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London – 23rd January 2012 – Host Europe Group, the leading privately owned hosting group, which incorporates 123-reg, Host Europe, Heart Internet and Webfusion, has today announced the acquisition of RedCoruna, one of Spain’s leading web hosting and domain registry companies.

With its impressive year-on-year growth for the past three years and excellent reputation for shared hosting and domain registry services, RedCoruna is a perfect brand fit for Host Europe Group as it looks to expand its European and global reach, and with particular emphasis on Spain as a key market for growth.
RedCoruna customers will now have access to a larger selection of products and services, previously unavailable to them, including VPS, reseller hosting, Cloud hosting, dedicated servers, new domain extensions, and advanced email services.

Sharing the same cultural values as the Host Europe Group, RedCoruna’s dynamic and customer-focused approach to web hosting ensured it was a very appealing proposition. No redundancies will be made as part of the acquisition and Luis Veiga, Founder of RedCoruna will take on the role as country manager for the Spanish market.

Commenting Thomas Vollrath, CEO of the Host Europe Group, said:
“We have been impressed with the steady growth of the RedCoruna brand. With low churn and high levels of customer satisfaction, it has a customer-centric approach to business retention and development. This energy, coupled with a strong track record in web hosting in Spain, makes RedCoruna an extremely welcome addition to the Host Europe Group.”

Luis Veiga Founder of RedCoruna, added:
“This is an exciting chapter in RedCoruna’s history as we join one of Europe’s leading hosting groups. Together, we will certainly make waves in the Spanish hosting industry and our customers will continue to enjoy a first class offering, but now with a larger selection of products and services at the most competitive prices in Europe.”

About Host Europe Group

Founded in 1997, Host Europe Group is the largest privately-owned hosting group in Europe. It has registered over 4million domains and offers its 1m customers mass hosting, customised, managed and cloud hosting, and has an emerging software-as-a-service offering. As the biggest domain registrar in the UK, and largest virtualisation provider in Europe, Host Europe Group is the ideal choice for consumers and businesses alike, who seek a high quality of service, with first rate performance at a competitive price. With its leading brands: 123-reg, Webfusion, Heart Internet, Host Europe, and dynamic-net AG the Group has a strong market presence in the UK, US, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Spain.

About RedCoruna

RedCoruna is one of the top ten leading hosting companies in Spain. It currently manages more than 100,000 domains and has more than 20,000 customers. Established in 2002, it offers impeccable levels of service and support, and is a leading provider of shared web hosting, domain management, email and server solutions. www.redcoruna.com

123-reg, the UK’s largest domain registrar, has launched a ground-breaking new Virtual Private Server (VPS) product range, ideal for people looking for power, flexibility and control, at a sensible price. This new high performance product allows customers to take full control of their own websites’ performance in real time. Available to buy from January 2012, it comes with a unique launch offer that gives customers the chance to buy Windows VPS at prices that are cheaper than Linux.

A Virtual Private Server acts in the same way as a regular server but offers more freedom and control than a shared hosting package, with the power and adaptability of a dedicated server, yet without the additional expense. The new range from 123-reg has the added advantage of flexibility: customers can customise their VPS specifications at any time, adding more resources when they need it, and can amend specifications easily according to their own usage. The VPS service from 123-reg offers unrivalled choice and simplicity. Customers can choose between Plesk or cPanel control panel as standard. Each VPS comes with unmetered bandwidth, IP address and no minimum contract period.

In addition, customer relations is a primary focus for 123-reg, with 24/7 hardware monitoring by specialist technicians based within its UK data centre. Principally, this product is leading the industry by offering exceptional value for money, with Windows VPS available from just £9.99 a month and as such, significantly cheaper than a Linux VPS. Its flexible payment structure allows customers to set up an annual or monthly account, so any up-grading of specifications can be easily implemented.

Thomas Vollrath, CEO of 123-reg comments: “We are committed to listening to the needs of our customers, and that is why we are offering this brand new VPS service at such an unbeatable price. This service puts the control back in the hands of our customers, giving them the ability to amend the product to meet their own personal specifications, and aligned with the compelling launch offer of Windows being more competitively priced than Linux, we are therefore ensuring our VPS package offers the best value in the market.”

For further information regarding the new VPS Server range from 123-reg please go to http://www.123-reg.co.uk/vps-hosting/

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For more press information please contact Victoria Harris or Georgina Dunkley at Punch Communications victoria.harris@punchcomms.com or georgina.dunkley@punchcomms.com or +44 (0) 1858 411600.

