geek Niche has been working on projects besides our basic web-hosting.  Both Paul and I have projects that we want to pursue, so we’ve expanded our range to include the Geek Niche Projects.  If you–or someone you know–are looking for something special, but don’t now where to go, take a look at the Projects page.  We just might have something that fits.  And if not…?  We’ll create it!

There’s more news, but I’ll save it until next month.