Blog

Meltdown and Spectre: Intel CPU vulnerabilities response

An update for our customers on Meltdown and Spectre and our response to the Intel CPU vulnerabilities.

Stay smart if Santa's bringing smart home devices

Do your research up front to make sure you and your household don't find a smart home device is making life more difficult.

Highlights of 2017: Key moments from the Tibus blog

2017 has been another big year in tech, another big year in hosting and another big year for the Tibus blog. More of you than ever before have been reading our articles - let's look at some of the key blog posts from the year.

Keeping a close eye on our clients (soon to be available in visual metaphor)

The view from Tibus' new offices includes one of our clients.

What we get out of ISO 27001 (and how it benefits our customers)

ISO 27001 is hard work, but it has benefits for us and our customers. Let's explore some of them...

Photos: First glimpse of Tibus’ new offices in City Quays 2, Belfast

We're moving. Tibus' new offices will be in the City Quays 2 development in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.

Which websites crashed on Black Friday 2017?

Did you experience frustration during your Black Friday online shopping? Here's the lowdown on which websites crashed on Black Friday 2017.

How to achieve ISO 27001 success

Are you working towards ISO 27001 certification? Here are pointers on how to achieve ISO 27001 success based on our experience.

Is your ecommerce website geared up for modern Christmas shopping habits?

Make sure you have the digital infrastructure in place to deal with modern Christmas shopping habits.

Public sector web hosting

If you work in the public sector, you will know that it comes with its own processes, requirements and priorities. That extends to public sector web hosting, which we will discuss in this article.

How the NIE Networks website held up to a digital storm

Find out how the digital infrastructure we put in place coped with Storm Ophelia.

How Storm Ophelia will put our web hosting infrastructure to the ultimate test

Former hurricane Ophelia is on its way to our shores - and it is set to give Tibus’ infrastructure a severe test. Here’s why…

Black Friday 2017: Black Friday Ecommerce Tips

With Black Friday 2017 looming, we've put together these Black Friday Ecommerce Tips to help you maximise sales.

Where is this site hosted?

Do you ever visit a website and wonder: where is this site hosted? It's usually pretty easy to find the answer.

Domain Name Server: what is it and how does it work?

Get the lowdown on the purpose and functions of a domain name server.

Low cost web hosting service

Discover the pros and cons of a low cost hosting service for those shopping for web hosting on a budget.

Dedicated virtual servers: what are they?

Find out a bit more about dedicated virtual servers and whether they are the right option for you.

Q4 Sales: Is you e-commerce website ready for its busiest quarter?

Q4 sales are vital for e-commerce businesses. Is your website equipped to cope with the busiest time of year in retail?

Choosing Web Hosting: The Ultimate Guide

Choosing web hosting is easy. Doing it well is not so easy. That's why we've put together this guide to help you work out what you need.

Web design and hosting: why it is best to keep them separate

A strange quirk of the internet is the unwritten rule observed by many businesses and organisations that he or she who built it must host it. Somehow web design and hosting got entangled.

Image hosting and photo hosting tips

Image hosting and photo hosting can be a tricky aspect of site management for any website owner. Here are some tips to make it a bit easier.

Local government digital strategy ideas

There are lots of opportunities for local authorities to embrace the cloud and digital in general in order to improve services to customers, save money and operate more efficiently. In this article we’ll explore some local government digital strategy ideas.

Hosting services: what are your choices?

In this article we will take a broad look at the main types of hosting services.

Cloud infrastructure and services: how they can make life easier for your business

All businesses are looking at ways to work more efficiently and, where possible, save some money. Cloud infrastructure and services is one area in which it is very easy to accomplish both things.

The true cost of free business apps

There are some great pieces of software available for no charge - but will free business apps actually cost you more in the long run?

Private cloud server: how would it work for you?

Are you wondering how a private cloud server would work for your organisation? Here's the lowdown on what it entails.

Tibus secures a result from All Blacks vs Lions 1st Test

Our streaming platform successfully broadcast coverage of the first Test between New Zealand and the British and Irish Lions to talkSPORT listeners.

Ransomware backup strategy: what’s your plan?

Does your organisation have a ransomware backup strategy to protect your data and content in the event of a cyberattack?

