Whether you are a hosting guru, web developer, or client, it's always interesting and valuable to pick the brain of someone who has successfully made his or her mark on the industry. After all, we all want to gain as much insight as we can into why some business ventures make it while others don't.

If you attended HostingCon.2005, you probably had the chance to meet Chris Wells and his associates at the InterWorx booth. As president and CEO of both NEXCESS.NET and InterWorx, he is in the unique position of having a role in both the hosting and development fields.

Note: This interview was conducted on behalf of Ping! Zine.

At 31, Chris is a self-described geek living in southeast Michigan with his wife Jennifer, son Troy, and two dogs. “I'm a native of Michigan and haven't strayed much from my roots here in the Midwest,” he explained, having earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Science from the University of Michigan. In fact, his office is Ann Arbor, “right off of the University of Michigan campus.”

I recently had the pleasure of a sit-down with Chris and he was kind enough to share his experiences as a hosting provider and developer. From coding issues to customer service, Chris has a balance of intelligence, technical skills, and a good attitude that we can all learn from and be inspired by.

P!: One of the problems that all of us tech-heads deal with is finding an area to specialize in and turn into our career and business focus when there are so many directions to go. In your case, what got you interested in hosting as opposed to some other tech field?

CW: I've always been into tinkering and during my undergrad career I started using Linux to make my homework more like home work. We traditionally had to use the Sun boxes at the U and this often meant waiting in line. Using Linux at home made this a little easier, especially for X apps. My interest in web hosting grew just from tinkering with Linux and setting up what would now be called intranets for – well – myself.

P!: So how did NEXCESS.NET get started?

CW: We started small as most businesses do. I started up NEXCESS.NET in 2000 and in the beginning it was me working out of where else but my garage. We started with a T1 line from Verio and added a second from Sprint about a year after our inception.

P!: What concerns did you have when initially getting into the web hosting business?

CW: The biggest concern was simply that the market was already full. Or at least it looked full. What would make clients come to us instead of someone else?

P!: Where is NEXCESS.NET currently based out of?

CW: We have offices in Ann Arbor right off of the University of Michigan campus – see, I really don't stray far.

P!: Do you guys host everything locally or use a remote datacenter (DC)?

CW: We use a few. We strictly co-locate and have a good relationship and appreciation for the three DCs we've chosen.

P!: What made you go that route rather than only local servers?

CW: The initial T1s at my home didn't last long. They filled up as fast as we got them online and we started looking to push the network problems onto someone else. We used a few DCs for co-location and settled on the three we use now which are Sago Networks, Fast Servers and The Planet.

P!: Getting your name out there is probably the toughest part of any new business and each type of business seems to work under a different promotional formula. Between print advertising, word of mouth, web advertising, search engines, and other forms of referral, how would you say most of your clients found NEXCESS.NET?

CW: By far it's word of mouth. NEXCESS.NET has always been shy about paying for advertising, especially online. Word of mouth has been our mainstay.

P!: What else have you tried and what kind of success have you had?

CW: We started doing print in a few developer magazines about eight months ago and it's been a very good experience and we're going to continue it. I'm not a huge fan of online adverts but we may put some more effort there as well. I'd much rather invest the capital in making our site more search engine optimized than blanket other sites with our banners.

P!: Everyone I've ever talked to that's been a client of yours has said that basically one thing sets you apart from other web hosts: customer service. The kinds of things that other hosts would see as the client's problem and low priority, you guys seem to see as your problem and high priority. How would you sum up your philosophy on customer service and it's position among other priorities?

CW: I'll preface my answer with this – I've been on the customer end of terrible customer experiences more times than I'd like, and it's pretty easy to notice, as a customer, when you're getting dumped on. We see every ticket as warranting a quick response, that's our mantra.
Your issue may be small, but if it sits for hours and hours it's still an indication to you, the client, that we don't care about it. So we at least try to communicate that we're looking into something even if the actual resolution takes a while. When we make mistakes, we're quick to point out when it's our mistake and we'll often compensate the client in services when mistakes are made. There's not much more to it than that; just treat others as you'd like
to be treated.

P!: Without naming names, was this philosophy the result of a bad experience as a hosting client yourself?

CW: Not by a web host in particular, no, but by other businesses, government organizations, etc. How many times have you gotten fantastic customer service at the DMV or your local monolithic phone provider as apparently I never do?

P!: Some hosts have had success in targeting specific types of clients. What do you find that most hosting clients are interested in using their web space for: personal blogs, informational sites, online communities, personalized email, or something else?

