Ensim Introduces First Professional-Grade Control Panel Software for Web Hosting Businesses

Business Wire, March 31, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2003

Ensim(R) WEBppliance Pro(TM) Plugs Major Security Holes

in Shared Hosting Environments

Ensim Corporation, the global leader in hosting automation software, today announced the immediate availability of Ensim WEBppliance(TM) Pro for Linux -- the most robust control panel for professional hosting of Web sites in the industry. Ensim WEBppliance Pro includes the features service providers need to build and manage compelling, commercial quality hosting for their shared, reseller and small business customers. These features include professional-grade security, reporting, ease-of-use, and extensibility. With this release, Ensim substantially extends its lead as the preferred control panel for hosting providers who want a professional package to build and grow their businesses.

"Ensim WEBppliance Pro leads the control panel marketplace with regards to key professional features such as tight site security, comprehensive bandwidth reporting and top-notch usability," says Danny Faccini, Senior Product Manager of Affinity Internet. "I would recommend Ensim hands-down."

"Ensim is dedicated to bringing professional-grade software to the hosting market," said Kanwal Rekhi, CEO and President of Ensim. "With Ensim WEBppliance Pro, we're delivering the capabilities our customers require to win in an incredibly competitive environment."

Customer Data Now Secure

Ensim WEBppliance Pro is the first control panel to protect each web site in its own virtual private file system on an otherwise shared server, providing complete security for site content. With traditional control panels, every web site owner has unrestricted access to the content of every other site hosted on the server. This may include password-protected confidential and commercial content; customer, order, and credit card numbers stored in files; and site visitor information. This content is easily retrieved either by a remote shell access or a simple CGI script.

Ensim WEBppliance Pro's virtual private file system prevents site owners from viewing any files outside their own site, protecting all sites hosted on the same shared server. This level of security prevents unauthorized access and theft, site re-configuration, and site downtime. Hosting companies can now freely delegate shell access and script upload rights to a site owner without compromising the proprietary information of their other customers.

"In our day to day operations, we constantly hear concerns from shared hosting customers that certain control panels grant other accounts visibility to data that they would prefer to keep private," Steve Merkel, CTO at Venturesonline.com. "Ensim's implementation allows shared accounts to be isolated from one another; reducing the risk of a compromise and adding an extra layer of security not found in other products."

Complete Bandwidth Reporting and Billing Capabilities

Ensim WEBppliance Pro is the first control panel to report all bandwidth used by each web site. With other control panels, the hosting provider can determine only how much http (web) traffic a site generates, with no reporting of the significant traffic generated by FTP and mail. Because hosting providers themselves are billed for total bandwidth used but can only bill site owners for http bandwidth, this significantly reduces their profit.

Only Ensim WEBppliance Pro completely reports and breaks down bandwidth used by each domain -- web, mail, file transfer, and remote access. In addition, only Ensim WEBppliance Pro comes with tools for web site owners, so they see the same detailed information as the hosting provider. Without these tools, the hosting provider runs the risk of inaccurate reporting, customer dissatisfaction, and lost revenue for unbilled bandwidth usage.

Tools to Customize and Differentiate Offerings

Ensim WEBppliance Pro offers hosting providers the most professional appearance of any control panel on the market. The user interface has been completely redesigned by one of the industry's top web design firms, 2Advanced Studios. Ensim chose 2Advanced for its award-winning design portfolio, as well as its familiarity with the needs of web hosting companies.

Ensim WEBppliance Pro is the only control panel to allow extensive customization of the control panel's look-and-feel and domain services, enabling hosting providers to differentiate themselves in the competitive marketplace. Ensim provides customers with an open API, making it easier for hosting providers to integrate Ensim WEBppliance Pro with custom applications or the hundreds of third-party applications developed by Ensim's partners.

Comprehensive Tools to Reduce Support Costs

Ensim WEBppliance Pro significantly lowers the time and expertise required to manage web sites. Ensim extensively analyzed support logs received by hosting providers to identify and eliminate the most common calls. Common requests, such as adding subdomains, adding multiple MySQL databases, and rotating log files are now fully automated. Ensim WEBppliance Pro is also the first control panel to include a web hosting primer and full context sensitive help features, reducing support calls and enabling novice site owners to easily use the system.