What Are You Going To Do With That Website?

Well, there certainly have been a lot of changes since we built our first website. We started by using a company called Webcom.com out of Santa Cruz California. We were very pleased with their service until NTT’s Verio bought out their business and let the business go dormant in 1999. We switched to a company called Pair Networks out of Pennsylvania. We were pretty happy with their service but found them expensive, their control panel a bit hard to understand if you weren’t a Unix guy, and nickeling and diming you for various services (a dollar for a domain, $12 to set up, etc.).
About this time, the masses of hosting companies had come online. We were impressed with Hostmysite.com. They had 24 hour telephone support (you had to pay $24.95 a month with Pair just to get 8AM-5PM EST). They even helped us get Japanese webmail working. We were very impressed, until we decided to take our servers in internally. It took weeks to get a refund for the remaining months for the 2 years that they made us pay for to get the best monthly price. It seemed their president had to approve refunding money for services they would not provide. Their quick answering operators started blowing us off when it came time to return our account balance.

Bringing our servers into our own network (at our headquarters office) was brilliant. No more shared services with hundreds of other users. Mail popped into the inbox from engineers onsite and even from customers. We noticed major changes in performance.

For our non-profit organization (NPO) we continued to host our sites. We were disappointed with Hostmysite so we went back to Pair Networks. We concluded that Pair was better as inspite of their lack of telephone support, their team knew better how to service the customers. Hostmysite seem more intent on answering the phone, even if they didn’t know what to say after the initial ‘hello’.

In the process of running the NPO website into the upgrade stage, we discovered some great things. Commonly known as Web 2.0, websites had gone from the HTML, Dreamweaver (ouch!) editor type of work to content management systems (CMS). We no longer had to fiddle around with HTML tables, graphics going out of wack, and pain every time you wanted to upgrade the site. We discovered CMS was a software that runs on the web-server can help you focus more on content and less on coding webpages. Our first experience was with Expression Engine (EE). We had our site template built by a great designer in Australia, then we began to focus on filling in the details (events calendar, blog, audios, etc.).

Before we got the site live we had to decide on whether to keep using Pair or try another service. We took the leap and decided to use Bluehost with our designer. What a great decision! Rather than using a proprietary hosting service, we found that they used Cpanel and open source control panel for setting up databases, creating email accounts, and probably most convenient is the Fantatisco feature. Fantatisco is a feature in Control panel that allows you to install

Content management Systems
Web Logging (Blog) Software
Mailing List Software
Helpdesk Ticketing software
Online Guestbooks
Online Photo Albums

Many other open source applications are available. The keywords these days are MYSQL and PHP. They are musts for running the Web 2.0 software on your web server.

In a nutshell, we are really happy with Bluehost. Their interface is really more useful than any other hosts. They don’t really try to nickel and dime you as the other companies tend to do. Their control does seem a little bit stitched together, but it works very well. My only concern was to hear that they have 800 users on each server. But frankly, you don’t feel there is anyone else on that box.

It is amazing how you can just install WordPress or whatever application via the control panel. It is just a few clicks before you have your own blog, website, or online photo gallery.

If you are looking for a webhost, look for someone who has Cpanel, Fantasico and a lot of good standard web applications that will make your website more complimentary to your content.

We have heard that www.dreamhost.com and www.liquidweb.com are good but have no experience with them. Any recommendations on good web hosting companies? Please leave a comment if you like as a lot of people are looking reading up on hosting companies.

There are so many choices out there, so feedback on good hosts would be helpful.

In Japan, we have found that there are a lot of choices for broadband internet connections.  Softbank brought all the pricing down by their now famous (and much copied) sales campaign.  They branded the service Yahoo BB (BB for broadband).  They had young part timers with DSL modems in a shopping bag on what seemed like every corner, telling people to take home a modem and plug it in.  The big point was the usage was free for two-months.  They got a lot of market share and shocked the incumbent carrier NTT.  Not only did NTT have to cut their pricing, but they also had to try to be a little creative as all this business was going to a competitor.  That competitor is now trying to do a similar thing in the Japanese wireless arena.  Unfortunately, they are using deceptive advertising that says one thing and delivers much less.

