iiNet has today announced a partnership with Microsoft that will see the telco launch a number of new hosting plans.
iiNet launches VPS offering (Credit: iiNet)
The partnership will see Microsoft supply iiNet with their Windows Server operating system for a discounted price, which customers can then choose to install when they purchase a virtual private server (VPS) hosting plan.
“Whether it’s used for developing complex websites or a new mobile application, a VPS will provide developers with a dedicated platform to build applications free from restrictions typically found on a shared hosting environment,” Steve Harley, iiNet’s General Manager Business said in a statement today.
“Our partnership with Microsoft demonstrates our commitment to the IT community by providing them with the best possible environment at a great price point.”
In fact iiNet’s offering — which starts at $29.95 per month and continues up to $99.95 per month — is amongst the cheapest Australian VPS offerings running the Windows Server software. Thanks to the high running costs in Australia, with licensing costs added on top of the hardware some providers are forced to charge upwards of $129 for a similar service.
Most companies and businesses are therefore forced to turn to American or other overseas providers where prices are more reasonable but support and the fact that data is then stored in another country add difficulties.
“Microsoft is delighted to be partnering with iiNet to bring this comprehensive set of services to its customers. It’s not only end users that will benefit greatly from this partnership – the developer community is set to gain many advantages too,” Philip Goldie, Director of the Server and Tools Business Group at Microsoft Australia said.
There is a catch however: right now, users can only install an older edition of Windows Server, released in 2003. iiNet promises 2008 support is “coming soon” but for the meantime suggests users install either 2003, or an open source alternative such as Ubuntu, Debian or Fedora.
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