Hi all,

Some time ago I picked up a double handful of clients who just *had* to have Windows...so I found a Windows reseller account. They've been otherwise okay, but they aren't doing all that well in the client communication department. I'm looking for a Windows reseller package with a provider that is:

* excellent at client communications
* straightforward about what happened
* communicates emergencies beforehand
* preferably has a working forum
* has SQL 2003 database support
* any control panel, don't care, just want one
* will be willing to assist with moving accounts from current host to their servers. Will pay for this service - I don't expect a total freebie - but I would like some assistance
* some form of mailing list software
* need to define my own hosting plans
* price range: let's start at $60 a month for 10+ domains, 500+ MB disk space, 20+ GB bandwidth

Good uptime is also a requirement, that shouldn't have to be stated

Right now I'm looking for suggestions of hosts to evaluate, rather than immediate offers. Timeframe for this move / changeover is sometime in the next quarter. Who have you folks had experience with? How is it?

*Should* be fairly easy to find a host that meets those requirements. All except the SQL 2003. Did they even make a 2003? I thought the latest version was 2000.

Any H-Sphere host that offers windows should be able to help you out with those specs. Not that I have had any experience with the following two (never needed a host), you might want to check them out.

Maxtrix Reseller: http://www.matrixreseller.com
Weberz: http://www.weberz.com

Good Luck

Thanks, but I'd like host recommendations from people who have used their services and can report on them. I can search through the various directories and find plenty of Windows hosts - but since I don't know them or anyone who's used them, it's an utter guessing game.

Who knows, it might end up being just that...except that I don't want another host who's not so hot with communication issues.

Well, the best thing to do (if you dont get any replies here) is to pick a few companies and test out thier customer communication skills. Send them support emails, pre-sales emails, check to see if they have a open forum... all that good stuff. Running a search for the hosts name here, and dare i say it at WHT, should turn up some good results of how to host deals with customers.

I'm very familiar with the WHT crowd, being an occasional poster there myself...which is why I'll use that place as a last resort only. For research once I've made a shortlist, yes. But not as a place to get more suggestions. There's still quite the noise to signal ratio.

Otherwise, all of those other suggestions are known, and good ones. I'm trying to make a shortlist for initial research (down to the top 20 or so for testing replies and checking their customer interactions...rather than trying to take on the whole field of Windows reseller hosts.)

Part of my problem is that everyone I know is either hosted with my hosting company, or with some other Linux-based host. The one person whom I know - remotely - who does host with a Windows company believes that you have to have an SSL to run InvisionBoard and that all Windows servers are automatically more secure than any Linux server. Not exactly what I'd call a knowledgeable resource

HAHAHAHA!

Thats just great!

I too have limited posting on WHT. The only reason i recommended it was because they do have a very large database of posts to search.

BTW.. did they ever make a SQL Server 2003?

You are correct WHW. The latest production version is SQL Server 2000. There are at Express Beta 2 of SQL Server 2005, though.