CW: Mostly blogging and their own hobbies. We host our share of business sites but by far our user base is the individual with an opinion, idea or hobby.

P!: Like most hosts, NEXCESS.NET offers several different levels of hosting packages. Which one is the most popular?

CW: Oddly it's not the cheapest that's the most popular. Our second cheapest plan, the Smart Start, is our most popular.

P!: Why would you say that is?

CW: We don't target the $1 per month crowd and I think that makes folks who find us more apt to actually get what they need or even over-buy, just in case.

P!: One of the problems that shared hosts have is that your clients with the most successful sites eventually outgrow that shared environment. This is good in the sense that you host a popular site, but the risk is that they will move on to hosting their own server or going with another host. How often do you find that clients are ready to move from a shared hosting account to the level of a dedicated server and are you able to keep them around?

CW: I think we're in a unique position. We host a large number of sites with high growth potential. Many of our hosted sites are movie-tracking sites that have forums that seem to grow and grow and in this respect we see a higher than normal conversion from shared to dedicated than I would have expected initially. We don't even advertise dedicated as NEXCESS.NET is for the most part a strictly shared firm. We do provide dedicated (mostly managed) for those clients who do outgrow shared and need more horsepower.

P!: Since you are such a fan of Linux, I assume you use that on the majority of your servers. Which distributions do you prefer in a hosting environment?

CW: These days it's CentOS. We started on RedHat 6 and it was good to us so we followed the line to 9. When Fedora came out to replace the free RedHat line, we made the switch over to CentOS and it's been solid.

P!: Was your preference for RedHat and now CentOS based on specifics to hosting or your general experience with them?

CW: I really can't badmouth any of the other distros. As long as you have your machine set up well you're ahead of the rest. A well set up RedHat 6 machine is still better than an unpatched and insecure Fedora Core 3 or CentOS box.

P!: A lot of hosts offer both Windows-based and Linux- or BSD-based servers. Just out of curiosity, what features could be added to Windows that would make it tempting as a hosting platform?

CW: Good question. I use windows as my desktop OS but I can't see using anything but a Unix-like OS on the server. If windows were to scrap their GUI, add all the basic Unix tools and rename itself “Winux” then I might... point my finger at it and laugh. I'm not sure, call me a zealot but I'm just not for Windows on the server at this point.

P!: Back on the topic of customers, lots of misunderstandings can occur between hosts and clients. For example, I've noticed that during storm seasons a lot of connection issues occur that are outside the responsibilities of their host but clients don't always understand that. How do you try to remedy these kinds of situations?

CW: Communication, consolation and positive action. Let's face it, all data centers have issues. Folks have spent tens of millions on a facilities and issues still creep up. For the $10 per month shared hosting client, the best you can do is explain the situation. Make them understand that a given issue is not the norm. Compensate them if applicable and hope they understand. Some clients don't and move on and probably find that issues still occur no matter where you are.

P!: Have you ever had a client on the brink of leaving and been able to keep them and later found them to be a enormously loyal client?

CW: Yes, I think we all have. Sometimes it's price. Sometimes it's attention. Most of the time it's just a simple misunderstanding. Some clients get tired of dealing with the web and need someone to talk to for five minutes to let them know that there are still humans in the mix somewhere. Regardless of who it is we always try to bring back an exiting client.

P!: I'd like to move on to more about how things work within NEXCESS.NET with regards to personnel. What types of positions do you have filled? Is everyone a jack-of-all-trades or does each employee fill a specific role?

CW: We have a few jack-of-all-trades types here but we moved to a role-based system a while back. As we grow we're shifting more toward strictly roles but there's always uses for the know-it-alls.

P!: What types of qualities, experience and education do you feel each of those roles requires?

CW: My advise to anyone reading this would be that I don't care how many acronyms you have in your suffix, if any at all. I don't care if you've spent 50 years in school and have 25 years experience. If you aren't a hard worker, all of your paper credentials are 100% moot. The qualities, experience and education you need to work in any of these
roles is: hard worker.

P!: Is all of your staff located in the same general location? If not, how do you handle things like meetings and in general keeping everyone on the same page?

CW: The bulk of our folks are located at our Ann Arbor office. Paul Oehler, our CTO, is in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife where he works ungodly hours. Greg Swaney, one of our jacks-of-all-trades, is in Milwaukee with his wife and two kids where he also works an ungodly amount of hours.

P!: What would you say is the most difficult part of web hosting?

CW: The hours. The Internet doesn't stop. Not on Christmas, not on Thanksgiving, never. So we just keep going and going.