 

For AINEO, we have really been happy with NTT’s BFlets service.  It delivers a FTTH (Fiber to the Home) connection to the facility with a top speed of 100 mbps.  When it is installed you actually see about 65 mbps.  With this type of throughput Japan has currently got the best broadband in the world.  With no IP address, the service included an ISP is about \7,000/month.  In the US, we understand Americans tend to pay about $50/month for 1-3 mbps.  I think the actual Japanese FTTH service delivers 30-50 mbps once you put it through a router.  The service is provided by NTT and the ISP can be any company that provides PPPoE.  We found Asahi Net had the best pricing, although even after cancelling the service we continued to have charges on our credit card for six (6) months.

 

This fiber optic service is fast and cost-effective.  Many of the DSL subscribers have moved to the FTTH.  AINEO has built a lot of offices with this fiber optic internet access.  Why would you put in a dedicated service that costs \200,000 to \300,000/month, when you can get set up a VPN through a faster, cheaper, and just as reliable service?  The ‘just as reliable’ point there is where we loose a few people. It is a ‘best effort’ service so there are no service level agreements saying that you will get 100 mbps.  We have had one AINEO datacenter on this service for about 3 years now, and have had no problems with it.

 

Of course, no one wants to put all of their eggs in one basket.  We actually recommend against using NTT’s Bflets along with their OCN ISP service.  Four of AINEO’s client sites lost interest access in 2004 when NTT’s OCN service went down.  All of our Tokyo sites were fine, so it took about an hour to figure out that the service outage was OCN not the actual fiber.  Another great option is through the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).  They have taken advantage of their electrical cable access and implemented fiber optic-based internet access as well.  I would seriously consider using TEPCO as their service is probably less-crowded. The only issue might be they could have long delivery times.

 

We were recently impressed by their TEPCO Cable Television service.  Instead of coming in through fiber, they come in via coaxial cable.  They have sales people that actually came to our house to sign us up.  We terminated our NTT phone number and got an IP phone number (050-XXXX-XXXX).  The number is \700/month and has \8/minute international calling to the US.  They were very helpful.  For someone who is new to the internet, it is very easy to use.  You just plug your hub/router to their modem and start using it.  (With PPPoE, you have to mess with logins and passwords to a line that is installed to your house).  The call center representatives were very courteous and helpful.

 

We highly recommend TEPCO Cable TV Internet access to the home users.  For the office, Fiber from NTT and TEPCO give you the best throughput in the world, right here in Japan.

 

© 2006 AINEO Corporation, Patrick Wolfe

Over the last 15 years the AINEO team has had the opportunity to use various mobile phones in Japan. We have tested them in Tokyo and all around Japan. We have used Willcom, Softbank (Formerly J-phone/Vodafone), NTT Docomo, Tsuka and AU (owned by KDDI Corporation).

NTT Docomo has been by far was the leader for reception nationwide. AU has closed the gap on coverage. Whether you are in a hotel, subway or the back end of a little restaurant somewhere you can expect good reception from these two carriers usually. There are sometimes exceptions. Docomo is the most expensive to use and cuts the users off frequently with its poor reception. Years ago with our first Docomo, the shops told us that it was the telephone terminal that was having trouble if we took it took the shop for too many dropped calls. After switching the unit once or twice, it became clear that it was the network that was the problem.

As NTT Docomo is a part of the NTT group, many Japanese have considered it to be a ‘safe’ bet for service as NTT is the incumbent carrier for Japan and therefore has the largest amount of infrastructure as a telco. They were able to amass users numbering in at about 50 million people. However, the ability to receive a call doesn’t mean that you can continue the call without a drop. We found that the service

-drops constantly

-network is overcrowded

-voice quality is poor

-customer service is poor

Softbank Mobile definitely has the best roaming service. We joke that their service works better outside Japan than it does in Japan. Their reception is not that great, and their customer service team is poorly trained. We found at Golf Courses and other offsite locations around Tokyo, Kyushu, and Shikoku, AU and Docomo reception was fine but Softbank was usually sketchy.

