Discover how UniformMarket, experts in ecommerce for the uniform reseller industry, migrated their three dedicated ColdFusion servers, two dedicated MS SQL 2008 servers and one dedicated SmarterMail server from a slow and unreliable host to Hostek.com - without causing unnecessary downtime for UniformMarket and their many hosted clients.
"Whether it's the ColdFusion server or the MS SQL server, moving the tools you need to keep your business alive is bound to be a stressful project. Migrating six servers successfully takes the right resources and the right hosting company. I needed the help of an experienced, professional web host who could assure me that my data was safe. Hostek.com made migration quick, easy, and painless."
Dave Sykes , CEO Website:www.uniformmarket.comEstablished in 2006, UniformMarket is a one-of-a-kind business that operates under a clear mission: "to provide the most cost-effective ecommerce platform to the uniform industry, seamlessly connecting manufacturers to their resellers." Hundreds of uniform resellers use UniformMarket's Uniform Dealer Pro packages, not only to launch their online store, but also to host it long-term and manage its content using a convenient, web-based administration tool. In addition, the UniformMarket platform seamlessly connects uniform manufacturers with their resellers to roll out product line changes across all resellers simultaneously. This core platform is accompanied by a range of additional services, including industry news updates and website marketing. In order to serve and store this content, UniformMarket needs robust and reliable ColdFusion dedicated servers working alongside MS SQL dedicated servers.
By the very nature of the business that UniformMarket carries out day-to-day, the firm's chosen dedicated server hosting service must meet the highest standards of reliability and performance. UniformMarket CEO Dave Sykes focuses his business on making ecommerce simple and easy to maintain, and a large element of delivering on this promise is the deployment of quality hosting services for uniform resellers. Although Sykes managed to source ColdFusion and MS SQL dedicated servers from another host, he found that as his traffic and customer-base grew, the performance of his servers began to suffer.
"In a relatively short space of time, UniformMarket experienced a great deal of success," says Sykes. "But that naturally placed extra strain on our servers. Suddenly, it was taking longer for pages to load and transactions to be completed. That's not only an inconvenience for UniformMarket when it comes to sourcing new clients, but also a very significant issue for our existing clients who are trying to deliver excellent customer service. I wanted the impossible - a better dedicated server hosting service, at a lower price point that would let me keep costs down for resellers."
As he began his search for a more reliable provider of dedicated ColdFusion web hosting, Sykes set out to find a host with experience, comprehensive customer support services, and a minimum 99.9% uptime service level agreement (SLA). These criteria would help ensure that Sykes' chosen web host could keep not only the UniformMarket website but also each individual reseller website online, all the time. Hostek.com was the obvious choice.
"I didn't take the decision to migrate the six UniformMarket dedicated servers lightly," says Sykes. "But I was paying well above the average rate for a service that simply wasn't up to the task. I contacted Hostek.com with my concerns and they explained the extensive methods they would use to keep my data safe. I'm pleased to say that the move to Hostek.com was completed without any significant downtime, and UniformMarket is now performing better than ever on our new and improved servers."
UniformMarket moved all three of its existing ColdFusion dedicated servers to Hostek.com, along with two MS SQL database servers and a dedicated SmarterMail server that provides an alternative to Microsoft Exchange functionality. Dave Sykes was so happy with the quality of service he received from Hostek.com that he has now launched his 8th dedicated server on the network.
"Hostek.com gave UniformMarket more than I ever could have asked for," says Sykes. "I mean that in terms of the high performance hardware on a reliable, highly available network. I mean that in terms of the price, which is incredibly competitive and helps me to pass on savings or increase my margins. But most importantly, I mean that in terms of service, in terms of truly understanding what UniformMarket is about and giving us the tools we need to succeed."