Leading web hosting group, Webfusion has announced a partnership with educational body – the Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership – as part of an early Christmas initiative. For the whole of the month of December, Webfusion will donate £1 from every sale they make to the Partnership’s Digital Citizens Project, helping support disadvantaged and vulnerable people to get online.
The project, which has also received support from the Nominet Trust, delivers innovative information technology learning to 300 people per year in communities across Surrey, thereby creating ‘digital citizens’ with enhanced employ-ability and life chances. It is a key element of the Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership’s activity which ensures that those who have missed out on learning in the past have opportunities to learn and to reach their full potential.
Thomas Vollrath, Chief Executive of Webfusion comments, “The Surrey Lifelong Partnership is a charity that resonates with our customer base. We believe it is essential for all UK citizens to have access to information technology and this charity supports disenfranchised and vulnerable individuals who have not had the opportunities to learn what we all now take for granted. We hope the money raised from our Christmas campaign will help to empower individuals in Surrey to have the confidence to use the internet, in order to enhance their lives.”
Kevin Delf, Chief Executive, The Surrey Lifelong Partnership adds, “We really appreciate being chosen by Webfusion as their charity partner this Christmas. While future generations will grow up with the internet, there are still many people who do not have the knowledge or resources to go online which can severely hamper their employment and life chances. The donations raised from this campaign will have a huge impact on the vital work that we do for potential learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

To learn more about the Webfusion Christmas charity campaign please visit http://www.webfusion.co.uk/christmas-charity/

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Issued on behalf of Webfusion by Punch Communications. For further information contact Georgina Dunkley or Victoria Harris on 01858 411 600 or by emailing georgina.dunkley@punchcomms.com or victoria.harris@punchcomms.com

UK web hosting company Heart Internet have teamed up with award-winning software publisher and developer Serif to offer Serif’s WebPlus X5 software completely free for their customers.

Carrying a retail value of over £80, Serif WebPlus X5 is free to all Heart Internet customers who sign up for Home Professional, Business Professional and Reseller Professional web hosting accounts. The version offered is the latest and most current WebPlus software and contains all the tools necessary to create a professional, attractive and easy-to-navigate website. Existing Heart Internet customers on the same packages will also be able to download WebPlus X5 for free as well.

WebPlus X5 has been created so that anyone can build a professional, fully-functional website with no HTML knowledge. Users can create eCommerce sites, blogs, business websites, portfolios and more with easy-to-use tools for search engine optimisation, tutorial videos and QuickBuilder software, photo editing and graphic design options. The software also comes with the ability to import HTML code, add shopping carts and subscription payment options, plus photo galleries and more.

“We’re very pleased to have struck up a strong partnership with Serif and are delighted that our customers will be able to see the benefits of an amazing package like WebPlus X5,” commented Jonathan Brealey, Managing Director of Heart Internet. “WebPlus X5 is simple to use and can allows anyone to generate really professional results.”

To find out more about Heart Internet’s services, visit http://www.heartinternet.co.uk/

About Heart Internet
Heart Internet is one of the UK’s leading web hosting and reseller hosting companies and was named one of the UK’s fastest growing internet companies in 2009 & 2010 by Deloitte. Heart Internet was named the “Best reseller web host” in the 2011 about.com awards and was nominated in the ISPA awards’ “Best Shared Hosting” category.

Contact details:
Matthew Telfer
Email: matthew.telfer@heartinternet.co.uk

UK hosting provider Heart Internet has announced the launch of their brand new range of configurable cloud virtual servers, allowing customers to modify a server’s technical specifications based on their individual needs.

Heart Internet is giving customers the option to select from a series of pre-designed VPS templates, or create their own by choosing how much disk space, memory and processing power they require, all of which can be changed at any time. Virtual server prices start from £11.99 per month for an entry level VPS template, and can be configured with up to 12 vCPU, 500GB hard drive and 32GB RAM. Additionally, all the VPS packages come with unlimited bandwidth and a 100Mbit/s connection. Customers can also choose from Plesk or cPanel to manage their VPS, or they can log in directly using full root access.

Heart Internet is also offering their reseller hosting customers the ability to sell customised virtual servers under their own brand, a UK first. As well as the choosing the VPS configuration, resellers can set their own prices and receive an exclusive 25% off the price of a VPS.

