Fasthosts Debuts Virtual Server Range

Latest Hyper-V technology and customisable RAM, CPU and disk space; 39 per cent of UK firms already use or plan to implement a virtual server solution this year

10 March 2010, Gloucester, UK: Fasthosts Internet Ltd, (www.fasthosts.co.uk), a leading web hosting provider, today introduced a new range of virtual servers that combine high-speed performance, scalability and resource monitoring. Designed to scale with the changing needs of businesses and their customers, RAM, CPU, disk space, and IP addresses can all be determined by the user and dynamically adjusted. With prices starting from £29.32/month+VAT, the Virtual Servers deliver dedicated resources, the latest Windows 2008 R2 operating system and full remote access and resource monitoring. The launch comes as a study of 500 UK firms finds that over one third expect to be using a virtual server solution in the coming year. For businesses, virtualised solutions can provide greater agility and efficiency, and when combined with Fasthosts’ connectivity and unlimited bandwidth, offer an impressive business case.

Fasthosts Virtual Servers are based on Microsoft Dynamic Data Center architecture, meaning that resources are dedicated but also adaptable dynamically and can be upgraded or reconfigured easily without losing data or functionality. Fasthosts customers can select from a range of suggested configurations or design a server by choosing capacity, processor power and control settings at order, and are free to modify these at any point in time. By re-adjusting their server, the user only pays for the resources they need and so saves money and helps the environment.

All servers receive the power of Intel Xeon Quad-Core processors and dedicated RAM. Fasthosts has used Hyper-V (hypervisor based) technology, the latest in Microsoft server virtualization, to harness the full power of the hardware. All users can benefit from the most advanced Microsoft Server operating system yet – Windows Server 2008 R2. Furthermore, Fasthosts provides free Resource Monitoring via the user Control Panel. Customers can measure CPU, RAM, disk space and network usage in real-time, and so keep an accurate check on their requirements. For business users and IT professionals alike, the ability to adapt to peaks and troughs in demand with speed and at low cost, makes the task of managing a server far simpler and improves ROI.

The Virtual Server range allows a choice of up to 4 Virtual CPUs, RAM ranging from 1GB to 16GB and a hard-disk space of up to 1TB. An entry-level server package with 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM and 80GB hard-disk is priced at only £29.32/month+VAT. All packages benefit from 100Mbps connectivity, unlimited bandwidth and are available on a variety of contract options.

Steve Holford, CMO Fasthosts Internet Ltd., said, “As a long-standing expert for Microsoft web hosting, we have taken our time to invest in and develop a range of virtual servers that deliver the performance and strength traditionally only seen with dedicated server hardware. Microsoft Hyper-V virtualisation is well suited to our robust network and connectivity. For even the most demanding pro users, we expect virtual servers to be a popular choice”.

Fasthosts Virtual Servers benefit from greatly increased redundancy, built-in. Clustered servers provide automatic fail-over and combine with RAID disk arrays to enhance reliability. Users have full access to their server via remote desktop connection, and can apply the powerful Parallels PLESK 9 Control Panel, for effective deployment and server management. Packages also include Windows Platform Installer 2.0 which provides effortless implementation of the latest Windows compatible applications. Full details of the new Virtual Server range can be found at http://www.fasthosts.co.uk/virtual-servers/