| HT interviste
| Interviste ai ProviderAIHSP: Association of Internet and Hosting Providers
di Stefano Bellasio
Paul Hirsch, chairman of the new association, says clearly, webhosting's industry is young, very young, but more than any other needs a body that can be a help and at the same time a guide for companies and for customers: businesses of this industry have size and characteristics very different between them, but as Paul explains, compared to other industries can not work in synergy with one another in a sort of hierarchy in which the small resellers find its own market just as data center operator or provider specialized in the management of dedicated servers, variuos requests that Paul sees as a very good element for this industry.
HostingTalk.it told with Paul about the need for the hosting industry as AIHSP, about benefits for companies and customers and also about how AIHSP will handle "ethics" in a market with different levels of service where good business practices could be helpful for all. AIHSP will be a worldwide association and organization, we think this is a very good deal and we hope that this interview can be a first step to know AIHSP in Italy and in Europe.
Information about AIHSP, membership and volunteers can be found at www.aihsp.org and www.aihsp.org/yes
Italian version of interview is here.
Hi Paul and thank you for this interview. Well, can you tell us what is the idea behind "AIHSP" and who are people that are developing it?
AIHSP was formed to fill a number of voids within Web hosting and related fields. There is virtually no representation for Web hosts, vendors, media and consultants who's interests lay within this industry. Smaller businesses have very limited access to benefits (medical and retirement), insurance and professional service providers such as accountants and
lawyers. Larger businesses lack crisis communication channels, access to volumes of research and marketing data, and they face fraud-related issues on a large scale which disrupt business in a costly manner. The industry as a whole lacks adequate political representation and a public face, a unified voice to connect to the public through mainstream media. It also lacks the means to define and recognize credibility within the professional hosts and vendors who serve the industry, credibility of business practices and credibility of technical skillsets.
We are creating an association that will allow the industry to leverage its collective buying power, decide how much self-governing it needs (before governments decide this) and will allow its members and the public to transact business with a higher degree of confidence. In-and-amongst these broad goals are a number of resources available to members, such as an "intelligent" business directory, technical certification for skills that are currently unmeasured and an employment portal tied to that certification.
All of these ideas came from people within the industry. Three of us, Dan Garon, Michael Yablonowitz and I are primarily responsible for gettingthings started, but everything we're pursuing was identified during interviews with a diverse cross-section of businesses and individuals. For example, crisis communication and research came directly from a couple large hosting companies we interviewed. The notion of technical certification and business standardization came from a smaller software vendor who sells software to Web hosts. Access to benefits and professional services was echoed by a number of Web hosts and consultants/sole proprietors who we interviewed. Our goals were validated long before we began to pursue them. Best of all, the flexible nature of the organization allows us to reprioritize, subtract and add items of
importance as needed. AIHSP is just as much about tomorrow as it is about today.
The idea of an association for hosting provider it's not new, has been attempted in the past few times, why could be the right time?
There are three fundamental ways in which AIHSP differs from past attempts. First, previous models used an inside-out approach. This means a small number of people on the inside put efforts into determining what would benefit the entire industry and tried in vain to sell the industry on their ideas. Not only did previous goals not necessarily reflect the needs of the industry accurately enough, people in the industry were asked to validate a small group as representatives of the industry as a whole. That's a lot to ask of the industry.
Our model is completely opposite. We made it possible for people in the industry to tell us their priorities, so AIHSP's goals would be truly representative of the most important needs of the industry. Also, we've maintained the position that this association MUST be run by people within the industry, not by a small self-appointed representative group. The
volunteers who contribute to the formation and growth of AIHSP do so with the understanding that first and foremost they are acting in the interests of the entire industry. You can get a lot accomplished when you leave your ego at home.
Second, we've actively sought to balance the needs of a very diverse group of people within the industry, hosts of ALL sizes, vendors of ALL sizes who work with hosts, media and consultants. One of the major downfalls of previous attempts was not having buy-in from significant segments of the industry. We're being as proactive as possible to make it clear this is important for everyone, from the small independent consultants to the largest, most dominant companies in the world.
Third, this initiative takes a substantial amount of energy and an emotional investment I'm not convinced has been present in past attempts. By harnessing the collaborative spirit of many industry professionals, we're making it easier for people to contribute to this initiative without burning themselves out. The principle three founders are best
characterized as very dedicated volunteers, and every contribution made by a volunteer is valued, regardless of size or perceived importance.
Why Hosting industry need an association and what kind of assistance can give to hosting provider and customers?
Simply put, this is one of the few industries of its size that does not have a centralized body and voice to represent it. Professional and individual growth through the pursuit of mutually beneficial goals cannot take place without a strong foundation, and this foundation is needed today more than ever. AIHSP is that foundation, and we encourage anyone
who believes in this cause as we do to join our efforts.
Ok Paul, tell me how "mix" big hosting providers with small hosting providers: with an example how to mix a big company like The Planet, SoftLayer or others with small resellers hosting or local companies?
Many, if not most, large companies and small companies have complementary interests. They tend to supply each other. Data centers supply rack space to dedicated providers, who in turn sell servers to small hosting companies, who might sell server resources to resellers, etc. It is quite rare that a business in this industry only works directly with consumers.
Even businesses that only engage other businesses on an affiliate level influence and supply other professionals in some manner. If businesses stopped working with each other in this industry, there would be no industry. AIHSP recognizes these synergies, and its services encourage and enhance them. This isn't to say a business is any less welcome or
will not find value in AIHSP if it does not collaborate with others in the industry. But we recognize our industry is substantially more cooperative than most other professional industries. That is simply how things are!
Will be association fees?
