July 14, 2011 — Cloud hosting provider mindSHIFT Technologies announced on Thursday it has expanded its suite of cloud-based managed desktop services with cloudSHIFT Desktop: Premium. Expanding on cloudSHIFT’s cloud services, which were launched last month, cloudSHIFT Desktop: Premium provides SMBs with desktop virtualization capabilities.

A screenshot of the Web Desktop’s “app grid” navigation (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — With the explosion of cloud technologies moving the industry forward, and with companies increasingly developing applications in the cloud, hosting providers, and the services that deal with the hosting business, are looking for new ways to use the cloud in distributing or supporting their services. Messaging and collaboration provider Open-Xchange ( www.open-xchange.com ) is just one of the many companies embracing the cloud

A Dell Desktop Virtualization promotional video featuring Cortney Isunza, Dell Desktop Virtualization solutions product manager (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) –- Technology giant Dell ( www.dell.com ) announced on Thursday it is entering the cloud hosting market with a series of new cloud services, technologies, and data centers. Dell plans to invest a whopping $1 billion throughout the year to deliver “leading solutions, services and cloud-based delivery options” to launch and sell cloud services, starting with email archiving and a hosted virtual desktop software.

Citrix director of market development Scott Swanburg (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) –- In the last session of the afternoon, Citrix ( www.citrix.com ) director of market development Scott Swanburg discussed “The Next Step in Hosting Services Evolution: Desktop as a Service”. Swanburg first talked about the rapid development rate of technology and how service providers need to react accordingly to these trends in order to be competitive and successful

Citrix director of market development Scott Swanburg (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) –- In the last session of the afternoon, Citrix ( www.citrix.com ) director of market development Scott Swanburg discussed “The Next Step in Hosting Services Evolution: Desktop as a Service”. Swanburg first talked about the rapid development rate of technology and how service providers need to react accordingly to these trends in order to be competitive and successful. The challenges of moving forward in the indsutry include services becoming commoditized, competition lowering prices, strategic value diminishing and brand uniqueness dissolving, says Swanburg

When you work in the web hosting industry, it is very simple to sometimes become overwhelmed by everything there is to do.  You might have a dozen or two tasks staring you in the face this very morning that you are dreading.  Here are a few quick and easy ways to regain yourself motivation and conquer the day. Take a Break If you feel like you are being over taken by all there is to do, take 5 minutes or so to walk around the house.  You might also be able to think things over, once you are away from your PC monitor to find a new way of taking down that problem or problems that are stressing you out. Try a Different Approach If you don’t feel like one way of doing thing is the best way to get the job done, try looking at the task at hand from another point of view.  One thing I like to do is break jobs down to simpler tasks, and then prioritize them via to-do lists.  So you are getting the same work done, you are just doing it in a way that causes you to freak out a little less during the day.

API 3.0 uses SoftLayer’s network-within-a-network topology (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web hosting provider SoftLayer Technologies ( www.softlayer.com ) announced on Wednesday it has recently released sample code for Windows 7 and Mac OS X apps for monitoring SoftLayer server information. According to the press release, the sample code “showcases the versatility and robustness of the company’s open application protocol interface.” The Windows 7 Desktop Gadget and Mac OS X Dashboard Widget are great examples of the creative solutions that are possible with our comprehensive API,” says Stephen Johnson, director of interface development for SoftLayer.