P!: Given the insane hours involved, there must be something beyond money that makes if worth doing. What is the most rewarding thing about web hosting?

CW: Seeing clients' dreams come to fruition. People want a voice and their site is that voice online. Looking at clients' sites allows us to see who these folks are and what they are doing in life. That's cool.

P!: You mentioned earlier that you have quite a few clients with huge potential. What sites do you host that almost everyone will have heard of?

CW: It really depends on what you're in to. If you like comics and/or movies, I can probably name a few. We host SuperHeroHype.com, CHUD.com, ComingSoon.net, JoBlo.com, Comics2Film.com, Movie-List.com, and ComicsContinuum.com to name a few. For those who don't know these sites by name, if you're ever read Ain't it Cool News or Slashdot then you've probably visited them.

P!: What sorts of surprises have you found about hosting that you never expected?

CW: The amount of fraud and unscrupulous people there are out there. We have to fend off a ton of fraudulent orders each month. And for every one we miss we get a penalty fee. Means of recourse against these fraudsters are few and far between, so there's no winning except to minimize the penalties. This is a problem.

P!: For someone just getting into the hosting business, what sorts of legal issues should they be prepared for?

CW: Don't wait until you're ready to get your legal docs squared away. Go and get a CPA and contact a lawyer and get all of your docs lined up ASAP. Get your business structure solidified, get your agreements in place with the shareholders – even if it's just you. Get your insurance worked out – workman's comp, liability, etc. Yes, it sucks to spend upfront on a business that you're not sure is going to make it, but you'll be better off in the end, especially if it does make it.

P!: For beginners just trying to get a taste of the hosting world but not quite ready to start a major business venture, would you advise them to start out as resellers or to lease a server somewhere and sublease space and bandwidth from there?

CW: This really depends on the level of sys admin expertise. If you're a competent sys admin then by all means get a dedicated box somewhere. They're cheap as can be these days and you aren't at the whim of other folks on the same box sucking up resources. If you're not sure about your admin skills, then a reseller account works fine and will give you the flexibility – both cost and configuration wise – to get going.

P!: What are some books, websites, or other resources that you find invaluable to a web host?

CW: I still lurk at WebHostingTalk.com. It's a good resource if you're starting out but you need to have your BS filter on high sometimes. My daily resource for tech news is SlashDot and most other info I just find via Google. I don't have many sites that I frequent or use as a general reference.

P!: I'd like to move from the topic of hosting to development if we could. I'm familiar with Interworx-CP package, but what sorts of other software has the NEXCESS.NET team been working on?

CW: Honestly, not a lot. We were doing a line of CMS utilities for webmasters but new development has stalled in lieu of spending resources on InterWorx-CP, our load balanced cluster panel.

P!: Was your interest in development there before you got into hosting?

CW: Yes, I've been a software developer since before I knew what web hosting was or the Internet in its current form existed. Hosting just happened to mix software development with system administration, which are my two favorite things.

P!: These days, a lot of developers are trying to be do-it-all types: coding perl scripts, writing applications, designing web pages, and so on. How do you divide up these kinds of responsibilities among your development team?

CW: It's pretty easy. We each have things we like to do and are good at and I'm a huge proponent of giving folks work that they like to do instead of making them trudge through things that aren't fun. I personally suck at doing graphics, so there's a no-brainer.

P!: On the development front, what types of qualities, experience, and education do you look for in your staff?

CW: HARD WORK. Okay, I'll elaborate. Yes, you need to have some basic skills such as problem solving, a basic understanding of programming, and basic understanding of how stuff fits together – in other words, what things go into a web page from the server all the way to the browser. But most of all you need to like what you're doing and you need to be a self-motivated, hard worker – I can't say it enough.

P!: So specifically in regards to InterWorx, what is the relationship between it and NEXCESS.NET at this point? Is it the same staff?

CW: As of September 15, 2005, the InterWorx name and its IP are properties of InterWorx L.L.C. which is splitting from NEXCESS.NET. The same InterWorx staff – previously NEXCESS.NET staff – will be doing what they do best but development will proceed under the new company.

P!: I'm aware of several different *Worx packages Could you tell us a little about InterWorx, NodeWorx, SiteWorx, NOCWorx and any other *worx and how all of these fit together?

CW: InterWorx-CP is a load-balancing and clustering control panel. It is comprised of two subtools, NodeWorx for admin and reseller level interfaces and SiteWorx for webmaster level interfaces. NOCWorx was under development for data centers to use as a NOC management system and was deployed at Sago Networks and All-Managed but has since ceased development.