“Our VPS range has been built around the principles of power, flexibility and control” said Heart Internet co-director Jonathan Brealey. “Using KVM virtualisation technology, features such as full root access, out of band SSH access and on the fly customisation ensure our customers get access to one of the UKs most advanced VPS platforms, and a cost effective alternative to dedicated servers.”

For full details and prices of the Heart Internet VPS range visit http://www.heartinternet.co.uk/vps

About Heart Internet
Heart Internet is one of the UK’s leading web hosting and reseller hosting companies and was named the UK’s fastest growing internet company in 2009 & 2010 by Deloitte. Heart Internet won “Best reseller web host” in the 2011 about.com awards and was nominated the in PC Pro 2011 awards’ and ISPA 2011 awards’ “Best Shared Hosting” categories.

Contact details:
Matthew Telfer
Email: matthew.telfer@heartinternet.co.uk

Leading web hosting provider, Webfusion has today been chosen as the winner of the ‘Best Small Business VPS Provider’, in the 2011 Small Business Awards. The awards recognise innovation and business finesse, with winners selected by a panel of leading UK entrepreneurs as well as readers of ‘Start Your Business’ magazine.
The Small Business Awards 2011 recognise some of the most innovative and successful companies from across a wide range of industry sectors – from web hosting to banking to mobile networks. Webfusion is one of the UK’s leading web hosting groups, and has been recognised for demonstrating expertise within the hosting sector, as well as dedication to providing a first-rate service and a consistent commitment to industry best practice. The company successfully fulfilled the judging criteria which included: quality measures relating to customer service, product knowledge, access to online information and best value.
Webfusion is leading the way in the web hosting sector with 1.4 million hosted websites and 2.8 million registered domains. It offers cost-effective, feature-rich hosting packages for a diverse range of customers. It’s Virtual Private Server (VPS) range offers ultra-fast processing speeds, free back-ups, the ability to host multiple sites and 24/7 UK technical support. In addition, Webfusion operates traffic exchange through peering with over 280 other ISP and network providers.
Thomas Vollrath, managing director of Webfusion comments, “We are delighted to have been chosen as the winner of the Best Small Business VPS Provider in the 2011 Small Business awards. We strive to provide the best service we can, and our VPS server range offers a great specification product at a highly competitive price. Having our products recognised with this accolade is something we are very proud of, particularly as it has been voted for by small business owners themselves and therefore reflects the views of our customers.”
The full results will be published in Issue 63 of Start Your Business magazine which will be out in mid-November.

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Issued on behalf of Webfusion by Punch Communications. For further information contact Georgina Dunkley or Victoria Harris on 01858 411 600 or by emailing georgina.dunkley@punchcomms.com or victoria.harris@punchcomms.com

123-reg Advises Trademarked Companies to Register .xxx Extensions During Sunrise
The official launch of the sunrise phase for .xxx domains from 123-reg, the UK’s leading domain registrar, is welcome news for asbestos awareness training, surveying and testing firm, NATAS (National Asbestos Training and Accreditation Scheme), who urges other business leaders to register an adult-specific domain for their brands now, before it is too late, as .xxx domains go live on the 6th December 2011.
The national company which has headquarters in Birmingham, is one of the first businesses to register the domain extension, and as Max Lopacki, owner and managing director of NATAS, explains, other trademarked businesses should definitely consider following suit or prepare for the backlash:
“Most business people might not see the clear correlation between the release of an ‘adult-specific’ domain extension and the potential brand threat, but unfortunately at NATAS we learnt the hard way.
“The reason I decided to purchase www.natas.xxx, although I don’t intend to use the domain for any purposes, is purely to protect the NATAS brand”, explains Lopacki.
“A few years ago, I owned and purchased the domain www.natas.com but the registrar I used at the time did not alert me to the re-registration of the domain and it expired. It was then bought by a business in the adult industry and as a result a large percentage of my customers and prospects were routed to a very graphic and not protected adult site, expecting to learn more about my business, with alarming consequences. It was not only a very disruptive experience but a costly one too.” The company now operates successfully at www.natas.co.uk
Thomas Vollrath, CEO of 123-reg, adds: “The NATAS story is one that will resonate with business leaders who have worked hard to grow and nurture their companies and who, like Max Lopacki, understand the importance of retaining and protecting their brand’s identity. There has been a great deal of news regarding the sunrise period and the impact on not only businesses but public figures and celebrities who too, want to put this all-important safety measure in place.
“My advice to any business who is currently considering purchasing a .xxx domain, to safeguard their business, is to think seriously about the impact, not registering, could have.”
The sunrise period which opened on 7th September lasts until 28th October and is open to any trademarked company or existing domain in the adult industry. Non-adult trademark owners can also apply as well to protect their brand. If more than one adult trademark owner applies or an existing domain applies, it will be taken to an external auction which is operated on behalf of the .xxx registry.
Following the sunrise period is landrush. This is a premium time for businesses or brands that are not trademarked to register a .xxx domain. The landrush period runs from 8th November to the 25th November. Due to the competitive nature of this period, again, should one or more company opt to register the same domain, it will be taken to an external auction.