How we’ll be live streaming the All Blacks vs the British and Irish Lions

When the British and Irish Lions take to the field at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday to face the All Blacks in the first Test, they will be expected to give everything they’ve got to deliver the performance demanded by their fans back home.

Web hosting and SEO: linked more closely than you might expect

When you’re choosing a web host, search engine optimisation might not be your primary consideration. Indeed, you might not be aware that your web hosting package can impact on SEO at all.

IT service providers and consultants, find a better way of providing backups to your clients

Tibus’ newly launched Veeam Cloud Connect backup as as service provides IT service providers and consultants with a better way to provide a secure, affordable and efficient backup service to their clients.

Has the NHS cyberattack got you worried about ransomware? Here’s some quick and affordable protection for your business

Ransomware really made its mark on the public consciousness earlier this month when the Wanna Decryptor or WannaCry hack hit NHS computer systems.

A slap-up dinner and a taxi ride home: why net neutrality matters to you

You might have thought that the net neutrality issue was settled once and for all by a Federal Communications Commission ruling back in 2015. But the same organisation’s commissioners have now voted two-to-one in favour of overturning rules that force ISPs to treat all data as equal.

Bimodal IT: it’s back - but should it be?

The bimodal IT concept appears to be experiencing something of a comeback. It has been around as an idea for a while, but has recently become more viable for larger organisations.

Are web hosting decisions now settling elections?

The humble web server seems to have been cropping up in an increasing number of political controversies of late. Let’s investigate a little further…

Web hosting facts and statistics that show the importance of choosing the right web host

How much thought do you give to picking a web host?

What to look for in a web host

Not all web hosts are created equal. When you set about choosing a web hosting service it can be tricky to work out which companies are deserving of your business. Plenty of web hosting companies will make big promises about what they offer, but it’s down to you to work out if that’s what you need. In this article we will help to guide you through some of the key considerations.

TLS 1.2: Will your e-commerce website be able to accept payments after imminent changes to payment gateways?

Are you selling online? If so, it is worth checking that your digital infrastructure is ready to cope with new methods of encryption.

Which web hosting types are right for you? (Infographic)

Are you choosing web hosting? This infographic will help you to work out which web hosting types are the right fit for your organisation.

Hybrid Cloud: what is it and why does it matter in 2017?

Would a hybrid cloud architecture be the right option for your organisation? Let’s explore what it entails, plus some of the pros and cons.

Why the AWS outage was more embarrassing for other web hosts than it was for Amazon

Last week’s Amazon Web Services outage caused a great deal of disruption for many businesses and their customers, and was no doubt of great embarrassment to Amazon.

AWS Outage: Things we can all learn

After large swathes of the internet were plunged into chaos by an Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage last night, we look at the things we can all learn from the technical difficulties experienced by companies of all sizes.

Working with your IT department to improve your web hosting

Learn about some of the things Tibus does to make life easier for your IT people.

Shared hosting pros and cons

Wondering if shared hosting is right for you? In this article we will examine some shared hosting pros and cons.

The history of cloud hosting

In this article we will look at the history of cloud hosting from its theoretical beginnings to the technology we know today.

Cloud hosting advantages and disadvantages

Cloud hosting has been a widely accepted part of the public vocabulary for the best part of eight years now, yet there is still uncertainty and confusion about its pros and cons among some potential users.

Is your website at risk from WordPress 4.7.0 and 4.7.1 security vulnerability?

Security flaw allows hackers to attack WordPress websites with ease - immediate update needed.

Trafficwatch NI crashes - the importance of resilient hosting

If Trafficwatch NI crashes when the roads get busy, that suggests more resilient hosting is needed.

Who’s hosting your smart home?

The smart home could take off in 2017. So who is hosting the apps that you might be putting in control of your home?

Fake news? Finding trustworthy sources of news on the internet

Fake news has been one of the buzzwords of 2017. How can you check the trustworthiness of the news you read?

GDPR: Is your business ready for General Data Protection Regulation?

The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect from May 2018. Is your business ready to implement the changes?

2017 set to be the year of DDoS

2016 was certainly an eventful year, with some seismic global events. In the grand scheme of disruption and upheaval, it might not have been DDoS attacks that had the biggest or longest lasting effect, but their impact was not inconsiderable. And it does not look like the situation will improve in 2017. In fact, DDoS attacks are likely to get worse this year.