P!: How did the whole Interworx idea get started and how has it progressed?

CW: When NEXCESS.NET first started we began looking for a control panel system. We honestly weren't real happy with the options and at the time every employee had a software background so we decided we would try to give it a go. We had seen the multitude of "I'm going to start my own control panel" posts on WebHostingTalk.com and just looking at the success rate for folks that started and failed made us cautious. I think our advantage was that initially we were going to be the only customer. So if we we failed it was going to be no worse than just going back to choosing one of the other options. Luckily it didn't fail and we grew our homegrown panel into a marketable tool for web hosts like us.

P!: What have you tried to do with InterWorx to make it unique among other control panels?

CW: We're targeting the growing web host. Automation is key and a solid growth path is as well if you're going to make money in this business. For growth, we have our new load balanced clustering solution that is built into InterWorx-CP. It allows admins to simply add resources as needed to the cluster for linear expansion. It's the first load balancing cluster panel on the market and is where the hosting industry has been headed for a while in my opinion.

P!: Sounds like you are heading into uncharted waters.

CW: InterWorx-CP is the first load balanced clustering control panel and we're pushing the envelope with every release into new territory. Look for High Availability extensions soon as well to extend the clustering ability of the line. Our API is also very robust and allows control over many CP functions without ever logging into the CP itself.

P!: What platforms will InterWorx operate on?

CW: Currently, most RPM based distributions – RedHat 9, CentOS 3.x and 4.x, RedHat Enterprise 3.x and 4.x, White Box Linux 3.x and 4.x, and Fedora Core 1, 2, and 3.

P!: What programming languages were used to develop InterWorx-CP?

CW: I'd estimate it at 99% PHP and 1% other. We stuck to PHP when we could to lean on its cross-platform nature but had to stray in parts to get things sorted.

P!: What does InterWorx-CP cost to use and what sorts of licensing options do you offer?

CW: We have a few licensing options depending on where you buy your license from. If you buy directly from us we have leased licenses starting at $24.95 / month with discounts for longer commitments and one-time licenses for $294.95 updates for six months included. We also have a free single domain license available if you'd like to test out the software or just want to run it with one domain. If you purchase from one of our Reseller-Partners you may find more options. Reseller-Partners have access to VPS licenses as well as 35 domain limited licenses which give them a little more flexibility with bundling InterWorx-CP.

P!: What can clients expect in terms of support with those costs?

CW: Prompt answers and solutions. We treat InterWorx-CP clients the same way NEXCESS.NET treats its shared hosting clients. We have a thriving user community and as our user base grows so will the community.

P!: Assuming that developing your own control panel isn't all roses, what has been the most difficult part of supporting and developing InterWorx-CP?

CW: I will say one downfall of creating a control panel is that we invariably get tickets about issues that aren't even closely related to the control panel system. Apparently we're the only folks that respond – I don't think there's a free ticket system for Fedora anywhere – and we get the brunt of random system administration questions. We unfortunately can't help in these situations but we'll at least try to point clients in the right direction.

P!: When we discussed hosting, you mentioned the importance of being a competent systems administrator if you want to run your own dedicated server. With that in mind, how difficult is InterWorx to install and update?

CW: We're very proud of our installation infrastructure. InterWorx-CP is 100% package based and installs easily via a bash script that relies heavily on YUM – this is a good thing. We have options for doing kickstart installs or simply by running the installer bash script at the command line. Automation is easy if you'd like to script solutions yourself as the install can be run in a headless mode which requires no user input.

P!: Without divulging any secrets, are you seeing any trends in terms of InterWorx clients?

CW: The response since HostingCon.2005 has been tremendous and really put us on the map. We'll be at HostingCon.2006 in Las Vegas as well and given the response in '05 we'll be making it an annual event.

P!: What types of clients are you finding most interested in InterWorx-CP – your own clients with dedicated servers, smaller web hosts, large corporations or others?

CW: It honestly varies. The folks buying licenses directly from InterWorx seem to be split between companies who run their own servers (not needing a Reseller-Partner for server support) or hosting firms and individuals who just like dealing directly with us for billing, support, etc. These are usually InterWorx-CP early adopters.

P!: We already discussed the hours involved in the hosting and development industries. It seems like there is a marriage between tech careers and crazy hours and sleep habits which can be difficult for those of us with families. Between InterWorx and NEXCESS.NET, how do you find time for family and a life of your own?

