Plesk Panel

2014: Parallels Plesk 12

On June 16, 2014 the Parallels company announced release of a new solution for control of Parallels Plesk 12 Web servers.

As a part of a product the integrated security aids "server website", the full-function WordPress tools, new abilities to manage mail accounts and spam.

The version of Plesk 12 is submitted in four different editions, in each of which there are functions developed especially for web administrators, application developers, web studios and hosting providers.

The purpose of each of editions Plesk 12 – to simplify infrastructure management for a hosting of websites and web applications for four different audiences. Each of editions includes the new core based on the Fail2ban and ModSecurity systems, - the instruments of protection which are most demanded today in the market for a hosting of the websites and web applications. Besides, in edition Plesk 12 the new WordPress Toolkit tools which allow to manage on a centralized basis multiple installations of WordPress are implemented and to ensure their safety.

Four editions of the new Plesk 12 panel:

• Plesk Web Admin Edition: edition is optimized for individual users, individuals and the organizations which work with websites and mail of the company, the client or with own;
• Plesk Web App Edition: it is focused on a hosting of web applications and games, for developers who work on them for themselves or the clients, and most often develop only one application on one Web server. Allows to limit the user's rights in a product, to administer the servers and domains from any mobile devices and also to be protected from typical attacks on software;
• Plesk Web Pro Edition: for the web studios and the digital-agencies practicing creation of the websites independently or on the basis of CMS (for example, WordPress). Allows to manage the websites, mail, the user accounts, the server, the security level set to WordPress and provides common defense of the websites and the server;
• Plesk Web Host Edition: for hosters who offer a virtual hosting (shared hosting) for a great number of users. This edition differs in additional opportunities for the organization of multiple user access, support of resale of services by resellers, management of subscriptions and accounts and also the built-in instruments of security for the websites and the server in general and the websites on WordPress in particular.

The updated significant functions:

• The built-in tools on management of WordPress. WordPress Toolkit significantly simplifies daily tasks of management and security of the websites on WordPress and allows web studios, hosters, and if desired – and to their clients:
  • to Manage multiple installations by WordPress, plug-ins and subjects from the single interface;
  • it is easy to set, update and delete WordPress and also to activate and delete plug-ins and subjects;
  • it is safe to implement WordPress and to strengthen protection of the existing installations using the most widespread recommended security settings with a possibility of their selective canceling (in case of any problems with compatibility).

• Increase in security. The new security kernel in Plesk 12 combines support of the ModSecurity, Fail2Ban and Outbound Antispam tools. It gives the chance:
• Ensure safety of servers, protecting them from purposeful attacks on the known or recently detected vulnerabilities;
  • Automatically to prevent in real time attacks of malefactors on the websites, rummaging web requests before connection with the website;
  • Preventively to block accounts from which spam is sent, preventing a possibility of getting of servers into black lists.

2013

Parallels Plesk 11.5

The Parallels company released the new version - 11.5 solutions, the press service of the company reported on July 2, 2013.

The main changes in Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 concern improvement of security and simplification of management of transactions, both from service providers, and from users: the interface is processed, possibilities of free management of support and configurations and also search engine optimization are expanded.

In particular:

• Secure FTP support is entered - passwords are transferred on the ciphered protocols;
• For each website it is possible to select any version of PHP set on the server now that removes compatibility issues;
• The regime of "The hybrid Web server" when the part of the PHP applications can be started using nginx while other applications work for Apache is introduced;
• Now the majority of the Apache, nginx and IIS parameters can be configured directly in a panel;
• And reliable the procedure of migration on the new version became faster: for example, the mechanism of preliminary check of conditions of migration which will check possible difficulties of this migration and will warn about problems and restrictions prior to this process is implemented;
• The settings which are of great importance from the point of view of SEO are optimized (a forvarding of domains, correct suspension of work of the web page, etc.);
• The user interface is processed so that the important and often used functions became more available while other functions are removed the menu.

Parallels Plesk Automation (PPA)

Parallels Plesk Automation (PPA): this multi-server solution of automation for the growing hosting companies using Parallels Plesk Panel. PPA allows clients to scale their hosting and cloud business thanks to centralization of customer management and servers with a distributed architecture and also to begin providing a wide range of new services.

2012: Parallels Plesk 11

The solution Parallels Plesk 11 is developed for rendering web hosting services of new generation. Significant changes, including mobile management of services, condition monitoring of a system are made to the new version of the solution. Distinctive feature of Parallels Plesk 11 - wide tools on additional sale of services and analytics for end customers. Microsoft WebMatrix, business metrics, WebStat and indicators of search engine optimization which will help small and medium businesses to increase web presence and efficiency at social media is built in it.

On June 27, 2012 the company held the presentation of this solution for the partners and users.

11 version "are ground" for work with servers of modern architecture, supports all widespread virtualization platforms. Parallels Plesk Panel 11 has the developed system of remote monitoring of a status of resources using mobile applications for iOS, Android, Blackberry.

The end user in the 11th version is offered to undertake management of a part of services – for example, to configure hosting parameters and also to set web applications necessary to it (an antivirus and an antispam for mail, modules of online store, etc.) from the directory which is available from within a panel. Besides, the designer of the websites Parallels WebPresence Builder enters a packet of Parallels Plesk Panel 11. Parallels WebPresence Builder suggests the user to create and publish independently the website and also to perform its integration with social networks and to wage marketing campaigns in Network using the built-in tools of Google for webmasters.