Most popular web hosting services, according to Google Trends

What's the most popular type of web hosting right now?

Key considerations for your web hosting in 2017

The start of a new year is as good a time as any to appraise your web hosting arrangements. In this article we’ll look at some of the factors that might come into your thinking.

How did our 2016 predictions fare?

As 2016 draws to a close, we turn our attention to the predictions we made at the start of the year.

Tech trends for 2017: 12 predictions from Tibus

The end of a year and the start of a new one is always a time to take stock, reflect on the past and look forward to what the future might hold. In the fast-paced world of tech, that’s not always easy. Nonetheless, we’ve been gazing into the Tibus crystal ball to make some predictions as to what could be in store in 2017.

Storm Barbara, the energy sector and our web hosting infrastructure

Find out how Storm Barbara will put our web hosting infrastructure to the test.

Ofcom opens consultation on opening access to BT network

Ofcom has today opened a consultation period over plans to make it easier for competitors to access BT’s ultrafast broadband network.

Which websites crashed on Black Friday 2016?

Black Friday - the busiest e-commerce shopping day of the year - once again claimed a few victims among retailers. So, which websites crashed on Black Friday 2016?

How Black Friday 2016 can make your website better

Can the madness of Black Friday 2016 ultimately help you to improve your website? We think so.

The benefits of Co-Lo (Colocation) hosting

Are you weighing up the options and wondering whether Co-Lo (colocation) hosting is the right option for you? In this article we’ll look at the benefits of Co-Lo.

How to renew a domain name

Don't make the costly mistake of allowing your domain name to expire. Follow these tips on how to renew a domain name and stay in control of your website.

Preparing for Black Friday 2016: last minute tweaks to your website

It’s now just a matter of days away. If you’re still preparing for Black Friday 2016, here are some last minute tech tips to focus your thoughts.

CDN vs dedicated server

What is most appropriate to improve the performance of your website: a content delivery network or a dedicated server? In this post, we explore CDN vs dedicated server.

UK web hosting post-Brexit: what will change?

How will the Brexit vote to leave the EU affect the UK web hosting industry? In this article, we try to predict the answer to that question.

Audio adverts for podcasts made easy with local ad replacement

Learn how to harness technology to maximise your podcast advertising revenue.

Server load balancing - what is it?

A quick and effective way of improving website performance is by using server load balancing - but what is it and what does it entail? Let’s find out.

Why would you want a dedicated server in Europe?

It is no secret that the giants of the web hosting world are almost exclusively based in the USA. So, why would a company choose to have a dedicated server in Europe?

G-Cloud Procurement: how public sector bodies can buy cloud services

Buying cloud services has never been quicker or more cost-effective for public sector organisations. In this article we look at the G-Cloud Procurement process.

Multiple servers, one domain: reasons for multi server hosting

A web server was something of which you generally needed only one when the Internet first emerged as a commercial presence. That is now changing.

What is ISO 27001?

ISO 27001 is the international standard for information security management. As such, it is the most relevant method of quality assessment for the hosting industry.

25th anniversary of the World Wide Web

Today is the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web. It is a quarter-of-a-century since Tim Berners-Lee let us all in on his invention.

Why your page load speed matters

Some statistics and data to demonstrate why it is important to get your website loading as quickly as possible.

Page load speed: how to make your website faster

Is slow page load speed dragging your website down? Let’s find out how to solve that problem.

Website optimisation tips

How to optimise your web hosting to achieve performance improvements for your website.

Petnet hosting problem leaves smart fed pets hungry

Smartphone feeding app Petnet stops working due to technical problems. What does that mean for the future of hosting?

Hosting an app and preparing for a Pokemon Go phenomenon

Your app needs the correct scalability and support in place in order to succeed - just in case it hits the jackpot like Pokemon Go.

House of Lords debates Investigatory Powers Bill’s impact on encryption

While the small matter of a new Prime Minister was dominating the headlines last week, the Investigatory Powers Bill was going through the next stage of its procession towards becoming law.

David Cameron: the outgoing UK Prime Minister’s relationship with tech and Tibus

With British Prime Minister David Cameron announcing that he will have left his post and been replaced by Home Secretary Theresa May by the end of Wednesday, we look at how our paths have crossed over the course of his premiership.