CW: It's rough and my wife will attest to it. She's a busy-body as is and we have to schedule time together some weeks just to catch up. Having businesses that are mainly net based have their perks in that the office need not be the main work spot but it's a double edged sword. Working from home on evenings and weekends isn't always ideal for the family.

P!: Do you find that as a developer and web host that you have more free time or less than if you were working the typical 9-to-5?

CW: [laughter]

P!: As we all know, when it rains it pours in this business. Does there ever come a time when you just have to stop answering emails and hand over responsibilities to an assistant?

CW: I'll be the first to admit I get bogged down in email more often than I should. I don't hand over my email responsibility usually. I will delegate items I know others can handle to them but if it's addressed to me I'll usually handle it – it's just a matter of when. So if you email me directly, DO expect a response, but I can't always guarantee same-day delivery.

P!: A lot of folks in this industry never seem to get away
from computers because much of their relaxation time involves computers and most of their news comes from the Internet. Do you find that most of your non-working time is spent on a computer or as far away from technology as you can get?

CW: I'm always near a computer and more precisely a box with Internet access. It's a tether but I apparently have this nervous disease much like an addict going cold turkey from their drug of choice. I just can't be away from a computer for more than 4 or 5 hours – sad, but true.

P!: What would you say about your college experience most prepared you for where you are today?

CW: I must give props to the University of Michigan. Their software development "training" was very much on target with real-world conditions. We often joke during development of InterWorx-CP that a given section "feels like EECS 481" and it's true. Many of us work jacked up on Moutain Dew (Cullen prefers Code Red) until the wee hours of the night and “turn in" our projects for grading with mistakes. Luckily, the graders here are more forgiving and the deadlines are a tad more malleable.

P!: What about your college experience could have been changed to have better prepared you?

CW: U of M, as many schools, was simply behind in the programming languages they saw as important. I have the honor of having taken Fortran and I'm happy to say that I haven't seen a line of code of it since I finished the class circa 1994. Web development, while a new profession at the time, wasn't even considered software engineering but rather more of a toy thing that programmers would do on the side for their own personal sites. They have been getting better last I checked and have some experimental courses set up for professors to take on these kinds of teaching projects.

P!: For those wanting to start either their own companies or work as independent contractors in a technological field, what advice would you give?

CW: No matter how much BS is thrown your way in the form of “That's dumb,” “It'll never work,” “It's been done before” or in the form of hidden fees, bills you didn't expect, etc., just keep chugging along. Persistence is the key and hard work will do more for you than you can imagine.

P!: Would you then say it would be more useful for them to major in business and learn the technical aspects on the side or major in the technical aspects and learn the business aspects on the side?

CW: If you like business, go to business school. If you like tech stuff, go into some tech field. While having both combined would be great in theory – I've often thought about getting an MBA – the time just isn't there if your business takes off. I'd also suggest starting as early as
possible. Much of the on-the-job training can't be taught and the earlier you start the earlier you can get the mistakes under your belt.

P!: You mentioned that you had a great experience at HostingCon.2005. What sort of interest did that generate?

CW: More than we had hoped. Before HostingCon.2005, InterWorx-CP just wasn't on the map. We were rarely spoken of or looked at. Since the show, we've had overwhelming results both in sales and buzz. Look for this buzz to continue as some big name DCs start offering InterWorx-CP in the coming weeks.

P!: What were the most common questions that visitors to your booth had?

CW: Do you support Windows? “No.” Do you support FreeBSD? “We will.” How are you different than <competitor panel name>? “We're a web hosting firm that built a control panel from the experiences of web hosting. We build with the admin in mind – edit any file you want on the system and InterWorx-CP will cope.”

P!: What features were they most interested in?

CW: Our then unreleased load balanced cluster support. We had many folks ask the hard questions and be pleasantly surprised when we had the "right" answers.

P!: What is in the near future for NEXCESS.NET and InterWorx that you are most excited about?

CW: For NEXCESS.NET we'll be doing some major back-end restructuring and growth in both our DC space and our offerings. We'll be adding VPS solutions to the mix and possibly some managed dedicated offerings. For InterWorx-CP there's a laundry list of new features on the way. We'll be releasing the High Availability extensions to InterWorx-CP later this year which will take the load balancing clustering ability of the software to the next level.

P!: How so?

CW: It will allow for multiple load balancers with failover and many more options for setting roles for given clustered nodes. We'll also have a inter-datacenter clustering option available as well to load balance between multiple data centers.

P!: And how about the distant future?

CW: Ahh, I wish I could look that far ahead. Growth, or at least that's what we plan on.

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Chris Wells of NEXCESS.NET and InterWorx

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