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Choosing Your Web Hosting Reseller Software |
by:
S. Rosendahl |
Asweb host reseller, one of your most important business decisions is your choice of web hosting control panel software. The web hosting software you use will save or cost you time, money, and frustration.
What reseller control panel features will reduce your workload? What hosting software programs are integrated withreseller control panel or work with it? What website control panel features will your clients like?
In this article, we’ve compared four quality web hosting reseller software programs:
• Alabanza
• cPanel
• H-Sphere
• Plesk
All of these reseller control panels come with control panels for your clients. They all have numerous features — advanced email management, web statistics, pre-installed scripts, multi-language support, and more. They all work on Linux platforms, while H-Sphere and Plesk also work with Windows. According tocPanel website,Windows version of cPanel is in development.
Other features that set these control panels apart are their degree of automation,number of features and ease of use forend user, andfeatures and ease of use for you,reseller.
Alabanza
When you becomeAlabanza reseller, you don’t just havereseller account — you leasededicated server from Alabanza. Alabanza ownscontrol panelserver, and you resell directly for Alabanza. If you leasededicated Alabanza server, you can create your own reseller accounts. However, only you can set up hosting plans; resellers below you will be limited to hosting plans that you create.
Alabanza offers resellershigh degree of automation with its Domain System Manager (DSM), which can significantly reduce overhead and time spent on routine tasks:
• Account creation
• Billing and invoice management
• Credit card processing
• Domain registration
• Email notifications
• Ordering fraud protection
Even novices can sell hosting with this level of automation.
DSM also integrates with bulkregister.com for domain name registration. It does not easily integrate with other domain registrars, though.
A key Alabanza feature that resellers can offer their clients isXpress Product Suite, which provides web development and email management tools. The Xpress Product Suite includes SiteXpress,website-building program that features over threezerozero templates and requires no web design skills.
cPanel
For resellers and end users, cPanel is known for its ease of use and range of features. cPanel’s collection of over fivezero pre-installed scripts and Fantastico auto installer help clients set up their sites with little web development knowledge.
A basic cPanel reseller account comes with two separate programs for resellers to manage their business:
• WHM (Web Host Manager) is used to create accounts and packages, add and suspend sites, modify passwords, view bandwidth usage, park domains, install SSL certificates, and perform other administrative functions.
• Fromreseller’s cPanel control panel,drop-down menu takesreseller tocontrol panels for each ofsites onreseller account, includingreseller’s site.
Withaddition ofoptional program, WHM AutoPilot, you can automate account creation and suspension, email notifications, and other tasks. WHM AutoPilot also integrates with common payment gateways and hashelpdesk,invoice module, and other tools.
H-Sphere
H-Sphere is designed for both Linux and Windows platforms. Moreover, resellers can set up plans for both Linux and Windows and administer sites on different servers fromsame control panel. The control panel, actuallyseparate server, also provides administrative access tointegrated helpdesk.
The H-Sphere control panel server automates account configuration, credit card processing, domain registration, and email notifications. It also includesbuilt-in billing module and supports over twozero payment gateways.
Fromreseller’s point of view, H-Sphere hashigher learning curve than most other control panels because of its numerous features. For example, when setting upnew plan,administrator has two pages of features to choose from, including setup and monthly pricing for optional services.
Beginning webmasters may find H-Sphere too complicated for their needs. More advanced users, however, appreciatefeatures and control that H-Sphere offersend user. A key feature isability to have control over separate domains with multi-domain hosting.
H-Sphere comes withwebsite builder SiteStudio, which guides users throughvariety of style choices and stores content separately fromlayout. No HTML or FTP knowledge is required.
Plesk
Plesk is known for its stability and security. Resellers and end users like its simple navigation, its clean interface, and its professional appearance. It comes in versions for both Linux and Windows platforms.
With Plesk, all users usesame control panel but with different levels of control:
• Server administrator
• Client / reseller
• Domain owner
• Mail user
Each level ofcontrol panel givesuser control of that level andlevel(s) below it. Email users, for example, can log into their mail user control panel to change their password, add autoresponders, and change other personal settings without having access todomain owner control panel.
Plesk handles SpamAssassin atmailbox level rather than atdomain level.
This feature enables users to whitelist or blacklist email for each email address, allowing each email user to have individual settings.
SWsoft,company behind Plesk, also offers SiteBuilder,five-step website builder using pre-built templates. SiteBuilder has over threezerozero templates in different categories to choose from, and users can publish their sites without any HTML or FTP knowledge.
If your Plesk reseller account is withweb host that offers HSPcomplete, you will have some automation available with your account, such as credit card charges and email notification.
Aboutauthor:
Aboutauthor: Lois S. isTechnical Executive Writer for Website Source, Inc. http://www.websitesource.com. Her established writing skills coupled with experience inwebsite hosting industry have provided internet professionals with marketing, product and service ideas for many years.
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