Archive for the 'Web Hosting' Category
Friday, December 28th, 2007
Nowadays, hundreds if not thousands of websites and web pages are created each day. This has resulted to the mushrooming of more and more web hosting companies that offer to provide space for websites whether it is the entrepreneurial or personal kind. With too many choices to choose from, you should be able to dissect and select from among the numerous web hosting providers, the one that is right for you.
Europe’s Promise
Even if the European market is perceived to be quite backward when it comes to internet technologies and internet applications, the fact remains that Europe is a highly desirable market to tap into. Even if percentages will tell you that Europe has less internet penetration than other continents, given the relatively big European population, the absolute numbers of people that correspond to the relatively small percentage of people who use the internet is still staggering.
It comes as no surprise, therefore, that more and more businesses are setting their sights on Europe. If you wish to be part of this exodus to the European markets, then you will need to look for a European hosting company.
Things to Look for in a European Web Hosting Company
The first thing that you need to know about a potential web hosting company is the presence or absence of a trial-period or a money back guarantee. This is so you will have something of a fallback in case things go wrong. Most web hosting providers have a one month money back guarantee. One month is ample time for you to decide, based on the performance of the web hosting company, whether the company is giving you your money’s worth. This trial period and money back guarantee ensures that you will incur no unnecessary expenses in your European market expansion.
The second thing that you need to know is the kind of technical support that the web hosting company gives to clients like you. It is a given in Internet technology that problems will crop up that could disrupt your website from running smoothly. Know the customer support they give, the hours their phone lines are open to take in your call, and the number of days their technical support team is available. Check, too, if the customer service team speaks fluent English; you wouldn’t want to spend a lot of your support call time trying to bridge the language barrier instead of getting your concerns addressed.
It is also important to note that some European web hosting companies charge cheaply for their web hosting services but charge exorbitant amounts for technical support calls. It is therefore important to check how much getting support for your website will cost if you sign up with a European web hosting provider.
Another thing that you should definitely check is the type of web hosting provider your company is; that is, whether you are dealing with a web hosting reseller or a core web hosting provider. This is important in case you have issues with the web hosting company’s servers. Resellers, since they are just middlemen, can usually provide only very limited technical support.
If you wish to have a reputable, reliable and quality European web host, visit Brontobytes. You can be certain that your needs entailed by your business’ European expansion will be capably met if you sign up with this company.
Europe Hosting by Brontobytes
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Tuesday, October 16th, 2007
The web hosting industry first boomed in the United States with the high demand for web host servers that cater to the vast number of websites that cropped up in the web. From a host of smaller start-up companies to web hosting providers that are backed up by giants in the telecom industry, web hosting has indeed become a multi million dollar industry that has caught the fancy of investors. The web hosting boom is now being experienced in Europe, with major players competing to be the major players in the continually expanding increasingly profitable European market.
The Demand for Sophisticated Web-Hosting Services and Infrastructure in Europe
The demand for strong web hosting services is driven by the need of internet businesses to have adequate and efficient backup so that that they can prevent their websites and e-commerce businesses from toppling over and going down due to traffic surges. This is why all over major European cities, scores of internet data centers (IDCs) have been built, old warehouses were refitted by specialist building contractors with specifications needed to house data storage servers.
The cost of investing in these IDCs is indeed steep; estimates from 5 years ago peg the price of a 10,000 square meter IDC at roughly 25 million pounds, still excluding operational costs. Web hosting infrastructure improvements are costly indeed. However, such costs and risks are nonetheless undertaken by investing web hosting providers just to ensure that their place in the web industry is firmly set. With their ability to provide rapid connection and secure services, they hope that they will be perfectly positioned to take advantage when the European e-commerce potential is realized.
Web Hosting Infrastructure Developments in Europe
The emergence of the European web hosting services market is seen as a blessing by network operators who have set their eyes on the European market. The increasing investment in data centers all over Europe has also brought attention to these network operators and has further increased the popularity of the European market in international commerce and trade.
Some operators have even seen the value of web hosting services; for most of them web hosting is the fastest growing area of their business. Their problem is not merely competition; the challenge lies in making their name recognizable by increasing their size.
However, a lot of cash is needed for this to happen and financial back-up is something most operators lack unless they bring in another bigger partner. Size can be achieved by building more data centers that can provide web hosting services to European businesses and other companies that wish to tap into the European market. Nonetheless, nit everyone sees a guaranteed profit from building data centers especially in the small cities in Europe.