2011

Parallels Plesk Panel 10.4

The control panel was optimized on security maximum efficiency of hosting business. Changes in the interface and emergence of new features made consumption of hosting services by end customers the most clear and gave them ample opportunities for independent service (including for the order and purchase even of difficult additional services) without the address to a support service of the hosting company.

According to the strategy of Parallels, the maximum efficiency of hosting software from the point of view of providers of services is reached due to automation of internal business processes (such as accounting of resources and their subsequent billing) and also for the transfer account of a number of important functions in hands to the user. During creation of Parallels Plesk Panel 10.4 a great job was done to make self-service simple, fast and clear. Clients of the hosting companies – web studios, individual entrepreneurs and small businesses - can perform independently practically any transaction connected with the domain and the website. The range of such transactions is extremely wide – from trivial tasks (to create email aliases on the domain) to absolutely difficult (deployment of the website, the blog or online store using means of the built-in designer of the websites Parallels WebPresence Builder or by means of Wordpress blogging platform). Such independence allows clients of hosters to reduce time spent for work with web projects, and to hosters – not to be distracted by routine connection / shutdown of services for users and to focus on creation of new products and service plans.

In addition to the traditional improvements of a product connected with ensuring stability of work of a panel and its high-speed performance in Parallels Plesk Panel 10.4 new opportunities for change of principal components of a product due to the user preferences PHP and management of loading of the modules Apache appeared. A mail system a hosting panel which in the new version supports work more than 100 thousand mailboxes on one server is improved. One more important option for hosters it is necessary to recognize a new "tree of versions" within which the provider can automate upgrades of each of product branches ("test", "release", "stable"). End users (clients of hosting providers) received the updated designer of the websites Parallels WebPresence Builder, support of the environment of web development of Microsoft WebMatrix and function of remote condition monitoring a hosting panel through applications for mobile devices on Android, Blackberry and iOS.

REG.RU became one of the first-ever hosters who upgraded to version 10.4 and used its opportunities for integration of service of registration of domains into a framework of a new control panel. Alexey Korolyuk, the CEO of REG.RU speaks:

"Strength of Parallels Plesk Panel – in ample opportunities of completion under requirements of hosting provider. For example, at our request the option of registration of domain name developed by specialists REG.RU in more than 150 domain zones was added to a control panel. This service can be available directly from the interface of a control panel to each client of any provider who orders services of a hosting based on Parallels Plesk Panel. In our opinion, Parallels develops the product in absolutely right direction. It helps the hosting companies to earn, equally effectively solving as tasks of small business of presence at the Internet, and global tasks of large market participants".

"Business of the hosting companies literally keeps on convenience of using, quality and stability of work of control panels, - the director of Parallels of work with partners in Russia, the CIS countries, Near East and Africa Konstantin Anisimov says. – And we as market leaders of software for service of providers help hosters to develop with two main directions - automation of their business and also providing rather big freedom to clients of the hosting companies on management of services. As a result hosters reduce the costs and increase loyalty of the clients".

Parallels Plesk Panel 10.0

More than 100 changes in three key directions are made to a product: increase in revenue of partners - hosting providers by means of Parallels software, improvement of high-speed performance of a panel, ensuring simplicity of its use. An important innovation - the module Parallels Partner Storefront. It allows to create a show-window and to automate sales process of popular software according to the SaaS model. As a result providers of classical services dedicated hosting and VPS hosting can quickly and without additional costs to expand the offered set of services.

Support of Parallels Partner Storefront does Parallels Plesk Panel 10 by the finished solution for creation of infrastructure of the order, delivery, installation and billing of cloud services for any companies. Software "is packed" according to the Application Packaging Standard (APS) specifications and becomes available to end users literally in three clicks. More than 100 popular applications, such as antivirus Kaspersky, services of video conferences Persony, registration of domains from OpenSRS, protection of payments against Comodo, software for creation of PinnacleCart online stores, etc. are submitted to Parallels Partner Storefront. The number of applications will increase both at the expense of commercial, and at the expense of free programs.

"Today even small business realized importance of presence at a World Wide Web and even more often uses difficult IT solutions from third-party suppliers. Therefore hosting providers need to offer more, than just classical services. In the new version of a control panel from Parallels everything is made to help hosters to start new cloud services without additional investments into development, software, infrastructure. Besides, the tenth version of a panel allows to migrate easily on full SaaS the Parallels Automation platform providing absolutely other level of business performance of hosting providers", - Horn Andrey, the area director on development of Parallels company in the Russian Federation and the CIS countries says.

During creation of Parallels Plesk Panel 10 the company relied on wishes of system administrators of hosting providers. So, in the new version of a panel work on performance improvement was done: there was a special version of a panel optimized under a VPS hosting and giving in this configuration a 20-40 percent gain of performance in comparison with the competing products. In particular, Parallels Plesk Panel 10 offers faster and safe shared hosting and also more effective in comparison with one of the famous competitors use of RAM of the physical or virtual server. Developers placed emphasis on stability of upgrades and also on a license policy, more convenient for providers: after prolongation of validity periods of a panel system administrators do not need to spend time for replacement of license keys.

Unlike competitors not only the functionality of a control panel by a hosting is provided in the new product Parallels. Parallels Plesk Panel 10 offers opportunities for business process automation of providers and their clients. Software includes the module Customer and Business Manager controlling a status of account balances of clients, the history of online payments etc. and also the module Parallels Sitebuilder. It allows hoster clients to create and administer independently web pages that reduces the number of transactions for a command of service provider.