Regarding fees, yes, there will be association fees. There must be, as is the case with any Chamber-of-Commerce type organization. The fee structure has not been determined yet. Indeed, we've held off on discussing this, waiting for a larger number of volunteers to participate in dues structuring discussions. We'll know soon what sorts of funding will be necessary to sustain this organization - this research is underway. Together, we'll figure out how to collect the necessary funding through membership in a fair manner.
Legal resources: why this point will so important for industry?
On an individual company/consultant level, legal resources are an everyday part of the business world. Many small businesses and individuals do not have adequate access to qualified legal professionals, mostly due to cost. AIHSP can help mitigate costs by negotiating on a scale larger than any individual or single business. On a large scale, we have a stake in legislation, and we must be proactive in addressing our concerns. In the U.S., the item of greatest concern to many hosts and vendors seems to be Net neutrality. This is a high-profile item, but there are other legal concerns, such as DMCA laws, patent laws and antitrust legislation. These are issues with global implications, and right now Web hosts have no voice in matters that can and will directly affect us. Many large-scale issues will greatly concern larger businesses. Those businesses may have legal means to represent their own interests, but they are unable to speak for
the industry as a whole in the way an association can and should.
When two weeks ago i posted on our blog about AIHSP and told about overselling, or in any case, the big differences in hosting industry, you said that it's not a problem for AIHSP, well i want to ask how you will handle ethics in AIHSP? You have already ideas?
To be accurate, I said we've not identified what issues will be addressed yet, and it's unfair to *assume* overselling will be a topic of conversation. It may be, it may not be - we're not there yet.
In the U.S., we have an organization called the Better Busines Bureau. This is a non-profit organization that investigates companies who have been reported to them, and renders opinions and decisions regarding those business' practices. They have standards businesses must meet in order to be in "good standing," and the outcome of complaints affects that status. I see the ethic committee and business standards being similar in structure. By representing ourselves in this capacity, we bring much-needed industry knowledge to the table when deciding on those standards and mediating issues raised about individual businesses and people.
AIHSP will be a worldwide association? European hosting companies (italian hosting companies for us) can became member?
Yes, this is our goal. Right now this is mostly a U.S. effort because most (not all) of the volunteers happen to be from the U.S. The more people who volunteer from outside the U.S. to help AIHSP grow to the point where it's accepting membership, the quicker AIHSP will have a global presence. If you are located in Italy and you agree this initiative is
important, please speak up and show your interest! You may be the catalyst for bringing this important initiative to your country!
Paul, your opinion about hosting industry today, what are the main problems and also what are the trends in technologies and standards?
The main problems I see are those I outlined in the beginning of the interview; there are too many fundamental voids for this industry to function cohesively, to the benefit of all. If you're asking me to predict industry trends, I'd say that's probably a topic that deserves its own article or interview, and I can think of a number of people who would be able to answer this question better than I. We are fortunate to have some of those people on-board with AIHSP.
Perhaps I can refer you to them for a more complete answer.
That being said, the hosting industry is fairly young, and it's difficult to predict with a high degree of accuracy what will be the "next big thing(s)." Maybe green hosting? Maybe niche market and/or enterprise-level SaaS? Maybe cloud computing (which seems rather similar to grid hosting to me)? Could be any, all or none of the above!
How you intend to promote AIHSP? You have already received feedback (at HostingCon 2008 for example)?
The response we received from HostingCon was overwhelming. The number of people who approached us with encouragement and who expressed interest in getting involved was far beyond our expectations. This helped reinforce
our position that what we're doing is important and can have a tremendous positive impact on the hosting industry.
In the future, we are setting aside enough budget to handle marketing efforts. We recognize the need to promote the association within our industry, and we'll look for ways to balance our presence in various media outlets. We anticipate some donated publicity as well; we've already begun receiving this, starting with our booth at HostingCon, donated to us
by Interjuncture Corp., the company who managed the show.
Also, we are counting on AIHSP to be important, interesting and valuable enough that people will want to talk about it, just like we're talking about it with you now. This is part of our balanced marketing strategy, and we appreciate your interest in our efforts!
Paul have you a "deadline" to start up with AIHSP, accepting new memberships and running association?
Right now, we've targeted January 2, 2009 as the day we begin enrolling new members. We have a lot to get done before then, and if we need to be flexible with our dates for the sake of our future members, we're willing to revisit them. We are currently setting launch dates for various services and initiatives within the association. Many will be available the day we begin enrollment. Some will come online during the first year or two the association is active.
The more people who lend their voices to our decision making processes, the more confident we can be in our time goals. We are forming committees and panels now to put our goals into action. We encourage anyone
interested in taking part to express interest here: http://www.aihsp.org/Yes
Last quetions, what instruments of communication (i think you will provider forums, mailing lists or others ) you will provide to members of association on AIHSP's site?
We opened up our forums for general use less than two weeks ago - http://community.aihsp.org . Right now, most discussions are taking place in forums reserved for volunteers and founding members, but the general
audience has a section to participate in public discussions too. People may start their own topics of interest related to the association.
We will be publishing periodic progress updates by email. Expect one or two emails per month, perhaps more frequent emails as we get closer to member enrollment.
Once enrollment is underway, members can expect timely, relevant communications from AIHSP through email, press releases and announcements posted on our Web site.
Paul thank you very much for this interview, i hope that AIHSP can really be a definitive solution for this industry!
Thank you very much Stefano. I wholeheartedly believe AIHSP can make a big difference in a very positive way for Web hosts and anyone with an interest in this industry. I look forward to having the opportunity to share our progress with you in the future.
Interview by Stefano Bellasio for HostingTalk.it