Despite these doubts, more and more companies are still investing. More data centers are built in Europe each year, with network operators aiming to be leaders in the European web hosting industry. Because of these investments, improvements have been seen and companies like Brontobytes continue to upgrade its services in order to answer to an ever-growing need for web hosting providers in the rich market that is Europe. A boom in this web industry has been looming in the past couple of years and, so far, network operators big and small have answered this trend.
If you wish to expand your internet operations in the European market, visit Brontobytes at www.brontobytes.com so you can have a sophisticated web host provider backing up your operations.
Europe Hosting by Brontobytes
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Saturday, September 29th, 2007
The unification of the 12 Euro zone countries under one monetary currency, the Euro (€), has revolutionized business dealings in these countries. This step in monetary aggregation has also further escalated eCommerce in Europe.
The surprising growth of e-commerce within the Euro zone countries has brought about a lot of drastic changes in terms of business transactions and dealings. Both business to customer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) marketing and sales efforts have been readily done through the internet with ease and efficiency. In order for European companies to go along with the competition, more and more companies seek the services of reliable web hosting companies throughout Europe.
What has currency unification got to do with this?
The unification of the European nations under one monetary currency has removed the threat of currency fluctuations so investors can feel more assured of stable currencies and exchange rates in the region. Under the Euro, all 12 Euro zone countries have considerable advantage when it comes to transactions within the European border. Investors and companies need not worry about the losses caused by abrupt monetary fluctuations which are seldom predicted. Thus, the effort and the manpower that have been allotted in managing this currency risk could now be diverted to tasks that may bring in more revenues for the company.
Aside from this, financial transparency is a natural consequence of the Euro (€) unification scheme and this is very desirable from the point of view of businessmen and investors. Plus, companies could also save a valuable amount of capital allotted for currency exchange fees that are commonly done when doing international transactions with countries of different currencies.
Why the Demand in eCommerce?
E-Commerce provides the fastest, most convenient and cheapest mode of international transaction. It therefore comes as no surprise that the unification of most European countries under the same currency has increased both the effectiveness and convenience of e-commerce. Consumers in the European Union no longer have to worry about differing currencies and exchange rate fees when processing transactions over the Internet. The price of a merchandise that they see advertised is what they get, so they’re no longer be hesitant in engaging in e-commerce transactions.
Web Host for e-commerce businesses
With the increased e-commerce activity that the currency unification has induced, businesses now have more incentive to engage in e-commerce. However, they must carefully consider what web hosting company they’ll be using.
European web hosting companies in Europe are typically not adequately equipped to cope with the more rigorous demands of e-commerce transactions. Most of them offer only the most basic services, and e-commerce websites definitely need more than just bandwidth and space. They require excellent support, tailored applications, stringent security, and great efficiency from the web hosting companies.
Brontobytes is one of the best and most sophisticated web hosting solutions providers in Europe today. Based in Europe itself, Brontobytes knows the needs of European companies and businesses and has the capability to provide these needs – particularly your e-commerce needs.
Brontobytes provides web hosting with features that are both user-friendly and functional. Included in its service packages are eCommerce tools for efficient ecommerce transactions. Brontobytes also has a quality, timely and reliable customer service available 24/7 through the net or telephone.
Visit www.brontobytes.com if you wish to have a reliable web host for your e-commerce expansion in Europe.
Europe Hosting by Brontobytes
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Friday, August 10th, 2007
Choosing a web host for a business you want to put up online can be a tricky job if you don’t know what to look for. If you are thinking of starting an internet-based company in Europe, you have to have to find a web hosting company that will not only give you the best deal in terms of pricing, but should also perfectly fit your needs as an internet entrepreneur. You also need user-friendly services for easy use as well as more efficient management. You basically have to consider a lot of factors in order to choose the right web host for your business. Having all the needed information will help you measure a European web hosting provider’s capability to provide you what you need.
The Essentials of a Good European Web Host Provider
Things like the number of megabytes the web host offers its clients, the bandwidth, technologies essential to running an e-commerce website like shopping cart and the like, number of email accounts provided, number of FTP accounts, and technical support are the most essential considerations when looking for the right web host.
Applications, Privacy and Security
It would help if you ask web hosts providers for the specific information you need to get up and running. For e-commerce businesses, for example, make sure that a shopping cart technology is offered. More importantly, your web host should have good security measures to prevent your data from being “mined”. Having a European web host that offers inadequate security could very well undermine your operations and may cause you to lose valuable clients. Some web hosting providers also have been known to sell valuable personal information about companies and their clients, thereby compromising your and your own customers’ privacy. Make sure the web host you choose guarantees absolute privacy.