Probably, the rising star for mobile in Japan is Willcom. Willcom was originally DDI Pocket until a large percentage of shares were sold off to some international investors (the Carlise Group from the US). They have introduced a \2,900 monthly plan that includes unlimited email and calls to other email users. They lowered the rates for calls from Willcom to other mobile phones and recently introduced reasonably priced international direct dial (international calling) that is very competitive with even calling card companies and IP phone services. They have been continuously picking up new subscribers as they have been the first carrier to successfully introduce a Windows mobile device. The Sharp Zero3 (Zero Three) and Zero3ES (otherwise known as the ES) have been in high demand with major retailers like Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera selling 30-40 sets a day.

Willcom has become a second phone for a lot of people. A lot of Japanese youth, business people, and even students are using these phones for their mail and calling and chatting with each other. Many of AINEO’s airlines customers and internal project managers and engineers are using Willcom sets. Willcom has got great quality, very reasonable pricing and excellent customer service. Their main weakness is that outside of Tokyo, or more specifically, out in the countryside they have little to know reception. So if you have any staff that will need to close deals from a rice paddy then Willcom may not be the best choice. It works fine throughout Japan and within all the cities we traveled we had no problem.

With number portability introduced on 24 October, we planned to acquire one HTC windows mobile device. The advertising said that the unit was \0 to sign up. The fine print said it as a two year contract with an approximately \2500 penalty for uncompleted months in the first two years. However after waiting 25 minutes, the CSR (customer service representative) told us that indeed it would be an additional \690 yen/month for the phone. In the US, we call this deceptive advertising. Most people off the street would call it a lie. After listening to 10 minutes of explanation, it was clear that they plan to make their money on add-on services and bait and switch tactics.

So what is the right phone for me? Our recommendation is AU for those who want to be able to receive calls in the mountains or the middle of the golf course. However, if your mobile phone is for doing business then Willcom is the best choice. Unfortunately, they do not have English on their voicemail system so that could be a challenge if you are out of range and receive calls from abroad. Also, we have found that Willcom reception can occasionally be sketchy in very high buildings that have did not install mobile phone repeaters or if you are in the core of the building.

For traveling, Softbank Mobile seems to be the best option price-wise. In Australia, it was \80/minute to receive calls with Softbank and \120/minute to receive calls on AU. We have not tested Docomo internationally but all of their pricing has tended to be on the high end with services on the low end. One AINEO customer, complained that Softbank limits the amount of calls you can make when traveling abroad to \20,000 yen/month. It was frustrating for the service to stop working in the midst of a business trip in Asia and Europe.

With mobile number portability (MNP) now available in Japan, we predicted an exodus from Softbank, and especially Softbank to AU. However, Softbank has put up a good fight by introducing the best selection (to date) of new terminals, and what seems to be cheaper running costs on the monthly subscription fee. Although, AU has not kicked up the dust to draw attention to themselves that Softbank has, they have certainly played on their 3-4 consecutive years of winning J.D. Powers awards for satisfied customers. They certainly deserve the awards. As of today 31 October, AU is leading the churn wars for Japan with 100,000 new subscribers who have migrated from other companies.

Our call on the best mobile phone for Japan is if you must have a high-powered mobile phone then AU is the choice. For international roaming, Softbank Mobile has got the best pricing but is not that great outside of the major cities in Japan much like Willcom. However, if you want the perfect phone for business, then Willcom is probably the phone you want would want to arm your Japanese sales teams with. It is cost effective, reliable, and has got the customer service team to back it up. Their line-up of Windows mobile devices also makes a mobile sales person (commonly known as the road warrior) more mobile.

Let us know if you have any questions.

