Above: Marita and Gary Meadows
Author: Lois Summers
He's been a softball champion, an army corporal, a network administrator, and an ISP provider. Now a web hosting pioneer in Australia and co-owner of Aussie Hosts, Gary Meadows has changed the Australian web hosting landscape and set an example for newcomers to the industry.
Gary's IT career began when he completed a course in Basic Programming at the Western Australian College of Advanced Education — at the age of 10. He later worked in various IT-related fields for several years. When he was 21, he enlisted in the Australian army for "a change," where he eventually found himself back in system administration.
A rugby-related volleyball injury ended Gary's seven-year military career in 1998. He and his wife Marita then started a company in Brisbane, Australia, offering dial-up access, web design, and web hosting.
"Over time," he tells us, "the web hosting took over, and that's where we focused our attention." Aussie Hosts was born.
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Aussie Hosts overview
Aussie Hosts offers a range of plans featuring Linux servers, Plesk control panels, and outstanding support. They have servers in both the US and
Australia. Their services:
- Shared web hosting
- Reseller hosting (currently only Australian-based for new clients; US-based reseller hosting for new clients is expected to be re-introduced in late 2005)
- Fully managed virtual private servers
- Fully managed dedicated servers (Australian-based only)
- SSL certificates
- Domain names
Aussie Hosts and Enhanced Host: the past and the present
The first company servers were located in Australia. In 2000, Aussie Hosts moved to US-based hosting. "Local bandwidth was expensive," Gary explains, "and website owners were looking to the US for more cost-effective services." He and Marita established the Enhanced Host name in 2001 to brand their US-based services with a name that didn't suggest that the servers were in Australia.
In 2003, after going from servers in Australia to servers in the US, they re-assessed the market and brought back Australian-based services while continuing to offer their US services. Their aim was "to provide a more cost-effective solution than what was generally available here in Australia at the time." Prices for full hosting services in Australia had never been as low, and a drop in other hosts' Australian-based hosting prices followed. Aussie Hosts, meanwhile, continued to provide the top-notch support they're famous for.
Website owners approved — Aussie Hosts has been voted the Number 1 Top Buy in Web Hosting by Australian PC User.
Gary describes the Aussie Hosts approach:
Our focus has always been to earn the trust and respect of our clients. We built up a large client base early, and that allows us to concentrate on after-sales service by working with our clients to make sure that their needs are taken care of. Most of our original clients are still with us, and some who left have subsequently returned, because we have demonstrated our commitment to our responsibilities. It's not hard to do. In fact, it's probably easier and requires less effort to remain focused and attentive to your clients' requirements.
How do you measure success? Financial gains are one way, and "our bottom line is high enough to sustain commitments and growth." Client numbers also speak — Aussie Hosts has over 3500 clients in 25 countries, and they host more than 10,000 domains on 29 servers in the US and Australia.
Reputation is another assessment tool. Aussie Hosts is well respected within the web hosting industry by their clients and peers alike.
Gary gives us his perspective on success. "You need to be happy with the way that you've been treated and the way that you have treated others. On that score, we have done well. We can look at the fruits of our labour and hold our heads high, knowing that the success we are enjoying has been achieved honestly and professionally."
Future directions for Aussie Hosts
After being a home-based business since 2000, Aussie Hosts is moving into a bricks-and-mortar office in George Town, Tasmania. "There are benefits to running a home-based business," Gary says, "but we're forming some good working relationships with a number of businesses in our local area, and our new premises will allow us to deal with business matters on a more professional level."
Gary and Marita are also investigating some retail lines that will complement the local market, and they're starting up an Internet café. The office and Internet café are scheduled to open in April 2005.
A new addition to the Aussie Hosts line of services is virtual private servers. Because of the massive interest in Aussie Hosts' local VPS service, Gary anticipates that "the launch of our Australian-based VPS servers is going to keep us busy for the first half of this year." Aussie Hosts began offering US-based virtual private servers in January 2005, and they're gearing up to introduce Australian-based VPS services in March.
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