Site Downtimes
Furthermore, if your website experiences downtime, this could affect your business in a big way. Nothing is more exasperating for potential customers than not being able to access your site and make purchases. Remember a thwarted customer will be reluctant to come back and is bound to spread the word around; you can lose considerable profit from this.
To prevent this from happening, ask your web hosting provider about the extent of the technical support it provides in case your site goes down. A ready plan of action should be present in case this happens. It is also good for you to be aware of the uptime guarantees your web host offers to compensate for your losses during downtime.
Web Host Plan
After all of the above issues have been checked and considered, the next task will be to compare the asking price of prospect web hosts. It is an advantage to choose a web host that offers different options and different price ceilings.
Purchasing a plan that is custom fit to the needs and requirements of your business is recommended. It is not cost effective to buy a more expensive plan that offers storage capacity or email accounts that are far more than what you need. Choose what fits you and your business’ needs.
Web hosts like Brontobytes, a European based web host, offers 3 plans that you could choose from. All the essentials mentioned above is offered in its portfolio with a few differences in the size of storage, size of monthly data transfer, email accounts and many other features that could get your website and your internet business off the ground much sooner. Visit www.brontobytes.com now!
Europe Hosting by Brontobytes
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Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
Your company is doing well and you have noted an increasing number of orders from European clients. You’ve noticed, however, that the interest shown in your products does not match the number of actual orders being placed.
Your marketing people have a recommendation: invest in an additional web-hosting service, preferably one based in Europe, and you ask them: why, why in Europe and which one?
Proximity to Customers Remains Key
No matter how marvelous the internet is, bear in mind that it remains bound by physical and technical limitations – chief of them being that distance and volume.
A US company with a European customer base will have to contend with the fact that its customers will need to connect to a US-based server to gather information or make a transaction. Despite advances in communications technology, the distance involved remains a factor – there is a built-in delay in communicating between a user’s computer in Berlin and the server in Arizona.
The delay would also be aggravated by the volume of traffic between the two points. It doesn’t matter if US and Europe are on different time zones. What matters is the number of European web users trying to access US servers at the same time. The volume of traffic will result in delays when linking up with target websites. This delay could be enough to turn a potential customer off..
There is also the reality of unforeseen natural catastrophes – a fact underscored recently when an undersea earthquake off Taiwan disrupted internet communications in several Asian countries (Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines among them) lasting from hours to days. You can imagine the chaos that would result if the same thing had happened to the communications links between Europe and the United States – no matter if the disruption lasts for only a few hours, it would still constitute a major loss of income.
Bottom line: it would be best if you have a web server hosting a mirror site for your webpage that is closer to your customers – which means a web hosting service in the United Kingdom or in continental Europe itself.
UK Web Hosting vs. European Web Hosts
Having answered the first two issues, you now turn to the final one – which Web hosting service should you use: one that is based in Britain or one operating from somewhere in Europe? There is one subtle difference between these two which gives UK Web Hosting a decided advantage: support.
European web hosting services have made a practice of offering low price for storage and bandwidth – but charge extra for support calls. This may not seem to be a major issue. However, if something does happen, you would have to consider two problems with a European-based web host: one, the higher fees charged for support calls and two, the language barrier.
Bear in mind that Europe is a multinational community. A support call to a European-based web host may result in you having to discuss a problem with technical support personnel with a less-than-fluent grasp of the English language.
This would not be a problem if you’re dealing with a UK-based web host – you and the host’s technical support would be speaking the same language and whatever differences there may be would be subtle.
If you want a better understanding of the comparative advantage between UK and European web hosting, check out the Brontobytes website (www.brontobytes.com). They would be able to provide you with all the information you need, as well as discuss the differences and advantages of UK vs. European web hosting with you.
Europe Hosting by Brontobytes
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Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
The European hosting market is expected to grow significantly in the coming year to reach an estimated $6 billion in 2007 as more companies enter the market in increasing numbers, providing a wide range of services to European companies and businesses.
The market’s huge potential is being encouraged by the European Union’s commitment to provide internet access to the majority of EU citizens by 2010. At the moment, internet access is enjoyed by slightly more than 50 percent of the EU population – most of these are urban or suburban residents. The European Commission (the EU’s executive branch) has committed itself to a multi-level approach covering telecoms policies, financial support for broadband companies, and other initiatives to promote widespread internet access.
