Cape-based domain registration and web site hosting company, Internet Online has thrown its weight behind an effort to widen the online end-user market. Through its reseller program, the company proves that anyone with ambition and a sense of adventure can run their own web site hosting business.
Upon its inception, Internet Online initially offered its customers registration facilities for the.co.za domain name. Before long, the coveted .com, .net and .org domains were added to the company’s portfolio and soon this offering was extended to include various services and unique partner programs for clients.
A case in point is the reseller program. This service package provides the user with the necessary infrastructure and technical requirements to fully administer and manage web sites. The package is a cost-effective, user-friendly option for small-to-medium sized businesses or entrepreneurs wishing to leverage off Internet opportunities.
Says Amir Sachs, MD of Internet Online, “The reseller programme is based on partners that use software developed by Internet Online to manage and ease administration of Web sites. For a monthly fee of R500, a reseller receives a reseller package from Internet Online and this includes 20 domain names, 500MB of traffic, 2 000 MB of disk space and access to the Control Panel. The reseller now has the ability to sell 20 Web sites and host those sites for his clients, and can make use of Internet Online’s technology and technical expertise to provide clients with an excellent service.”
Sachs believes that the reseller plays a crucial role in helping to educate and develop the local online user market. In their own way, he says, resellers make a significant contribution towards job creation and economic growth in general.
“The role of a reseller is very important, especially within an emerging market like South Africa,” he adds. “New entrants onto the Web need to be nurtured and guided and they often have many questions that need to be answered – the reseller fulfils this role. The resellers generally run small businesses and can give their clients more personal attention to make the transition to the Net as easy as possible.
Reseller partners fit into the Internet Online picture very well, says Sachs. Many of them are Web site designers and, because these sites need a place to ‘live’, they are able to include hosting as part of their overall service.
There is a range of benefits to being a reseller for Internet Online. One of the main advantages is the offer of total anonymity – this creates the impression that the reseller runs his own network. There is also the offer of personalised nameservers, support on all aspects of Web hosting, ongoing contact with advice, superior service and quality hosting.
“Our reseller partners have the advantage of full control over the service provided by Internet Online, including dial-up services, domain name registration and access to Control Panel,” adds Sachs.
“This situation is mutually beneficial. Our resellers provide us with a valuable source of income, and we are able to utilise this resource to improve upon our service level and offering,” says Sachs. “As our network grows we can negotiate better rates with our bandwidth suppliers, which will then be passed down the line to our resellers.
“The resellers benefit by being able to offer their clients good service and value. As the resellers do not necessarily need to have the technical knowledge in terms of the hosting service, they can concentrate on their core business.”
END