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About 123-reg
123-reg is the UK’s top domain registrar, registering every fourth .uk domain. It’s a market leader in domain name registration (2.7 million domains) and web hosting solutions. With extensive experience of the industry, the company is able to offer high quality, technically advanced yet cost-effective products to a wide range of customers. Part of the Host Europe Group, which is the largest privately owned hosting company in Europe, and a Sunday Times Deloitte Buyout Track 100 company, the group also consists of www.webfusion.co.uk , www.hosteuropegroup.com and www.heartinternet.co.uk , each making every step of setting up online as easy as 1, 2, 3.

123-reg has created a blogging guide for mums to tie in with their sponsorship of the ‘Best Supporting Business’ Mumpreneur Award

123-reg, the UK’s largest domain registrar, has launched a guide to help get parents blogging. As one of the most active blogger communities in the UK, more mummy bloggers are creating content than almost any other social group, to share their thoughts and experiences with the world.

Mums are using blogging as an outlet to speak about their parenting experiences as well as reviewing products to raise extra money for their family. This guide will help them get the most from their blogging experience featuring a ‘how to’ for getting started, such as where to host a blog and tips on blog design.

Thomas Vollrath, CEO of 123-reg commented: “Whatever their background or talent, every mummy blogger has a unique voice and creates compelling content that deserves to be presented in a professional form. At 123-reg we have the technology and expertise to help people host their own blog, on their own domain with their own personalised email address, so it’s a natural partnership.

“For those who blog for business, having a personal email address tied to their website creates a direct route for customers to get in touch.”

123-reg ‘s ‘Mummies’ Guide to Blogging’ is a one stop guide for interacting with a new audience, dealing with issues such as criticism or negative comments and even technical details such as search engine optimisation.

The ‘Mummies’ Guide to Blogging’ will be available at the MumpreneurUK conference on 25th September where 123-reg is sponsoring the ‘Best Supporting Business’ award. Alternatively, the guide can be downloaded from www.themummiesguidetoblogging.com, where there are additional hints, tips and offers for mummies (or daddies) getting started in blogging. To save £10, and secure a ‘.me’ domain for only £4.99 for the first year, enter the voucher code ‘MUMMY’ at www.123-reg.co.uk.

In addition to sponsoring the Mumpreneur Awards, 123-reg have been part of blogger workshops offering advice and support, as well as participating in Twitter parties, such as mumpreneur hour with MumpreneurUK, discussing the challenges faced when choosing a domain URL.

For more information or to request a copy of the guide, please contact Georgina Dunkley at Punch Communications – georgina.dunkley@punchcomms.com or +44 (0) 1858 411600.

A recent survey conducted by UK web hosting company Heart Internet (www.heartinternet.co.uk) and UK web design blog Design Shack (www.designshack.co.uk) has found that web designers are finding it harder to get work compared to this time last year.

The survey of 500 web designers (1) asked the respondents about their attitudes towards the state of the web design industry, with 80% believing web design work is either more difficult or just as difficult to come by compared to 12 months ago. This situation is exacerbated by prices being forced down, with 3 in 5 stating this due to more competition within the industry.

As a result, web designers are increasingly looking for alternative ways of earning money using their web design skills, with half supplementing their income through channels such as premium resource websites, guest blogging and running their own advertising-driven blogs. Additionally, 20% of web designers have advertised their services on freelance websites in an attempt to gain work.

“With so many businesses tightening their belts, new websites are often one of the first expenses that are cut from the budget,” said Heart Internet director Jonathan Brealey. “Our survey results found that web designers are increasingly expanding their range of services to enhance their revenue potential, with 82% offering essentials such as copywriting, digital marketing, web hosting and website maintenance in addition to web design.”

David Appleyard, owner of Design Shack, commented: “An increase in competition combined with a decline in demand for web design work means that web designers are facing a difficult period. Designers can maximise their appeal by expanding their skills and services.”