© 2006 AINEO Corporation, Patrick Wolfe

When choosing the right computer there are many things to think about; is it for work, games, desktop publishing, organizing your personal life? There are many variables that picking the right computer much like putting together a puzzle.　　Before you take anyone’s on opinion or comments, it is advantageous to understand their background. Most people see things through filters.

For example, the President of the United States may be doing a great job, however if the media doesn’t like him then they will spew forth anything and everything negative about him to work to discredit him. Those constant negative attacks through the media can eventually hurt that President’s reputation with people that trust or believe what they are told. Bad news sells evidently. Our natures should be positive and supportive of people trying to do their job. We should not be afraid to speak our mind, rather than another negative voice in the world. We should offer an alternative idea and be a positive force not a negative voice.

This writer runs the Tokyo, Japan branch of a major information technology (IT) systems support firm. Our firm stays very busy helping people (our great customers) use computers to support and grow their businesses. The vast majority of those computer environments run on Microsoft products. Microsoft servers, Microsoft personal computers running Windows, Microsoft databases; the list goes on and on. We know Microsoft products like no other. Microsoft keeps us busy but AINEO’s strength is we believe all busy should be win-win. We are not afraid to give advice in the best interest of our friends, who are usually our customers.

If you are looking for a computer to

-search the web

-do your email

-organize your music and videos

-edit video

-build a website

-organize edit, publish pictures and slideshows

-and so forth

Then Apple Computer’s Macintosh built on OSX (pronounced OS ten) is for you. Version nine of Apple’s operating system was not interesting to AINEO at all. But with the introduction of OSX, we have seen the advent of the best operating system on the market. What makes it so good? This can be very easily summarized in two points

- It is extremely stable.

It is based on Free BSD UNIX kernel. What does that mean to the end user? Let me give and example. I purchased a Powerbook three years ago at the same time I purchased and IBM Thinkpad. The Powerbook is based on Apple’s OSX operating system. The Thinkpad is based on Microsoft’s Window XP system. With use the Windows registry fills up with various files. It starts slowing down, hanging, and things just not working right. The best fix for Window XP is to rebuild the machine (get a fresh install from scratch). In terms of time that means about 5-7 hours of work reinstalling the OS, the applications, and your profile. Painful! I the In the three years since of use of both machines. We have had to reinstall Windows XP five times. Conservatively speaking that is 25 hours of time. We have yet to do anything with the Mac and we have used it more.

- User Friendly

Coming from a Windows environment of users, the Mac is a bit of a shock. Everything is so simple and logical. Three years ago when I pulled the Powerbook out of the box, I remember the struggle trying to figure out how to add my email and how to see things. I figured out that if I pressed the plus at the bottom of the box of email accounts, I could add an account. It took me 30 minutes, as I was so used to the so-called wizards from Microsoft that help you set up accounts. The windows way was so much more complicated than the OSX logic. Once I figured out not to make it too difficult, things became a breeze. Clicking on the right pointing triangle would show you the details within the account.

There are so many things I could tell you about Apple’s Mac versus Windows and even items like LINUX. However, the best thing is buy a Mac for yourself and check them out. The Mac Mini is a great little entry level box for 50,000 yen (about $500 USD) that can give you a feel for the system. Of course, not everything is perfect with the Mac. We did have the speakers in the Powerbook fail. We had purchased Apple Care (a three year extended warrantee for parts, service, and advice). Fortunately, the speakers were replaced due to that warrantee. Also there is is an abundance of software written for Windows. So Apple users can sometimes be limited.

If you are living in a large city (such as Tokyo) the Mac notebook computers are monsters to lug around. This is when you want to think about a nice lightweight Panasonic PC. At 900 grams Apple is not a good choice for a road warrior doing email and such on the fly. For that matter, that is what Blackberries are for.

In closing, for the home user or someone not corporately tied to Windows, the Mac is an option you don’t want to pass up. If you have any questions about what computers might be right for your office environment, give us a call. The elite team of AINEO experts would be happy to find out what you do and give you the best advice for your needs.