Opportunities in the EU Market
The expanding opportunities in the EU market have led major ICT companies towards the EU, all aiming to grab a slice of the huge and enormously promising market Studies indicate, however, that Europeans remain relatively unsophisticated in the matter of e-commerce; most small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) which form the backbone of the European economy still see the internet as an adjunct or ‘add on’ to their brick-and-mortar establishments.
For many of these companies, ‘e-commerce’ means having a website to display products and services in; most have a seemingly ‘passive’ attitude towards internet marketing. They don’t see the potential inherent in taking an aggressive stance in marketing their products and services to other countries.
The same holds true for the majority of ISPs in Europe - mostly small enterprises also, offering nothing more complicated than basic web hosting services. This is mainly due to the fact that they have neither the experience nor the capability to engage in more sophisticated services.
Opportunities exist, indeed, for small companies that have the knowledge and experience to efficiently navigate the wild waters of the internet and international e-commerce. However, more than a transfer of knowledge or technology is needed. The expansion in European web hosting combined with efforts to increase the European enterprises’ awareness of the internet’s value in commercial endeavors is required.
Needed: Web ‘Explorers’ for the European Community
In a sense, the real opportunities in the European market is not necessarily in terms of hardware and systems development; more and better opportunities lie in the area of web hosting, internet marketing and e-commerce. It is not a matter of simply offering ‘services’ – the key appears to be in helping European enterprises to successfully navigate the unfamiliar waters of internet commerce.
In effect, the European market needs companies and individuals who can guide their citizens in the best ways and means to make a reasonable profit through the internet. ‘Best practices’ in such areas as search engine optimization (SEO), website design that is both eye-catching and European in flavor, safe and efficient financial transactions, etc. are places where knowledgeable and experienced people can help.
On the other hand, ‘explorers’ planning to enter Europe’s markets also need a guide to be able to maneuver the broad waters of Europe’s 54 countries of differing cultures, attitudes and people.
If you are thinking of plunging into the European e-commerce market, it would be best if you drop by the Brontobytes site (www.brontobytes.com). They are a Europe hosting company with the experience and knowledge to figuratively guide you around the continent – and advise you on the best way to establish a niche in this robust market. It will certainly turn out to be a profitable partnership for both of you.
Europe Web Hosting by Brontobytes
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Sunday, May 6th, 2007
An agreement signed by the members of the European Union (EU) will soon make internet accessibility easier for much of its population. The agreement, signed in Riga, Latvia in June 2006, committed the 34 countries to the “Internet for All” action plan, which is designed to ensure that even the most web-disadvantaged groups can get online. The European Union is planning to extend broadband internet connectivity across the continent to at least 90 percent by 2010
Understanding Europe’s ‘Digital Divide’
Various reports by the European Commission indicate a very unequal internet penetration in the different countries in the European Union. Smaller countries like Sweden, Portugal and Denmark show higher internet penetration than other ‘advanced economies’ like Britain, Germany or even France. The emerging economies like Poland, Romania and Bulgaria have less than one third internet penetration.
The studies suggest that part of the reason behind this is that rural areas have not been given adequate coverage. Findings indicate that internet access in rural areas is more or less 50%, as compared to the 90 percent coverage in urban areas. This is due, in large part to the problems of distance and population scarcity in the rural areas which means limited business opportunities for European ICT companies.
Another angle that the European Union will tackle is the matter of accessibility to all people, especially the disabled who currently are (mostly) unable to access the internet. Some studies suggest that less than 5 percent of the EU public-sector websites can be accessed by the disabled and that around 80 percent of the United Kingdom’s disabled people are unable to access the internet.
In other words, the EU initiative is aimed not only at making the internet physically accessible to its citizens, but also at ensuring that everyone will be able to make use of the internet.
The Implications of the EU’s “Internet for All” Plan
EU studies see benefits for companies and citizens on various levels. The effort to expand broadband coverage to even the rural areas of Europe is seen as providing unheard-of business opportunities for companies involved in the hardware side (starting from the providers of fiber optics, cable-modem, DSL, or even wireless or wi-fi) as well as providers of web hosting, e-commerce and other services.
At the same time, the effort will also benefit the millions of European citizens who still have no access to the internet (estimated at over 240 million people) – which in itself, implies a major, untapped market for e-commerce enterprises.
