Tools to Prepare For Your Windows Cloud Server Migration

Windows 2003 is coming off of life support in the next two years, which puts businesses in an unstable position. Until you update to a newer version of Windows Server, you will experience security, server management and performance issues that will cost you time and money. Switching doesn’t have to be painful when you plan ahead for a safe and successful migration and take advantage of utilities designed to help you migrate to the newest Windows Server.

Why now is the time to switch

If you’re still hanging onto your Windows Server 2003, put it to bed in 2014. The last service pack for Windows Server 2003 was released 6 years ago, and Windows Server 2012 has been on the market for a year already. Switching now means you’ll get in on the ground floor of the new Windows Server, while skipping the initial buggy release. Although you are used to your existing Windows Server, the fact that Microsoft will only offer 24 more months of Windows Server support should really have you preparing for a switch in the months ahead.

Windows Server 2012 offers critical support for cloud infrastructure and truly modernizes and transforms the data center for customers. Find more storage for a fraction of the cost, support for hybrid cloud capabilities, software defined networking for increased agility and flexibility, BYOD-support including a device registration process, and Java application monitoring. These are just a few of the exciting features found in the newest release of Windows Server. Windows Server 2012 truly meets the demands of a modern workplace — and if you are still scraping by on an older edition of Windows Server, you are not working at capacity.

Tools that can help you plan

If the thought of switching from a tool you may have used for the last 10 years to a new Windows Server brings on a cold sweat, don’t worry. There are many tools to help you plan the switch, including:

• Cloud Assessment – Plan for the cloud you need without running the metrics yourself using Cloud Assessment. This tool analyzes and reports on server usage and generates a custom set of recommendations for enterprise cloud resource needs.


• Website migration tools – Website mover tools simplify the migration process, saving you time and reducing your stress level. A website mover can assess your system requirements, cloud environment, infrastructure, workflow and assets, then work to ensure the smoothest migration.


• The Microsoft MAP – Microsoft offers a MAP (Microsoft Assessment and Planning) to help businesses transition to Windows Server 2012. Secure inventory, assess and report on your Windows Server environment, then use the data gleaned to prepare for a move. MAP can even assess your IT environment’s readiness for the transition, engineering a to-do list that ensures your move comes off hitch-free.

Chances are the nervousness you are feeling about migrating to Windows Server 2012 is worse than the move itself. For many businesses, winter can be a slow time. Transitioning now ensures that you can acclimate to your new computing power before the demands of the busy season tax capacity.

Tools to Prepare For Your Windows Cloud Server Migration

The Top Five Web Applications of 2013

If you want to keep up on the latest cutting-edge online innovations taking place online, one good resource is the annual Webby award, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. The 2013 Webby Award for best web application resulted in one clear winner out of the five nominees, yet each one has a significant following and each offers completely different services.

5. Visual.ly

Sites such as 99Designs and Fiverr help creative people find a market for their work. These sites also help those of us who are less creative find someone who can make our projects look good. Now Visual.ly does the same thing for infographics, videos, presentations, and other interactive creations. With more than 145,000 users, Visually is the marketplace for anyone looking to buy or sell these creative services. Visual.ly is working to help the world bring its stories to life, and they’re off to a great start.

4. SeatGeek

When you’re looking for tickets to the next sporting event, concert or other big happening, you should check out SeatGeek. True to their name, this site geeks out on finding the right seat at the right price. You can search for any team, artist, event or venue to see which tickets are available and exactly where the seats are located on a venue map. The site collects information from multiple ticket outlets and even has an option to track the price of tickets for your favorite events. More than 1.8 million users already use SeatGeek to secure the best deal on tickets.

3. Squarespace

Squarespace was started in a dorm room in 2004 and they’ve grown into a team of 190 people with the goal of helping people give voice to their ideas. The site helps people to create their own website with little to no knowledge of web design. Basically, anyone that can use a word processor can create a good looking website they can be proud of using Squarespace. This has helped the company to launch more than 1.8 million websites already, and they’re poised for continued growth into 2014.

2. Grammarly

English grammar is so complicated that even the word processor on your computer is prone to making mistakes. According to Grammarly, their web application will catch “up to ten times more mistakes than popular word processors.” This has helped the site build a following of more than 3 million registered users. This application makes it easy to correct grammar mistakes, improve your writing, identify contextual misspellings (such as too versus two) and detect plagiarism. It’s like a proofreading buddy on the Web.

1. Dropbox

For many people, Dropbox winning the Web Services & Applications award is no surprise because this free service already has over 200 million users. Certain Windows cloud providers offer similar services, but with a larger amount of free storage than the 2 GB offered by Dropbox. However, Dropbox is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux computers in addition to all the devices running Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Blackberry. Furthermore, there are ways to increase the free storage available on Dropbox.

 

The Top Five Web Applications of 2013

Keeping WordPress Running Smoothly

If your webpage takes more than 4 seconds to load, 25 percent of viewers will abandon it for a site that loads faster. While WordPress may at first seem like an easy to use, out-of-the-box website platform for small business owners, WordPress sites can have a very slow load time that will affect your bottom line. Learn to spot signs of trouble with WordPress sites and to fix slow-loading pages.