The history of web hosting: how things have changed since Tibus started in 1996

We chart the history of the web hosting industry from the birth of the World Wide Web in 1991, past Tibus being founded in 1996 to the present day.

Is VPS hosting right for me?

With its low prices and relatively no-frills offering, VPS hosting can sometimes seem like an appealing option. But is it the right option for you and your organisation?

Facebook prevents broadcasters and publishers’ in-video links

A new example of Facebook moving the goalposts and demonstrating why media organisations need to be wary of an over-reliance on the social media platform.

Gov.uk EU Referendum voter registration website crash: a web hosting perspective

Last night’s deadline for voter registration ahead of the EU Referendum proved that even the best websites are susceptible to failings in their hosting infrastructure.

Best WordPress hosting

What setup do you need to get the best WordPress hosting?

Recommended WordPress plugins

Which WordPress plugins are best to install on your website?

Secure WordPress Hosting: how to achieve it

WordPress has many users in the business and enterprise worlds - but can it be hosted securely? Let's find out...

Web hosting disaster recovery strategy

What would happen to your website and data if disaster was to strike your server? What would be lost and how soon would your business be operational again?

7 lessons on bringing DevOps into an external hosting environment

The lessons we learned (the hard way) on the frontline of extending DevOps practice into an external hosting environment.

Why we sometimes advise our customers to use another web host

Some web hosts depend upon bringing in a huge volume of clients at very low prices with little or no consideration as to what service is best suited to the website in question. We do things a bit differently...

8 ways local government can improve services using the cloud

Local government has not been as quick to embrace the cloud as might have been expected. Here are a set of steps local authorities can take to start getting the most from cloud technologies.

EU approves new data protection laws

The EU had today agreed new data protection rules. Read on to find out what that means for you...

Tibus heading to Internet Society Ireland chapter’s inaugural meeting

We’re a web hosting and digital infrastructure company, not an advertising network, so how can we help you maximise your internet radio revenue? Read on to find out.

Unlimited web hosting

Learn about easy ways of achieving unlimited web hosting for your website - perfect if your site is currently eating up resources or is set for big growth.

Internet radio revenue - maximise your money from advertising

We’re a web hosting and digital infrastructure company, not an advertising network, so how can we help you maximise your internet radio revenue? Read on to find out.

Tibus approved as UK Government Digital Outcomes and Specialists supplier

Continuing our work with public sector organisations, we've been accepted to a new digital marketplace framework created by the UK Government.

High availability hosting - how to achieve it

Tips on ensuring high availability of your website.

Web hosting availability and downtime - what can your organisation afford?

One of the key considerations when choosing web hosting is deciding what it is worth to your organisation for your website to be available. How much of the time does you website need to be available?

The Investigatory Powers Bill (aka the Snoopers’ Charter) and what it means for Tibus customers

The chances are you’re aware of the Snoopers’ Charter. That’s the nickname that was given first to a piece of draft legislation entitled the Draft Communications Data Bill (which was later blocked) and more recently to the Investigatory Powers Bill (which treads over much of the same ground).

Why public sector IT buyers use G-Cloud

Procurement officials from a variety of public sector organisations explain why they chose to buy cloud computing services from the government's G-Cloud framework.

Cloud Hosting vs Dedicated Server

Which is better for your hosting requirements: cloud hosting or a dedicated server? Let’s find out.

Why Apple are right to refuse FBI iPhone access

As you have probably seen in the news, Apple are currently battling the FBI over the law enforcement agency’s request to access a phone used by one of the San Bernardino killers.

Donald Trump nabs Jeb Bush’s website - and the importance of domain renewals

The US presidential primaries have descended into web hosting farce after Donald Trump managed to take the official campaign website of fellow Republican candidate Jeb Bush.

Secure Hosting: How to find a secure web host

For businesses and public sector bodies buying web hosting services, security is usually a major factor in influencing their choice of web host. But how do you go about finding secure hosting?

How web hosting in the UK differs to hosting your website in a different country

When making purchasing decisions, we all weigh up the benefits of working with a local supplier against those of working with an overseas company. In the world of web hosting, when we often never see what we’re buying, perhaps we don’t give it quite so much thought. In this article we will explain some of the advantages of hosting a website in the UK over the rest of the world.