Bottom line: the European Union’s plans create the foundations for bringing a huge number of consumers into the digital age – in effect, companies and enterprises worldwide (not only in Europe) will soon have the opportunity to market their products and services to these millions of consumers.
Most importantly, the EU is calling for a swift implementation of the program, with major gains being made by 2010 which is less than three years away. This means that companies planning to become a force in the European market must begin planning their marketing strategies right now.
This implies the need for a guide who can help you navigate the European IT and e-commerce market fearlessly and efficiently. If you are one of those who would like to venture into the rich European market, you should take a look at what Brontobytes, A European web hosting leader has to offer. Visit www.brontobytes.com and begin exploring Europe’s potential.
Europe Web Hosting by Brontobytes
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Monday, April 16th, 2007
Recent studies conducted in the European Union show a disparity in the perceptions of internet service providers (ISPs) and the small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) that constitute the former’s prime markets. Studies indicate that, while SMEs want – and need – improved website performance (and were even willing to pay more for this), the ISPs were of the opinion that ‘price matters’ – implying their belief that ‘barebones services’ (and cheap prices) are all that SMEs are looking for.
This could be seen as either an opportunity or a problem for ICT companies planning to enter the European market.
Shortsighted Perspective
It is surprising that many of Europe’s SMEs only have a rudimentary understanding of the potentials of ICT. For many, having a website is seen as an extra but not necessary service. This leads to the belief that what they need (from ISPs) was merely speedier loading of web pages.
There doesn’t seem to be a deep understanding of the depth and breadth of e-commerce applications. For many companies, a website is just a venue for advertising and marketing efforts. It is something needed only because it provides information about their services and products. There is a notable reluctance to rise above this simplistic view of the internet and move towards e-commerce.
This limited view of the potentials of the internet seems to have led Europe’s companies towards ISPs with elementary services. The bulk of SMEs have websites which were hosted externally – mostly using shared hosting which was the simplest and cheapest approach available. Although more complex services were available, SMEs are not making use of these – mainly because they do not know any better.
On the other hand, web hosting companies are also to blame for the state of affairs. ISPs ranged from those offering simple and basic services for personal website-type operations to simple e-commerce or more complex transactions which cost several thousand euros a month. One problem noted is that most ISPs do not have the skills nor the sophisticated knowledge needed if they are to offer more advanced services to their clients.
In effect, the seeming disparity may be due to similar causes – both SMEs and ISPs are unable to make maximum use of the internet’s potentials; one because they are not even aware of these possibilities and two, because they could not articulate or offer the services to their clients (ISPs to businesses and the businesses to their own clients).
Business Opportunities in the European Community
The current state of business in the European countries presents opportunities for companies or enterprises with experience in the ‘deeper’ world of e-commerce – on both sides of the business model. On the one hand, the seeming lack of sophistication on the part of business enterprises provides an opportunity to ‘show’ these companies methods and approaches to enhance their marketing capabilities. A similar opportunity exists in the ISPs providing relatively unsophisticated services to SMEs; sharing one’s experiences in search engine optimization, website design, business-to-business or business-to-consumer transactions are potential areas for one’s services.
Entering the European market – no matter how sophisticated or experienced one is – presents a major risk, however, given cultural, language and other differences. It would be best to have a guide who knows the ins and outs of the European ICT and e-commerce scene. One such company is Brontobytes, a European web hosting company with wide experience and knowledge of the market and its conditions.
Think about dropping by and getting to know them first before plunging head-first into the European market.
Europe Web Hosting by Brontobytes
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Monday, March 19th, 2007
You are the head of marketing for a successful web hosting enterprise in America, providing a full range of services to your clients, from straightforward internet access to website design and layouts. Your boss has called you in to discuss a new challenge – he wants to take the company and its services to Europe, to take advantage of the growing European internet community and the opportunities it offers.
Your task is straightforward – draw up a marketing plan and budget for your company’s entry into the European market. You stand up and salute, promising to be back with the plans within forty-eight hours.
You head back to your cubicle, boot up your computer and start working – and within the first hour, you are tempted to call for an extension of your self-imposed deadline.
Understanding Europe
The first thing that comes to your attention is the sheer size and potential of the European market. Europe is composed of fifty-two countries (including Russia and various newly-formed republics from the former USSR) with a total population of nearly 700 million people. It has the second largest number of internet users in the world.