(1) 500 web designers surveyed via electronic feedback form

About Heart Internet
Heart Internet is one of the UK’s leading web hosting and reseller hosting companies and was named one of the UK’s fastest growing internet companies by Deloitte. Heart Internet was named the “Best reseller web host” in the 2011 about.com awards and was nominated in the ISPA awards’ “Best Shared Hosting” category.

About Design Shack
Design Shack showcases inspiring web design, alongside resources and tutorials for you to succeed in the same way. Regular articles will teach you new techniques for creating your own designs, and daily community news ensures that you’re up to date with the latest design developments.

Contact details: Matthew Telfer matthew.telfer@heartinternet.co.uk

Host Europe Group, the largest privately owned hosting group in Europe, which incorporates 123-reg, Host Europe and Webfusion, has today announced that it has acquired Nottingham-based web hosting company Heart Internet, which will result in Host Europe Group becoming the UK’s largest provider of sophisticated reseller hosting products, utilising cloud technology and offering a wide product portfolio that is capable of meeting the needs of everyone from novices to high end users with enterprise standard infrastructure requirements. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

Heart Internet will now join Host Europe’s portfolio of businesses and together the combined infrastructure of the UK operation will reach a customer base of approaching one million. This is great news for customers who will now benefit from both companies’ expertise and brand strength – with Heart Internet being the preferred reseller choice in the UK. Through combining and integrating the complementary product ranges and infrastructure, the group extends its capabilities and footprint into an attractive and differentiated niche segment of the hosting market whilst allowing Heart Internet to benefit from Host’s Cloud platform and suite of fast growing virtualisation services.

Heart was founded by Jonathan Brealey and Tim Beresford, who also established 123-reg and Webfusion, both of which were acquired by Host Europe in 2003. Jonathan and Tim will remain within the business, not only to cement the partnership but also to realise the vision of the shared product set that is made available to the combined customer base. The Heart Internet team will continue to operate from its Nottingham base, whilst benefiting from access to Webfusion’s state of the art data centre.

Thomas Vollrath, CEO of the Host Europe Group, said:
“This is a great opportunity for both businesses and our customers, who will benefit from a full suite of complementary product ranges from a one stop shop that will cater for all their hosting requirements. We have jointly developed a product integration plan for all customers, ranging from domains, value added-services, shared hosting, cloud hosting, VPS and dedicated servers to customised and managed hosting solutions which will deliver additional growth for the new combined Group. Heart has won numerous awards for its reseller programme, so combining its expertise with our infrastructure will result in a new centre of excellence within the industry, for both customers and resellers alike.”

Jonathan Brealey founder of Heart Internet, added:
“I am delighted that Heart is joining the Host Europe Group. This deal effectively brings together the preferred reseller brand in the UK with the leading virtualisation player, to create a hugely complementary offering. This is certainly an exciting chapter in the history of Heart Internet, which remains fully committed to both the team in Nottingham and maintaining the highest level of customer service – and will allow Host Europe Group to claim the title of the UK’s largest reseller hosting provider. As both companies are Deloitte FastTrack businesses, independently recognised for growth potential, we are uniquely placed to capitalise on this superb market opportunity and create a brand that is greater than the sum of our collective parts.”

Issued on behalf of Host Europe Group by Punch Communications. For further information contact Pete Goold or Georgina Dunkley on 01858 411 600 or email pete.goold@punchcomms.com / georgina.dunkley@punchcomms.com.

About Host Europe Group
Founded in 1997, Host Europe Group is the largest privately owned hosting group in Europe. It offers its 1 million customers domain registration, various hosting services including customised, managed and cloud hosting, and has a software-as-a-service offering. As the biggest domain registrar in the UK, and largest virtualisation provider in Europe, Host Europe Group is the ideal choice for consumers and businesses alike, who seek sophisticated hosting products with a high quality of service and first rate performance . With its leading brands: 123-reg, Webfusion, Host Europe, dynamic-net AG, and Donhost, the Group has a strong market presence in the UK, US, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Spain.

About Heart Internet
Launched in 2004, Heart Internet has grown rapidly to become one of the UK’s leading web hosting companies with a focus on the reseller hosting product niche. Named the UK’s fastest growing Internet company of 2009 by Deloitte, Heart Internet’s core values are based around high-quality products at competitive prices. Heart Internet is currently the fifth largest UK host for TLD domains hosted (source: www.webhosting.info).