Google’s ‘Panda’ update is the search giants latest algorithm alteration, which was bought into action in the US to tackle data farming and poor link building. First launched in February, the update has now reached the UK, and is causing a fair amount of controversy thanks to its dramatic and sudden effect on page ranking for many notable sites.

To browse through some of the current winners and losers resulting from the change, click here.

Google’s intentions may well have been in favor of the searcher, but have undoubtedly effected many large sites negatively – and for no good reason. Some of the sites now making complaints have noted that they only publish original and relevant content, yet are still heavily penalised by the new algorithm. It will be very interesting to see where the results will settle over the coming months, particularly as more companies begin to question the validity of the changes.

One factor causing major concern for many malefactors of the new algorithm is the positive impact the changes have had on Google’s own subsidaries, such as Youtube. It could be argued that this is simply because they, as owned or part-owned subsidiaries, understand exactly how to work with Google’s indexing requirements. However, many are beginning to shift towards the opinion of subtle sabotage – amplified by the negative effects felt by many large competitors owned by the likes of Microsoft. If one thing can be said for certain, it is that heavy-hitters like Microsoft will not sit back quietly and allow their page rankings to slip. With Ciao.co.uk (Microsoft’s large online shopping portal) having lost -93.83% of their Google traffic, there is no doubt that changes still need to be made, whether that be at Google’s end, or at the end of those effected.

It should be noted that the changes are ongoing, and will settle over time.

If you are looking for a simple off-the-peg hosting solution, you can browse almost anywhere online and find a suitable solution in minutes. Tailored servers and colocation services? Well, you may need to look a little harder for the more professional providers in this particular market, but finding one should still come with relative ease. Specialist hosting? Thats an entirely different problem.

Of course, a dedicated server can be used for almost any purpose and has limitless potential; given the right know-how. Yet there are certain types of hosted service that require a little more care and attention. One such service, overlooked by the hosting industry at large for many years, is IUCLID 5 Chemical Database Hosting – remarkable considering the number of organisations heavily reliant on the International Uniform Chemical Information Database.

This specialist software has been a key part of any organisation dealing in chemical research for a number of years now. In-house hosting has been the only real solution for many firms, requiring expert knowledge of server functionality as well as adding to stress of the core business activities. Naturally, any business dealing in such an academically intense environment could do with such a requirement being outsourced. Some organisations have outsourced the hardware requirements to hosting providers in the past, yet still required in-house IT departments to configure and operate the system. This IT requirement would sometimes be outsourced as well as the hardware requirements, to independent IT firms commanding outrageous working fees.

These problems however, are now a thing of the past. Hosting, configuration and continued support can now be found in one location within the UK. Netwise Hosting have responded to demand and now offer a fully comprehensive package for all your IUCLID requirements. Please visit the Specialist Hosting page for more information on our exact IUCLID service package.

We also offer specialist Parallels Virtuozzo Container hosting, with details further explained on the Specialist Hosting page also.

As is the case when handling nation-wide income during a recession, VAT, taxation and interest rates enter a ‘limbo-like’ pattern of dips and rises in an attempt to balance the books. The UK has seen a fair degree of change over the past couple of years, with VAT falling from the long-standing 17.5% down to 15%, and back up to 17.5% again shortly after. This was intended to boost public spending in an attempt to climb out of the economic slump; a tactic positioned to deal with the problem of recession head on. Interest rates fell to a Bank of England base rate set at 0.5%, which limited the potential gain on saving money, further promoting widespread spending (as well as working towards the protection of a weak banking system).

However, VAT is set to rise yet again from 17.5% to 20% very soon. This has illustrated a shift in the general focus and approach of Government in clawing back funds to rebuild the economy and work towards repaying the UK’s large debts. Increasing VAT will give a guaranteed boost to Governmental cashflow. The major problem here is that it could promote a dip in overall spending (particularly in the luxury item markets) and relies on the British public to make up for the UK’s economic shortfall.

Netwise Hosting will of course have to follow suit and increase VAT on all products and services purchase on or after the 1st of January 2011. Leading on from this, we are currently planning to offer our customers (both new and existing) an exciting new promotion allowing full advantage to be taken of the 17.5% rate still active up until 2011.

We are offering all our clients the opportunity to pay for their services and other related fees in advance and so enjoy savings into the new year. The more you pay in advance, the more you are set to save in the future. To add further value to this offer, we will also give you one month of service absolutely free when taking up this unique opportunity. This applies to renewals, existing contracts and new customers.

We hope this goes some way towards saving you money during this hard time, and adds a greater degree of value to your service. If you would like a complete breakdown of how much this offer can save you, do not hesitate to contact us today. Take advantage of this promotion as quickly as possible to enjoy the largest savings.

All existing customers will be contacted directly with additional information soon.

The ongoing debate surrounding all things ‘net-neutrality’ has been raging for quite some time now. Internet Service Providers became the catalyst for the arguments, with their initial attempts to capitalise more effectively on ever-increasing network speeds and bandwidth availability. Many stood up against this call for action, however it has slowly found its way into our everyday interactions with the internet.

Tarif providers for the iPhone/other smart phones have recently announced plans to remove their unlimited data plans and replace them with bandwidth usage charges. A number of ISP’s now also cap data allowances and charge/throttle back speeds once an agreed limit has been met. The argument on the providers side is that users are now too data-hungry, and are stressing conventional networks to breaking point. The riposte from internet users across the globe is an argument of net-neutrality; essentially the notion that the internet should be free from the boundaries incurred throughout many other activities in society. Of course, this comes within reason, but the basic premise is that people should have a free reign on the internet, and that all users have equal opportunities in accessing the web.

Naturally, this is not always the case. The ‘level playing field’ idea never stands true in the real world, as there are already a number of options when it comes to internet access depending on location and budgetary constraints. Yet recent discussions between a number of key players in the industry could soon push such limitations too far.

The idea drawn up between Google and Verizon is that of a two-tiered internet. This would allow ISP’s to place priorities on traffic and how it is routed to end users, thus removing any idea of a neutral and unbiased level of access to the net. Protests have been underway outside the Google offices in California, voicing the opinions of internet users as a whole.

Google have released a post on their blog with more information regarding where they officially stand on the matter – seen here.

So what does all this mean for users of the internet? Well, not much at this time. It could all be thrown out by Congress regardless of what the corporations have to say, yet the power and leverage of both Google and Verizon could prove effective in pushing this newly proposed legislation through. Yet people do need to step back and realise that a consequence of living in a free-market economy is that total net-neutrality is not possible. Access is already tiered by speed depending on your connection type and payment plan. The danger here is that a ‘pay-to-play’ plan is pushed through, and global network traffic is managed, sorted and even restricted depending on who you are and how you are accessing the internet. This could well lead to massive inequallities across the board – a backward step in anyones book.

Netwise Hosting continue to support the idea of net-neutrality, and will always maintain our networks as equally across the board as is possible.