As a web 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 with the reseller 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 to the cPanel website, a Windows version of cPanel is in development.
Other features that set these control panels apart are their degree of automation, the number of features and ease of use for the end user, and the features and ease of use for you, the reseller.
Alabanza When you become an Alabanza reseller, you don't just have a reseller account - you lease a dedicated server from Alabanza. Alabanza owns the control panel and the server, and you resell directly for Alabanza. If you lease a dedicated 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 resellers a high 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 is the Xpress Product Suite, which provides web development and email management tools. The Xpress Product Suite includes SiteXpress, a website-building program that features over 300 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 50 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.
From the reseller's cPanel control panel, a drop-down menu takes the reseller to the control panels for each of the sites on the reseller account, including the reseller's site.
With the addition of an optional program, WHM AutoPilot, you can automate account creation and suspension, email notifications, and other tasks. WHM AutoPilot also integrates with common payment gateways and has a helpdesk, an 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 from the same control panel. The control panel, actually a separate server, also provides administrative access to the integrated helpdesk.
The H-Sphere control panel server automates account configuration, credit card processing, domain registration, and email notifications. It also includes a built-in billing module and supports over 20 payment gateways.
From the reseller's point of view, H-Sphere has a higher learning curve than most other control panels because of its numerous features. For example, when setting up a new plan, the 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, appreciate the features and control that H-Sphere offers the end user. A key feature is the ability to have control over separate domains with multi-domain hosting.
H-Sphere comes with the website builder Site Studio, which guides users through a variety of style choices and stores content separately from the layout. 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 use the same control panel but with different levels of control:
- Server administrator
- Client / reseller
- Domain owner
- Mail user
Each level of the control panel gives the user control of that level and the level(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 to the domain owner control panel.
Plesk handles SpamAssassin at the mailbox level rather than at the domain level.
This feature enables users to whitelist or blacklist email for each email address, allowing each email user to have individual settings.
SWsoft, the company behind Plesk, also offers Site Builder, a five-step website builder using pre-built templates. SiteBuilder has over 300 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 with a web host that offers HSPcomplete, you will have some automation available with your account, such as credit card charges and email notification.
About the author: Technical Executive Writer for Website Source, Inc. whose writing skills coupled with experience in the website hosting industry have provided internet professionals with marketing, product and service ideas for many years. Lois continues to do extensive research in the e-commerce industry. For more information, contact website hosting
housekeepers near Buffalo Grove ..If you're reading this article, you might be interested in... Read More
If you're about to set up your first web site... Read More
If you've ever browsed the World Wide Web and wondered... Read More
With literally hundreds of web hosting providers competing for your... Read More
How To Select A Web Hosting CompanyWhen starting out, it... Read More
As a web host reseller, one of your most important... Read More
With a little advanced planning, moving your domain to a... Read More
Promoting a new company in the crowded industry of web... Read More
There are various reasons why an online business owner like... Read More
Are you disgusted or disappointed with your current web host?... Read More
Whether you are disgruntled with the level of service your... Read More
The ProblemToo often new webmasters sign-up with the first good... Read More
Does GoDaddy really suck?I am in the process of registering... Read More
If you are looking for a solid, reliable web host,... Read More
For those of you with Web sites, you probably know... Read More
A domain name and paid hosting are considered essential for... Read More
One of the important decisions you'll make when you decide... Read More
With plethora of hosting companies offering services, choosing a good... Read More
With so many web hosting companies competing for your web... Read More
If you operate several websites, each with its own domain... Read More
John's online business is expanding. His customers are increasing day... Read More
Most Internet service providers do not give you static IP... Read More
Thousands of companies, tens of thousands of different plans and... Read More
Overselling is a big trend in the web-hosting world at... Read More
When you study the really successful websites, you will quickly... Read More
custom home cleaning Mundelein ..There are literally thousands of hosting solutions on the internet... Read More
Web Hosting in 2005 --- Finding the Niche and Cashing... Read More
All the good ones are taken. The really good ones,... Read More
Some folks classify low cost web hosting on the same... Read More
Many free web hosting accounts are free to use, however... Read More
Whenever you have a technical question that needs answering, you... Read More
Web Hosting AdviceChoosing a web hosting company to host your... Read More
There are few things as critical to your e-business success... Read More
Selecting a web hosting company is like sending one of... Read More
Choosing a budget web hosting company can be overwhelming. In... Read More
After the dot.com bubble burst a few years back I... Read More
Managed hosting is a dedicated server that is accompanied by... Read More
What is web hosting you ask? Web hosting refers to... Read More
There are so many hosting companies offering to host your... Read More
Every individual when it starts surfing the net for choosing... Read More
If you are anything like me, you'd probably like to... Read More
Well let me start this way, a lot of people... Read More
When you study the really successful websites, you will quickly... Read More
Moving a web site to a new host is not... Read More
For those of you who don't really understand where or... Read More
The next concern for you after designing and developing web... Read More
Overselling is a big trend in the web-hosting world at... Read More
Are you disgusted or disappointed with your current web host?... Read More
John is very happy today, for the first time in... Read More
Before we talk about what it takes to... Read More
Web Hosting |