Michael Follett, senior product manager for managed hosting at Webfusion
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) - After spending nearly ten years at Namesco and Dada.pro , Michael Follett quietly made the transition to senior product manager for managed hosting at Webfusion in November through an update on his LinkedIn page and Twitter.
Bringing extensive experience in managed dedicated hosting and product management, Follett says the transition has been smooth to his new role at Host Europe-owned Webfusion.
In an email interview with the WHIR, Follett discusses the opportunities he sees for himself at Webfusion, as well as what can be expected from the web hosting provider, and the market, in 2012.
WHIR: Prior to Webfusion, you were with Dada.pro and Namesco for quite a while. How has the transition to Webfusion been?
Michael Follett: In short, the transition has been remarkably smooth. On the first day following my induction, I was presented with a full schedule for the first week, which included spending time with lots of people from different departments that provided me with a solid understanding of how we work here. Everyone has been friendly and helpful, which has really helped me settle in quickly.
WHIR: How do you think, specifically, Webfusion offers you more opportunity?
MF: I initially applied to join Webfusion as I wanted to continue my career in managed dedicated hosting, but that quickly grew to wanting to work here as there is an open-door policy, which fosters a positive working environment that encourages everyone to contribute in open collaboration and promotes mutual respect. A friend, who works for a popular search engine, recently summed this up by saying that when you work with good people in a culture that allows you to express yourself, the business will benefit. So on a personal level, I hope that my career grows with the business and I can already see there is considerable scope for development at all levels by the way the company is growing.
WHIR: Your new role is in product management, so what kind of Webfusion products can we expect to see hit the market in 2012?
MF: My focus is on the managed side of dedicated hosting, so my main objective is to deliver products and services that meet the demands of online businesses in a market that is constantly maturing. In early 2012, we will introduce a new dedicated server range, expanding the choice in complementary products to provide a comprehensive solution to meet any requirement, large or small. Developing more intelligent, automated systems will improve our managed services, but it's the human element of management that offers the true value in managed hosting. I am really keen to draw on my experience to support our sales, customer care and technical teams with the aim of delivering the highest levels of service in the industry.
WHIR: Do you think Webfusion influences hosting trends in UK and Europe? Do you feel you will have an opportunity to be involved in that?
MF: As part of the Host Europe Group, we host the largest volume of virtual private servers in Europe. We currently offer VPS on various virtualization technologies, and we are constantly looking at ways in which to improve and offer better solutions. There's a natural upgrade path from virtual to dedicated servers to more complex platforms, so I consider it as a major part of my role to facilitate the ability for our customers to upgrade seamlessly as their requirements grow.
WHIR: From a product management standpoint, how is Webfusion reacting to customer demand in Europe?
MF: With over 14 years’ history, we have a wealth of in-house knowledge and experience, and this combined with strong supplier relationships, means we are able to evaluate the changing requirements in the market. Businesses have gone from bricks-and-mortar, to bricks-and-clicks, to entirely online, so it's paramount that they can rely on their domain name and hosting provider. Product management is not just about developing new products, it's about improving existing ones. At Webfusion, we regularly review ways in which we can improve features, flexibility, performance, reliability and security on our existing platforms, enabling our customers to trust us to take care of their ever-changing demands and focus on making a success of their own business.
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