Causes of slow WordPress sites

Too many plugins are the top cause of a super slow WordPress site. Take a look at your index and see how many plugins you’ve loaded down your site with; if the number is really high, this is your problem. Ideally, you would use a smaller number of plugins that performed only the necessary functions. So-called SEO plugins sound like a great idea in theory, but do little to affect your site’s SEO and can cause slowdowns. Delete any plugins you are not using simply disabling them isn’t enough. This should increase site speed. Consider using the Plugin Performance Profiler or P3, a free WordPress utility that examines plugins and rates their performance. This can clue you in onto which plugins are affecting site performance, or demonstrate that your plugins are working fine and your problem lies elsewhere.

While you’re cleaning out your plugins, make sure you are using the latest WordPress release and that the plugins you do use are up to date. Note that rarely updated, out-of-date plugins can be a security risk. If some of your plugins have never been updated, you may want to consider finding a different, more current plugin that performs the same task.

Your WordPress theme could be causing the site slowdown, especially if it’s a free theme that you downloaded from a random site. While it’s okay to use free themes, limit your free theme use to those from the WordPress repository, since these are vetted for security threats like malware.

Finally, your problem may not lie with WordPress at all. If you host your WordPress site on a shared host that operates slowly, no amount of improvement to your WordPress site will speed up the page. Consult your web host for more information on website speed, bandwidth and site uptime. You may have to switch to a more reliable WordPress host to improve your page’s load time.

Improving a slow page

The suggestions above will help speed a slow site, but are certainly not comprehensive. If you aren’t already using a cache, implement a cache plugin. This stores frequently-loaded pages and calls them up faster than normally so your website users experience your site as faster.

Storing plugins in the functions file (functions.php) can also improve speed. By dropping all of the relevant plugin code in here, your back-end won’t have to work as hard looking for relevant code and can perform functions faster. From your own favicon to Google Analytics and AdSense, the code you paste here drives your site’s performance, function and utility.

The WordPress Support forums offer tips and tricks to diagnose performance issues and speed up a slow site. While this may seem like a lot of work, it is ultimately worth it to improve website speed, stop turning off potential customers and boost your return on investment.

 

Keeping WordPress Running Smoothly

Three Myths That You Need to Debunk About Web Hosting Service

Web hosting is very important for online businesses. It is a great way of making your site popular on the internet and increasing the number of visits your site receives on average. Without a web hosting service to help you out, it can be extremely difficult to manage your website online. You would need to give it a lot of time and money. But if you employ a web host provider, consider half of your worries gone as a web host provider makes sure your online business receives the attention it deserves and that you reach out to your potential customers. However some people don’t trust web hosting companies or consider it unimportant to make a website for their businesses. They have their own reason for not entrusting their business to a host provider, but not all of them are practical. Here are some of the common myths related to web hosting.

Myth#1: No need for a website:

Some people believe that running an online business or developing a website for their business is a nuisance and that they are better off without it. This is the kind of thinking that most traditional people support who distrusts all technological advances. Others who think their business is too small to have a website can also be seen arguing against the concept of hiring a host provider to take care of your online business. The truth is that no matter how small your business, you always need a website to make it popular among people. A website can develop a professional image for your brand and also make sure that you stay ahead of your rivals. You can reach out to millions of people through your website and keep them updated with new offers and deals. So the concept that websites are only for huge businesses or that online stores are useless holds no ground. You can have a website and use it to your advantage even if you run a small bakery.

Myth#2: Keeping a website is a pain:

People who don’t know much about running a website think that it is very difficult to build a website and to keep it running. The truth is; sure you face some difficulty if you are new to it, but it’s not an impossible task. There are thousands of people who run their businesses through the internet and they like you don’t have a degree in computer sciences. So you don’t need to be trained to be able to run a website. Nowadays anyone can make a website with a little help from the pre-designed templates and a few help video lessons. Even if you are new to this, in a matter of few days you will feel really confident about running your own website. With software like CMS, you can even manage the content on your site efficiently. So if you think building a website is for tech experts, you need to discard that thought right now.

Myth#3 Web hosting is a waste of money:

Several small business owners think that they can’t spare enough money to hire a host provider. They already have too little to keep their store running and therefore can’t spend much on running an online store. Yes, it is true that hiring a good web hosting service requires money and if you go for cheap services you will probably end up losing more money than you make, but an online store that is managed well can eventually increase your earnings considerably. Nowadays nobody wants to visit stores when they can buy everything on the internet. Besides, if you look carefully, you can always find affordable services offered by many web hosting companies. Some companies charge as little as five dollars per month and help you develop a successful online store. Therefore, if you think that web hosting is not worth spending your money on, you need to think again. You can get decent web hosting services at an affordable cost anywhere. And it’s a great way of expanding your business as well.

Above mentioned are some of the common misconceptions people have regarding web hosting services and websites. If you are one of those people, you need to change the way you think this instant! Creating a website is easier than you think and can prove to be more beneficial than you ever dreamed of. Even if you don’t completely agree with this notion, it’s definitely worth at least a shot.

Author bio:

This article about common myths related to web hosting services was written by Mark Todd who is an experienced webmaster and writes many articles for iPage Review. He runs his own web hosting company and provides his services to numerous reputable businesses.

Three Myths That You Need to Debunk About Web Hosting Service