Parallels, a global leader in hosting and cloud services
enablement and desktop virtualization, today officially launched Parallels
Plesk Panel 11, the newest version of its market-leading hosting control
panel software. The over 80 improvements in Parallels Plesk Panel 11 are based
on customer feedback and Parallels' vision for the hosting and cloud industries.
New features include the latest Web technologies and faster performance in
dedicated and virtualized environments, the addition of enhanced Web presence
tools, and free priority support for hosters who select the premium Plesk
Unlimited dedicated license.
"Parallels remains laser-focused on helping smaller and growing Web hosters
and Web site designers drive more revenue and expand their businesses," said
Birger Steen, CEO of Parallels. "Parallels Plesk Panel 11 joins our unmatched
investments in helping these players succeed and grow, including valuable
expertise, best practices, marketing tools and other go-to-market resources that
are available to our partners, including those who join our new Member level at
Parallels PartnerNet."
"Parallels Plesk Panel 11 combines powerful functionality with an easy-to-use
interface. Our customers are going to be amazed by how quickly they can create
and manage professional-looking Web sites," said Colin Smith, Managing Director
at Simply Mail Solutions.
Parallels Plesk Panel 11 has enhancements in key feature areas to help
hosters and Web designers to simplify their business operations, lower their
costs and drive more revenue. These features include:
Better Server Performance with NGINX -- Linux users can now reduce their CPU
and memory usage by up to 50%, through the use of the NGINX server in Parallels
Plesk Panel 11. The NGINX server is installed and configured automatically in
Parallels Plesk Panel 11, and accelerates Web site access and application
response times beyond what is available in default Apache Web servers.
New Parallels Web Presence Builder -- Parallels Plesk Panel 11 includes the
new Parallels Web Presence Builder, an intuitive Web site building tool for
small businesses and novice users. It allows Web hosters to provide
industry-competitive self-service design tools for their SMB customers.
Parallels Web Presence Builder includes drag-and-drop modules that let users
easily customize their Web site content, and automatically update their Facebook
pages to mirror the content, look, and feel of their Web site. For Web
designers, Parallels Web Presence Builder can also be sold as an entry-level Web
site building tool, which can later be leveraged to upsell customers to more
advanced, custom site designs.
New Free Support Options -- Parallels is introducing the most comprehensive
selection of support options in the hosting panel industry, focused on the
specific needs of hosters and Web designers who rely on Parallels Plesk Panel to
run their online businesses.
- Customers with business-critical needs who purchase an Unlimited dedicated
Plesk SKU license will now receive free support by e-mail.
- Customers who purchase Unlimited dedicated Plesk SKU with Parallels Plesk
Power Pack will receive free premium support (via e-mail, phone, Skype, or live
chat).
Improved Web Site Experiences for Mobile Users -- Since 50% of all Internet
traffic is currently estimated to originate from mobile devices, site owners
need a solution to leverage their existing Web sites for a better mobile
experience. Through a partnership with Unity Mobile, Parallels Plesk Panel users
can now take existing Web sites and render them for optimized viewing and
browsing from any mobile device. Further, the included NGINX Web server in
Parallels Plesk Panel functions as a proxy server for slow connections -- such
as 3G -- to speed Web site delivery to mobile devices.
Improved Security -- Parallels Plesk Panel 11 provides enhanced server
security and proactively helps avoid potential vulnerabilities. Password storage
and encryption is now unified. Server Administrators can enforce minimum
password strength levels. Security updates are now highly visible and easier to
apply in Parallels Plesk Panel 11.
"As you evaluate and consider adopting the new Parallels Plesk Panel 11
release, the most important thing I'd like existing and prospective customers to
understand is that Parallels listened," said Craig Bartholomew, Vice President
Panel Products, Parallels, in his open letter to customers. "We have heard you
loud and clear that you want us to focus on the fundamentals: Web server
performance, security and support. You also wanted us to stay consistent in our
product offerings -- making it easy to upgrade, easy to learn and easy to train
others on, and fast for getting core tasks done in the user interface. Parallels
Plesk Panel 11 delivers on all of those things and more."
Many of the new features and enhancements in Parallels Plesk Panel 11 focus
on innovation and support for the newest Web technologies:
- Support for the latest operating systems, including openSUSE 12.1, Ubuntu
12.04, and Debian 6, which is the most popular Linux distribution for Web
servers
- Full support for IPv6, either standalone or "dual stack," which allows Web
sites to run on IPv4 and IPv6 interfaces simultaneously
- Parallels Plesk Panel 11 also works across both the Linux and Windows
Server platforms so that the same experience can be delivered to all customers
- Support for Microsoft's WebMatrix Web development tool, making it simple
for novices and pros alike to use this popular software
- The Parallels Plesk Panel 11 user interface is now customizable, and can
be simplified or extended based on the needs and the technical responsibilities
of the user
- Hosted application support is included through the use of the Application
Packaging Standard (APS) v1.2. APS packaged applications can now be easily
deployed on Parallels Plesk Panel servers (see http://www.apsstandard.org for
more information) -- including applications using the DNS, PHP, Apache, and OS
aspects of APS
- A new Software Development Kit (SDK) is provided to create Parallels Plesk
Panel extensions in both Linux and Windows Server, allowing ISVs and Web
developers to customize and extend the functionality of Parallels Plesk Panel 11