© 2006 Patrick Wolfe- AINEO Corporation

Years ago, the first users of email could have never imagined that software threats could reach them through amber-colored characters of the black and white dumb terminals sitting on their desks. I remember being amazed when a customer asked me what my email address was when I was working at a large American Telco. I was surprised that someone outside of what I thought as an internal corporate mail system could actually send me a message.

These days we can get music, pictures, links to information on the internet, documents of various types, and even videos through our email accounts. But just like anything, it seems there is always someone looking to twist something good into something else for personal gain or some sort. The first computer viruses started coming out in the 1980s as people with some software programming skills wrote software applications that would attack their prey in an effort to take down the system or delete data.

As time has passed, these attacks have become more complex and more harmful. Operating systems (Ie. Windows)can be rendered inoperable, files can be deleted, self-propagating virus applications can infect machines and send their payload to our contact lists, false fronts to our bank accounts, wicked websites can install software on our or on-line payment systems can steal our account information and eventually money; the list goes on and on with time. What can we do to protect ourselves by protecting our computers?

1) Turn on that firewall. With Window XP, a software firewall feature is built in standard. Go to the control panel and enable the firewall application. A firewall in technology works like a firewall in buildings; it keeps the nasty things outside and protects those on the inside. A technology firewall keeps people from attacking your computer through the internet once you have connected it.

2) Keep you computer up-to-date- Whether your running Windows or Apple Computer’s OS X (X is pronounced ‘ten’) you should be updating your OS (operating system) at least once a week. Both Microsoft and Apple OS’ provide an automatic setting for updates in Windows XP and OSX. We recommend that you set it to check daily.

3) Install Virus protection software. This is a must for anyone who connects to the internet or receives files in any way (Ie. Via CDs, USB Memory sticks, or even the floppy disks of yesteryear. The most popular software is Norton Antivirus by Symantec. We tested several applications and have found it to be better than Mcafee and most of the other options in that the definitions files are updated frequently and it seems to get viruses that Mcafee misses. There are also free options like AVG software for PC users. It inserts a ‘scanned by…’ note at the end of every email which might be an irritation to some users. For OSX, there really isn’t a good anti-virus application. But then again, most OSX users don’t use them. This is the area to watch as someone may write a virus software to attack Mac in the coming months and pop the Mac user’s sense of security bubble.

4) Run your login to your computer as a ‘limited user’, not as an administrator. In Windows, the administrator can install whatever they want whenever they want. This combined with websites that try to install software when you open them in your web browser is trouble. Most likely, your computer will be infected with Spyware (software that tracks your actions) or worse yet, key stroke logging software. This software logs every keystroke that you make and sends it back to another computer for thieves to get into your bank accounts, payment systems, or online shopping profiles. This is not an issue for an OSX user. But passwords are for a purpose, if you have a hard time remembering your passwords then we recommend that you get an application like Passwords Plus to help you keep track of all account information.

5) Beware of public computers! Although, Internet Caf?s and other computers that are accessible to the masses are convenient they are also extremely dangerous. It is very possible that whatever you type (ie. Logins and passwords, access to your accounts) will become available to someone else.

6) Install Microsoft’s Windows Defender to protect your computer from spyware. This is the best tool on the market and its free. Windows Defender deletes spyware and allows you to authorize what software runs on your machine while you are using it.

Overall, Apple’s OSX provides a more stable, secure, and user-friendly computer. However, 90% of the world is on Windows from Microsoft so there are fewer software titles to compare with the vast Windows library. If you need a computer mainly for personal use; email, music, pictures, browsing the web. Then Apple to the way to go. For those who are connecting back to a corporate network through a VPN(Virtual Private Network) it would be probably wise to go with a Windows machine at this point.

If you are reading AINEO Insights and are not sure about your organization’s network, please contact AINEO Networks at
http://www.aineo.net/contact.html

Keep watching AINEO Insights for more valuable points to make sense of technology.

© 2006 AINEO Corporation
Written by Patrick Wolfe
Contributions by AINEO Technical Support