Latest news with #HostingAdvice
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Why Post-Quantum Cryptography Can't Wait For Tomorrow
Ryan Frankel is President & CTO of HostingAdvice. Much like nuclear fusion, it seems quantum computing is always a decade or two away from hitting the mainstream. Giant machines crunching calculations in parallel would give them the ability to crack encryption that would take today's fastest supercomputer millions of years. While we're certainly still a few years away from this, bad actors are already ingeniously preparing for the moment. They're stealing and storing encrypted data, betting that in five or 10 years, they'll have access to a quantum computer capable of unlocking it. This tactic, known as harvest-now-decrypt-later, turns someday into a ticking clock for organizations managing sensitive data. For those of us working in data centers, cloud infrastructure, web hosting and related services, this risk is fast becoming a security vector that we can no longer ignore. If your business handles sensitive information, such as financial transactions, customer records and contracts, some of that data will still matter years from now. And when quantum computers get up to speed, everything encrypted with traditional methods can be fair game. Luckily, I'm not the only one who has thought about this. Companies are starting to release post-quantum cryptography that will help alleviate this concern, even if it doesn't totally resolve it. Most of our encryption stays safe behind complex math problems that are hard for classical computers to solve. With enough time, current computers can, in theory, break that encryption—but it would take centuries. If current computers are opening one door at a time, quantum computers are opening all of the doors at once. It is speed that enables them to easily foil today's encryption techniques. While, as Richard Feynman famously said, 'nobody understands quantum mechanics,' folks understand it enough to have built current computers of more than 1,000 qubits. The day someone gets a quantum machine running at scale, the encryption we trust could become obsolete almost overnight. It won't just compromise future data. It will unlock whatever is sitting in storage, collected years before. Post-quantum cryptography (PQC for short) is a set of tools and techniques designed to stay secure even against quantum computers. These systems rely on mathematical puzzles that quantum machines can't easily solve. If you follow the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) ongoing project to standardize PQC algorithms, you've probably heard the terms 'Kyber' and 'Dilithium.' Kyber is quantum-safe encryption and Dilithium is a digital signature that quantum computers cannot easily forge. These tools are already moving from research to practice. Cloud providers are testing them and browsers are experimenting with them. Some companies are layering PQC into TLS (the technology that keeps websites secure), so even if quantum decryption becomes possible, the locks will still hold. Even if you're not ready to jump in with both feet, you can start taking practical steps now to get ready: • Take inventory. Make a list of where encryption is used in your business. Focus on what needs to stay secure for years to come. Backups, archives and long-term contracts are good places to start. • Talk to your vendors. Ask your cloud and hosting providers how they're planning for the quantum transition. If they don't have an answer yet, press for a plan. • Experiment early. Some tools already support 'hybrid' encryption, pairing current algorithms with quantum-resistant ones. Set up test environments and see how they perform. • Educate your teams. Bring your developers and security staff up to speed. Even a basic understanding of what PQC is and why it matters will help them make informed decisions down the road. • Keep watch. Standards are still evolving. NIST will finalize recommendations soon, and leading organizations like Cloudflare and Google regularly share updates and guides. Appoint someone on your team to follow this closely. The biggest misconception about post-quantum cryptography is that it's a problem for the next decade. In reality, the groundwork you lay today is what will protect you tomorrow. Switching to new encryption systems is becoming easier and will be at the flip of the switch in the coming months. Every week you wait is another week attackers can collect encrypted data that may still be valuable years down the line. Quantum computing may still be in its early stages, but its impact on security is already here. Harvest-now-decrypt-later isn't a theory—it's happening. You don't have to overhaul everything today. But you do have to begin. Inventory your systems. Talk to your providers. Test the tools. Stay informed. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
HostingAdvice Premiers Inaugural Web Developer Choice Awards, Announces First Wave of Winners