How web hosting in Ireland differs to hosting your website in a different country

Do you prefer working with Irish businesses or those further afield? In most cases, it comes down to a common sense decision once all the options have been weighed up. Perhaps we don’t do that quite as stringently when choosing a web hosting provider as in some other purchasing decisions. In this article we will explain some of the advantages of hosting a website in Ireland over the rest of the world.

Why Apple will probably enter the enterprise IT cloud market in 2016

The enterprise world looks primed for a big entrance from Apple and 2016 could be the year they make their move. Here are some of the reasons why that looks set to be the case…

Predicting how the cloud hosting landscape is changing in 2016

Cloud technology continues to develop and evolve. That ongoing evolution and the inherently flexible nature of cloud web hosting means it is not something that will ever stand still. This year will be no different...

Man City's website can't cope with Pep Guardiola announcement

Manchester City website buckles under a surge of traffic as they announce their next manager.

CDN for live radio and TV broadcasts

For media companies and other organisations who are planning on live streaming their content, it is important to choose a content delivery network (CDN) that is up to the task. Here are some key considerations...

The benefits of private cloud hosting

Private clouds offer an excellent alternative to the public cloud for clients with demanding websites. So, what are the advantages of opting for a private cloud?

Irish websites attacked with DDoS

Attacks on Irish websites in the last 3 days.

What is managed hosting?

That’s a really good question: just what is managed hosting?

Which is the best country to host a website?

Help on choosing the best geographic location for your server.

Servers for large traffic websites

Are you responsible for a large traffic website? Here are our tips on ensuring it is hosted effectively on a server that is up to the job.

The Tibus website through the years

As Tibus prepares to turn 20, a look at some of our old websites.

Storm Frank and your digital infrastructure

Can your website cope with the digital storm of adverse weather in the real world?

Finding A Good Web Host

When your business or organisation needs to host a new website or is looking for a new host for an existing site the chances are you will be looking for a good web host. The question is: what makes a good web host and how do you go about finding one?

New Year’s Web Hosting Resolutions for 2016

A new year is a good time for reflection and for new starts, in life as in business. That includes in our specialist area of web hosting.

Sport’s great and good kept tweeting at BBC SPOTY by Tibus infrastructure

Sports Personality of the Year attendees use SSE Arena's Tibus connectivity infrastructure to stay online during the event.

Uber's taxi technology comes to Belfast

Energy, transport and water firms will be among those needing to tighten up their cybersecurity.

New EU cybersecurity laws

Energy, transport and water firms will be among those needing to tighten up their cybersecurity.

7 reasons to choose Tibus as your G-Cloud hosting provider

Are you a public sector organisation looking for a hosting partner for your G-Cloud requirements? If so, you might like to learn a bit more about Tibus.

Which websites crashed on Black Friday?

Find out which retail websites were able to cope with Black Friday demand and which ones suffered service outages.

Retailers, use Black Friday to learn how to manage future flash crowds

Whether your website is sailing through without any problems or crashing at the first sign of a traffic spike, don't waste this opportunity to learn and improve.

Questions to ask when creating a cloud hosting strategy for a government department

If you work in a government department or another public sector body that is considering adopting cloud hosting to cut costs and increase efficiency, make sure you ask these questions to achieve the results you want.

5 things guaranteed to push a government IT project over budget

In these times of cuts and economic belt-tightening, no project manager in any government department wants to see the project they are overseeing come in over budget.

Dedicated business internet connections: sometimes it doesn’t make sense to share

Discover the benefits of getting your very own business internet connection.

The benefits of unscripted web hosting support

Why you’ll always speak to a trained engineer, who is free from scripts and free to make the changes you need.

Advice for TalkTalk customers affected by data breach

Tips and suggestions for TalkTalk customers following the serious data breach affecting the telecoms company’s website.

One Direction’s cancelled Belfast gig and hosting high traffic websites

A cancelled gig, tears, uncertainly... the last thing One Direction fans needed was being unable to get the information they needed.

Tibus at the INEX Meeting

Notes, observations and things we learned at the INEX Meeting in Dublin on October 15, 2015.

