Pages: 1
Mike-FRandT
Greetings All.
As some know, I am Mike of FRandT. For the past 2 years we closed our hosting due to fraudulent activity upon the client base that pretty much crippled our companies financial sector.
For those two years, we did close down the internet part of the company and just went to installing networks, managing them, and doing coding and site design locally.
Our previous projects were MMORPG development and MUD developments. So far we are mastering dynamic web technologies like PHP, CGI, and Perl and have dedicated a team of developers to shell out almost any request thrown at us.
One of the requests we received from the Technology Director of the University of North Carolina (C) was a creation of a web hosting file that would allow for a virtual file system to be run from the MySQL database.
We have done just that. Now in beta, we have re-opened our site not just for this but to also extend those development services to others abroad.
If you would like to join in on the beta testing, you can do so by creating a forum account and starting your site. This hosting service is completely free, and for now, ad free as well. We aren't gaining or trying to gain anything from it except further development to the software.
As some know, I am Mike of FRandT. For the past 2 years we closed our hosting due to fraudulent activity upon the client base that pretty much crippled our companies financial sector.
For those two years, we did close down the internet part of the company and just went to installing networks, managing them, and doing coding and site design locally.
Our previous projects were MMORPG development and MUD developments. So far we are mastering dynamic web technologies like PHP, CGI, and Perl and have dedicated a team of developers to shell out almost any request thrown at us.
One of the requests we received from the Technology Director of the University of North Carolina (C) was a creation of a web hosting file that would allow for a virtual file system to be run from the MySQL database.
We have done just that. Now in beta, we have re-opened our site not just for this but to also extend those development services to others abroad.
If you would like to join in on the beta testing, you can do so by creating a forum account and starting your site. This hosting service is completely free, and for now, ad free as well. We aren't gaining or trying to gain anything from it except further development to the software.
timi
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Mike-FRandT
Greetings All.
As some know, I am Mike of FRandT. For the past 2 years we closed our hosting due to fraudulent activity upon the client base that pretty much crippled our companies financial sector. For those two years, we did close down the internet part of the company and just went to installing networks, managing them, and doing coding and site design locally. Our previous projects were MMORPG development and MUD developments. So far we are mastering dynamic web technologies like PHP, CGI, and Perl and have dedicated a team of developers to shell out almost any request thrown at us. One of the requests we received from the Technology Director of the University of North Carolina (C) was a creation of a web hosting file that would allow for a virtual file system to be run from the MySQL database. We have done just that. Now in beta, we have re-opened our site not just for this but to also extend those development services to others abroad. If you would like to join in on the beta testing, you can do so by creating a forum account and starting your site. This hosting service is completely free, and for now, ad free as well. We aren't gaining or trying to gain anything from it except further development to the software. |
What's the process to join? Is it open to everyone?
Mike-FRandT
Absolutely.
Anyone that creates a forum account can join any beta program at the click of a button =).
Anyone that creates a forum account can join any beta program at the click of a button =).
Thenzer
There is nothing bad with that I have to say. Some companies are underrebrending. 6 years ago for example Aplushosting.com became SernverPoint.com and they are still doing good service.
Do you know Overture? They seems had the same situation.
So there is nothing bad.
Do you know Overture? They seems had the same situation.
So there is nothing bad.
Mike-FRandT
Our issue was a bit tougher actually =P.
We had tons of revenue and even had the fast 50 interview us, 30 days before we received our first charge back notice actually. We had a moderate amount of insurance to protect against this sort of thing, but only the kind that pursues a fraudsters, which is considered adequate, or was considered adequate. Not just that but we also created our own automated voice verification system, where when someone entered their telephone number and used a credit card, they were automatically called and had to say "I agree" and press 1. If they didn't make the charge they were to press 0 to end the call and terminate the transaction (before they were billed).
As you would guess, out of all of these preventive measures, we were hit with an ungodly amount of chargebacks that crippled the growth of the company. Naturally, we had completely shut down the web hosting end of the company, and stayed strictly in the network contacting end of the business.
Now that we are starting back up, the only thing that can be purchased or bought will take a 3 day process of someone faxing their cardholders agreement signed to us with a valid copy of their identification. That is the only way I can figure to minimize the charge backs really. But lets get real, not many people will pick a company that does that because its not an easy purchase method; secure, but rigerous. Therefor we will be relying heavily on those clients to beta test and to market to those clients by means of ads (non-email related marketing). We have never resorted to spam, and never will.
We had tons of revenue and even had the fast 50 interview us, 30 days before we received our first charge back notice actually. We had a moderate amount of insurance to protect against this sort of thing, but only the kind that pursues a fraudsters, which is considered adequate, or was considered adequate. Not just that but we also created our own automated voice verification system, where when someone entered their telephone number and used a credit card, they were automatically called and had to say "I agree" and press 1. If they didn't make the charge they were to press 0 to end the call and terminate the transaction (before they were billed).
As you would guess, out of all of these preventive measures, we were hit with an ungodly amount of chargebacks that crippled the growth of the company. Naturally, we had completely shut down the web hosting end of the company, and stayed strictly in the network contacting end of the business.
Now that we are starting back up, the only thing that can be purchased or bought will take a 3 day process of someone faxing their cardholders agreement signed to us with a valid copy of their identification. That is the only way I can figure to minimize the charge backs really. But lets get real, not many people will pick a company that does that because its not an easy purchase method; secure, but rigerous. Therefor we will be relying heavily on those clients to beta test and to market to those clients by means of ads (non-email related marketing). We have never resorted to spam, and never will.
Dave Hivelocity QC
I can give you some great tips on how to combat the fraud, you're on the right track by getting verification of each client, PM or IM me on aim parishdm or MSN dave@hivelocity.net and I'll give you some more advise on the topic, I think I have it down to a pretty good science now. If not then I applaud your efforts on your misfortune not getting the better of you. I can also sell you some affordable dedicated servers 
Mike-FRandT
Thank you very much Dave.
At the moment we are just hosting stuff to test out our software for our clients =). If someone wants real web hosting, if they pass though our hoops then we will give it to them, but we do not have a site that just allows someone to purchase hosting for us.
At the moment our client base for this software, locally, is substantial profit to keep us alive, so I'm not the one to want to risk opening that back up =).
At the moment we are just hosting stuff to test out our software for our clients =). If someone wants real web hosting, if they pass though our hoops then we will give it to them, but we do not have a site that just allows someone to purchase hosting for us.
At the moment our client base for this software, locally, is substantial profit to keep us alive, so I'm not the one to want to risk opening that back up =).