If you want to refine your plans a bit further, you may try thinking in terms of the European Union – which virtually reduces your market to twenty-seven countries, which comprise 60 percent of Europe’s total population but which account for 80 percent of Europe’s internet users – still a fair margin higher than total internet users of North America.
Even reducing your market parameters, however, would not prepare you for the sheer diversity of the European market. The European Union’s 27 countries, for example, speak a total of 23 languages (including Greek, Bulgarian, Maltese and Swedish), have different cultures and attitudes, have differing levels of economic prosperity, and have varying frequency and patterns of internet usage.
The European Challenge for the Web Hosting Industry
It is the sheer diversity of that creates the biggest challenge for a web hosting company planning to enter the field. No matter that web hosting in Europe and America share certain commonalities (e.g. same demands, channels and services), the sheer diversity of Europe (in terms of culture, economy, infrastructure, lifestyle, etc.) provides a major marketing challenge.
First off, it would be difficult to establish a single umbrella hosting enterprise; as said, different markets require different approaches. Having established that point, the question becomes which market do you target first – go after the advanced economies first (such as Britain, France and Germany) since they have the highest levels of internet penetration and use, or establish a presence in the mid- or small-sized economies (such as Belgium, Sweden and Poland), knowing that these countries will eventually have a formidable market presence themselves, and you were there first.
What kind of services will you offer? One suggestion is to go beyond providing basic hosting services such as internet access or web hosting. Consider offering other value-added services to your target consumers: web site and layout designing, web marketing and advertising, site optimization for search engines, and so on.
In the end, no matter how diverse the European market is, it will always boil down to the basics of marketing: identify your market, draw up a listing of service offerings (including value-added services the competition may not currently offer), and move in. Bear in mind, however, that the culture and approaches may be different from your past experience – having a local guide or partner may be a crucial first step.
Europe Hosting by Brontobytes
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2007
One of the most strongly-held beliefs in the internet community is that Europe is falling behind other countries or regions – especially the United States or Asia – when it comes to internet use. This may be true, or not, but do bear in mind that if you let this belief stop you, you may find yourself missing out on European internet-based business opportunities.
Europeans and the Internet
One of the most tossed-about statistics of internet usage is the “percentage of penetration” – or the percentage of the population which have access to the internet. Under this definition, North America (covering the United States and Canada) leads the pack with almost 70 percent of the population having access or using the internet – which is nearly double that of Europe’s 39 percent internet penetration.
What is often overlooked, however, is the actual numbers that these percentages represent. North America’s 70 percent internet usage may seem huge – but it applies to a population of 335 million people and thereby translates to 232 million internet users. Europe’s 39 percent penetration, on the other hand, applies to a population of 809 million (more than double that of North America) which means that there are around 313 million Europeans who use the internet. Simply put, there are 81 million more Europeans than North Americans who use the internet.
Admittedly, however, Europeans may seem to be more backward than North Americans in the uses they make of the internet – but this may be more a function of available technology than anything else. Recent studies show that in one week, Europeans spend an average of four hours in the internet, while Americans typically spend around triple that amount of time.
Observers note, however, that this may be due to the fact that broadband connections are more widespread in the United States than in Europe; Europeans with broadband connections spend some seven hours a week surfing, compared to their counterparts with dialup connections who allocate two hours a week on the internet.
These same observers point out, however, that the situation will change rapidly, as European broadband connectivity increases and more people get online. This implies a market larger than North America.
Web Hosting Opportunities in Europe
The large European internet market potential opens up a wide range of opportunities for web hosting enterprises, especially those with knowledge or expertise in the nuances of e-commerce.
A few years ago, most of the European web hosting enterprises were primarily ISPs (Internet Service Providers) or operators of public telephony services. In effect, the primary web hosting model used in Europe was co-location (which offers only data ‘space’ and assured internet connectivity) as opposed to the hosting model where the web hosting provider is responsible for supplying the servers as well as managing these on behalf of customers.
The latter web hosting model is the most conducive model in e-commerce activities, with the web host offering not only space and connectivity but also insights on design and layouts, web marketing and advertising, search engine optimization, and even e-commerce software.
Web hosting in Europe faces its own unique challenges, however, most especially the diversity of countries, languages and cultures in the region – to say nothing of the different economies (ranging from developed nations like Britain, France and Germany to the ‘emerging economies’ of Latvia, Slovenia and Estonia.
It presents an interesting challenge – providing web hosting services to a region with a growing consumer base, wide access to the internet, and divergent languages, cultures and economies.
Europe Hosting by Brontobytes
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