Was your email hacked? Here’s how to stop your email account getting hacked

Follow these 9 tips to minimise the chances of your email account being accessed by hackers.

Can your website cope with Black Friday and Cyber Monday demand?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are among the busiest shopping days in the year - but is your website ready to cope with that demand? If it’s not, you could be alienating customers and losing sales.

Is it ethical to use an ad blocker?

There has been a lot of talk about ad blockers in recent days - so is it ethical to use one?

Watch the Rugby World Cup on a Tibus platform

Are you enjoying the Rugby World Cup at the moment? Did you know you can watch it live on a Tibus platform? We’ll explain how in this blog post.

Skype not working? Here are the lessons we can learn

Have you been unable to make Skype calls today? If so, here are some ideas to stop your business grinding to a halt due to web calling and instant messaging problems in the future.

Your web hosting set-up as a new-build house

Thinking of bulldozing your current web hosting arrangements in favour of something new? Here’s why it’s actually a similar process to building a new property.

Why peering matters

What peering and routing arrangements does your web host have in place for you? If you’re not sure, it might be time to exert a little peer(ing) pressure to find out, because it can have a major impact on the performance of your website.

Testing Dell 9000 and FX series servers (with a bonus Oculus demo)

We've been to visit Dell in Limerick as part of our procurement process for some new servers. We were also treated to having a go on the Oculus demo machine during the trip (strictly in the name of business, you understand).

Improving performance of high traffic websites by hosting near your audience

Do you have a high traffic website that has experienced rapid growth? One simple way of improving the performance of your website is to move the content closer to the audience.

Web hosting in the energy and utilities sector

In this blog post, we share our insight and experience of hosting the websites of energy suppliers and utilities companies.

Migrating your website to Tibus

Many web hosting companies offer a site migration guide on their website. This is usually a list of processes and tasks you need to undertake in order to become their customer. At Tibus, we do things a bit differently.

Tailored to Tibus: our new product icons

Have you spotted some new icons dotted around our website? You'll get to know a bit about how they came about in this article.

Interactive map of internet connection speeds around the world

An interactive map detailing average internet connection speeds in every country in the world.

Outage expected in BT Data Centre Belfast Tuesday 11th August

21.30 Tuesday night through to 02.30 Wednesday morning.

The benefits of a dedicated internet connection for your business

Or why a cat video going viral in the office next door needn’t reduce your company’s productivity.

Hosting in Ireland: what are the benefits?

Choosing web hosting in Ireland is very much en vogue, with huge multinational tech firms such as Apple, Google and Facebook all working towards building or increasing their hosting presence in Ireland. Yet many Irish firms host their websites in the US or elsewhere - should they move closer to home?

Football clubs, how to stop your big summer transfer signing crashing your website

With the transfer window in full swing and transfer deadline day fast approaching, we look at what football clubs can do to stop major announcements making their websites unavailable.

UX and web hosting: are servers the forgotten user experience component?

User experience (UX) is the discipline of studying a person's behaviour, attitudes and emotions towards a product or service, and of creating the product or service in such a way that the behaviour, attitude and emotion shown towards it is overwhelmingly positive.

Irish government reveals plans for 100% high-speed broadband by 2020

Plans to bring high-speed broadband to entire population of the Republic of Ireland firmed up in new strategy documents.

Computing Magazine DevOps Summit 2015

DevOps from a hoster's perspective

Time running out to get a £3,000 voucher towards installing superfast internet

Businesses in Northern Ireland can get £3,000 towards installing a superfast broadband line - but they need to act fast.

Services restored following power outage last night in the BT Belfast data centre

Work completed successfully. No problems to report.

Power outage TONIGHT in BT Belfast data centre

All the details about tonight's power outage and what you need to know.

Blown PDUs replaced

This is the final piece of remediation work needed after the fire and associated power problems in the BT data centre on Wednesday

BT power outage to replace their UPS is now MONDAY night 8pm

They estimate 20.00 to midnight on Monday night, but expect a shorter window.

Service outage in BT data centre expected Sunday 28th June

BT want to replace the mains power provision with a temporary UPS.

Major incident in BT data centre

Why new Ofcom chief executive Sharon White’s first speech was a breath of fresh air

Former second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, Sharon White, became Ofcom’s new chief executive in 2015. Here’s why we like what we’ve heard so far.

