Press
Michigan's own bitServe celebrates 10 years of service despite struggling economy
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — BitServe, a Michigan based Web hosting and Web design company, announced that despite the tough Michigan economy, they are celebrating their ten year anniversary in the Web hosting industry.
The Web services company has been providing Web hosting since February 1998, making bitServe one of the oldest Web hosting companies still in business. BitServe hosts Web sites for over 500 businesses, some of which have been hosting with bitServe since the Web services company started.
Lisa Mower Gandelot, the director of development at Children's Home of Detroit, said that “bitServe being a local Michigan company influenced our organization's decision to choose them for our Web hosting needs.” Gandelot said that it is a good idea to keep business in Michigan when possible, and she is happy with the decision that was made ten years ago.
Mark Adams, the managing partner of bitServe, started the business in 1997 after researching the complicated process of registering domain names, which are used as Internet Web site and e-mail addresses. Initially, Adams set up his own domain name reservation service and provided e-mail and Web site forwarding for a one time fee. “Not many businesses were on the Web at the time because it was so complicated to get started. We helped businesses reserve a domain name and use it for e-mail until they had a chance to develop something further,” said Adams.
The large number of domain names being managed by bitServe put them in a prime spot to start offering Web hosting services. “Only a few months later, we had hundreds of customers ready to actually start developing a site. The decision to expand services is easy when you have that many customers begging to sign up.” However, some customers required some help getting started. BitServe offered Web development services below cost just to get customers onto the subscription hosting service.
Jason Wright, Adams' business partner, added that competition in the domain registration business had eventually made it easy for the average person to register domain names, forcing bitServe to concentrate on the Web hosting end of things in late 1999.
Wright said that initially there was little competition in the Web hosting industry. Most businesses hosted their sites with their Internet service provider. Getting business was as easy as offering services better than the local ISP and spending an hour a day on search engine placement, so that people could find your site. However, current competition in the web hosting industry has advertisers paying over $15 per click on Google and an average of $100 per lead. “We had to find a niche in the Web hosting market that for us started with a database application that made it easy for independent real estate agents to manage and show their listings online. We still have a strong foot hold in that market.” Wright said that he didn't have any secret solution for businesses trying to find their niche, but that taking a step back and getting creative can go a long way.
“Lately, most of our new customers come as turnover from Web hosts that have outgrown their ability to meet customer expectations,” Adams added. “I think we're the only host still offering prorated refunds. We ensure continued business by exceeding expectations, rather than through contracts.” Adams said that his experience in training the technical support teams of larger organizations has him planning ahead as bitServe grows and he insists that streamlined processes and regular peer-to-peer training are the keys to unlocking efficiency.
Adams said that bitServe's longevity doesn't mean that it's been untouched by the failing economy. “As businesses go under, they no longer need web sites, and many individuals can't afford to pay for personal or family sites any longer.” Adams remains optimistic and said that he's planning ahead with future technologies such as IPv6, and that bitServe's team has skills that are proving valuable as consulting services.
BitServe, an Ann Arbor business providing Web hosting, Web design, and consulting services world wide, has been rolling out many new features to celebrate their ten year anniversary and as part of their promise to keep evolving with the industry to ensure their place in it. Click on bitServe for more information.
On the Net: bitServe: http://www.bitserve.com
Children's Home of Detroit is a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation providing specialized services for children. Contact Lisa Mower Gandelot at (313) 886-0800, ext. 120 for inquiries on making donations.
Interview Contact: Mark Adams (734) 998-1026
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