We used to charge £7,000 per month, now we charge £500 - this is good

Opening up BT's core network meant big savings and better choice for businesses and consumers. Moves to open up the dark fibre network should bring similar benefits.

Why am I not receiving emails?

Has your email stopped working? In this blog post, we'll provide some basic troubleshooting information to help get your mailbox up and running once again.

Digital Magna Carta revealed by British Library

The British Library has revealed the current results of a public vote on the clauses that should make up a digital Magna Carta. The results are interesting.

Problems on global Internet today

Issue in SE Asia having knock-on affect to rest of Net

Why your web hosting should be like a well-tailored suit

Shopping for a hosting package is similar to shopping for a suit. In both cases, the long-term value for money is found by choosing a bespoke option.

Web hosting as the developer’s phone-a-friend

What are web developers looking for when they're looking for a hosting company? We've been mulling that over, but we also want your thoughts.

Government cloud computing: what's in store this parliament?

We make some predictions on how the shape of cloud computing in government might change over the next five years.

Internet and tech in the Queen's Speech

Today's Queen's Speech was not short on content impacting Tibus' stomping ground of internet, hosting, connectivity and technology. Here are some of the key talking points.

How to secure your own VPS with a ‘secret door knock’

Server security has arguably never been such an important issue for businesses. In this blog post, we will detail an easy way to secure your own virtual server (VPS)…

To upgrade or not to upgrade: the firmware quandary

There is a bit of a dilemma facing any companies working in the cloud hosting industry: to upgrade or not to upgrade.

A hosting server fail that made us quite proud

As a web hosting company, we usually take pride in our ability to keep our servers up. But an uncharacteristic server fail was a strange source of pride for us last week...

UKNOF: a worthwhile forum for network operators

Our technical manager David Farrell was recently in Manchester for the UKNOF (UK Network Operators Forum). UKNOF31 took place at Manchester Central Convention Complex on April 20, 2015. As usual, it was a brilliant forum.

Choosing the right hosting package: 9 questions to help you decide

With a mind-boggling array of web hosting packages on the market, it can sometimes be difficult to work out which is the right one for your organisation.

Getting Jim Henson’s Pajanimals on-air on time

Generally, viewing your clients as puppets is no way to run a successful business. But we can make an exception to that rule…

Ecommerce Hosting: 8 tips for your ecommerce website

A selection of insider tricks and tips to get the most of the ecommerce hosting package for your website

All may not be rosy if we put down roots in Facebook’s walled garden

Conventional wisdom has always been that your most valuable content should be on your website, where you have full control of it, yet major news organisations are apparently prepared to put some of the internet’s most valuable new content in Facebook’s hands.

HTTP/2: big security and ethical questions still to be answered

There are changes afoot in the way web traffic flows. It seems likely that we are heading towards a change of protocol, probably to HTTP/2, with the intention of increasing security.

Wordpress users, action required on MainWP Child WordPress plugin vulnerability

Website owners using the popular MainWP Child WordPress plugin need to upgrade the plugin immediately to avoid a serious security vulnerability on their sites.

What popular websites looked like in the 1990s

We've been hosting websites since 1996. In that time, we've seen web design trends come and go, and sometimes come back again (but mainly go!). With that in mind, we're casting our minds back to when Tibus was the new kid on the block.

Why we must stay vigilant after net neutrality judgment

It is just over a week since the USA’s Federal Communications Commission voted to pass new regulations on net neutrality.

Digital infrastructure in the public sector

Digital infrastructure in the public sector is something that cuts across a lot of our work at Tibus.

Welcome, Apple. Now we'd love to see you peering locally.

Apple's announcement of a new data centre in Ireland is a great boost for Irish internet businesses and customers alike. Call us greedy, but we would love to now see Apple take the next step in engraining itself with the local tech community.

In praise of SurveyMonkey

The software in question isn't new to the market, but it was the first time we'd had cause to use a platform of this kind. Having now done so, we're happy to report back our findings... we think SurveyMonkey is wonderful.

What does Super Bowl streaming mean for your business?

US broadcaster NBC Sports took the decision to stream the Super Bowl free-of-charge. This was both a bold move - demand could only be approximated for one of the world’s biggest sport events - and a big vote of confidence for streaming. So, how did it go?

The growing cyber threat from hacking

Rarely a week goes by without a hacking story making international headlines - what does the growing and evolving cyber threat mean?

What happened to Molto (and what might happen to other free business apps you use)

Have you used Molto? We have. Being in the digital infrastructure business means it makes sense to try new apps as they hit the market. Molto is a free email management app that has earned excellent critical and technical reviews, and was hugely popular.

Facebook outage and the dangers of having all your eggs in Zuckerberg's basket

Facebook and Instagram both went down for 40 minutes this morning. While the problem caused the inevitable memes, fun-poking and social media suggestions that people would have to live in the real world for a little while, there were bigger things at stake for businesses that have aligned themselves closely with Facebook.

David Cameron wouldn’t ban PIN codes, so why does he want to get rid of SSL?

We’ve given Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposed ban on encryption a few days to sink in - but it still makes no sense at all. He suggested in a speech on 12 January that SSL should be outlawed because, in his words, “in our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people which we cannot read?”.

Is Kentico right for your organisation?

Tibus is not tied to any single provider or platform, which means that when you ask us if a particular product is right for you, we will give an honest answer. If it isn’t, we’ll try to point you in the direction of something that is a good option for you.

G-Cloud: Why governments are choosing cloud solutions

Over the past 18 months or so, we have seen a big move towards the G-Cloud (the government and public sector equivalent of cloud computing).

Delivering a 5,000-page government report to 2.4m people without the website crashing

The web hosting and content delivery work we undertake at Tibus is mainly about staying in the background: being an unnoticed but efficient presence, ensuring the website and its content can be accessed by those who need to access it without them ever giving much thought to how they were able to access it.

10 things to consider before choosing a data centre

Are you considering getting a data centre for your organisation? Here are 10 of the many considerations you need to take into account before choosing the right data centre.

Getting your e-commerce website ready to cope with January sales traffic

Are you expecting lots of traffic to your e-commerce website to shop in you January sale? Here are some pointers on planning ahead to make sure that your website remains available and you are not missing out on sales.

Choosing the right Cloud for your organisation in 2015

Christmas is looming, which means we all get a few days to sit down and take stock. That, in turn, means we will return to work in the new year full of fresh ideas.

Dealing with Black Friday and Cyber Monday traffic spikes

What if your e-commerce website crashes on what should be its busiest day or the year? Here are some tips on making sure your site is ready to cope with Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

UKNOF, ISOC and RIPE NCC Training come to Belfast!

UKNOF is forum of network operators from the UK, Ireland and further field which facilitates the exchange of operational, technical and engineering information related to Internet operations. The broader remit of the group is ‘distribution of clue’ and the meetings are well attended by staff from both large and small network operators. Tibus staff have attended meetings and derived great value from them, and we encourage all folks in the network and Internet engineering arenas to give the meeting a look.

Tech: Heartbleed update 14 April

Tech: Learnings from Heartbleed / OpenSSL remedial work

We’ve almost completed the remedial work required, since the vulnerability was made public on Monday night. And now that we have:

Tech: OpenSSL / Heartbleed issue

Opinion: Facebook and the threat to Net Neutrality

We much enjoyed a recent piece on Pando about Facebook and a scheme it has agreed with GoSmart (a T-Mobile company), in the US. This scheme allows GoSmart users to access Facebook from their mobile phone for free – for Go Smart customers on the new tariff, using Facebook on their phone wont count against their daily data allowance.

Opinion: Tell the President of the USA - No!

Tech: Anycast DNS. What we did and how it's been for us.

We now employ DNS in an Anycast configuration. This means we have multiple instances of our DNS servers distributed across our network. We use a custom BGP configuration to ensure that our DNS services are available in multiple locations at the same IP address. We announce the BGP routes from those locations and the BGP path selection algorithms do the rest. Please get in touch for more information – we’re happy to share what we’ve learned in this production deployment with anyone interested.

Let’s be open with our T&Cs for personal data usage.

We’re all guilty of it, aren’t we? We download the app. Or we install the software. Or we decide to purchase that thing online. We get almost all the way through the process and we’re then presented with a little box on the screen - confirming that we have read and understood the terms and conditions. We tick the little box…