HostingAdvice, the leading authority on web hosting reviews, in-depth guides, and industry news, today announced the launch of its inaugural Web Developer Choice Awards. This new awards program is designed to honor the best web hosting providers as chosen by the developers who rely on their services daily. Unlike traditional awards based on algorithms or expert opinions, the Web Developer Choice Awards prioritize authentic performance and real satisfaction directly from the web developer community. The awards reflect the true sentiment and professional standards of the individuals building and maintaining their infrastructure and presence online. 'We are incredibly proud and excited to introduce the Web Developer Choice Awards,' said Ryan Frankel, president and chief technology officer of HostingAdvice. 'There are a lot of hosting awards that are doled out by industry experts, and that's great, they're experts for a reason. But we wanted to hear from the people who use these services professionally over the course of their career and won't hold back on their opinions. When your livelihood depends on hosting infrastructure that doesn't buckle under pressure, you remember who delivers and who doesn't. This recognition is of real-world performance.' is proud to announce the first group of winners in the inaugural 2025 Web Developer Choice Awards: These awards are a testament to the providers who truly empower the developer community. The awards employ a rigorous methodology to ensure fairness, legitimacy and industry relevance: There are an additional 19 medals across 5 categories to be awarded over the next few months. Stay tuned to the Web Developer Choice Awards homepage for all future unveilings. About HostingAdvice HostingAdvice is a web hosting reviews company, complete with educational resources for IT professionals, small business owners and anyone interested in building their online presence. HostingAdvice publishes daily news stories for the hosting, IT and developer communities. For more information, visit or follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter. Media Contact Adam Blacker [email protected] ### SOURCE: HostingAdvice Copyright 2025 EZ Newswire
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Future-Proof Your Hosting: Liquid Web and HostingAdvice Announce Free VPS Webinar for SMBs, August 14, 2025
Learn how to scale smarter with faster, more secure VPS hosting built for growth. ATLANTA, Aug. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Liquid Web, part of CloudOne Digital and a leader in high-performance hosting for growing businesses and enterprise teams, is teaming up with HostingAdvice to offer a free, expert-led VPS webinar designed to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) navigate the evolving world of web hosting in 2025. Secure, Fast, and Scalable: Exploring VPS Hosting Trends for SMBs in 2025Thursday, August 14, 20252:00 PM ESTLive Webinar + Q&ARegister now for free Join Liquid Web's Sr. Director of Product Marketing, Chris LaNasa, and HostingAdvice CTO Ryan Frankel for an in-depth session on how VPS hosting is helping businesses stay ahead of rising digital demands, without overinvesting in cloud complexity. What you'll learn: The current state of SMB hosting — what's working, what's failing. Key VPS trends for 2025 and why SMBs are making the switch. How VPS boosts speed, SEO, and security vs. shared hosting. When to upgrade, especially ahead of the seasonal traffic surges Actionable steps to prepare your infrastructure for growth. Whether you're scaling an ecommerce site, supporting clients, or managing your own portfolio, this webinar gives you the practical insight you need to stay competitive. Why Hosting Decisions Can't Wait Today's consumers expect instant, seamless online experiences, and they won't wait. According to Liquid Web's Black Friday research, just three seconds of load time can increase bounce rates by 32 percent. At five seconds, that figure jumps to 90 percent, a massive loss in potential revenue. VPS gives SMBs the performance and flexibility of dedicated hosting, without the cost or complexity of cloud infrastructure. With the VPS market projected to hit $19 billion by 2030, SMBs are choosing scalable, secure solutions to fuel their digital growth. Who Should Attend Business owners who want faster, more reliable sites. IT teams managing infrastructure with limited time or resources. Developers looking for scalable hosting that adapts to demand Agencies and consultants supporting performance driven SMB clients. Whether you're preparing for seasonal traffic spikes or planning a long-term upgrade, this session offers practical guidance you can apply immediately. All registrants will receive the full recording and slide presentation, even if they can't attend live. Get Hosting that Grows With You "In 2025, growing small and midsized businesses can't afford to compromise on performance or security, but they also can't afford bloated infrastructure. VPS strikes that critical balance," says Chris LaNasa, Sr. Director of Product Marketing at Liquid Web. "At Liquid Web, we've spent nearly 30 years helping businesses scale smarter. This webinar is part of our continued commitment to empower SMBs with hosting solutions that meet today's demands and tomorrow's growth." To learn more about VPS hosting, visit Register Now This webinar is free, packed with expert advice, and designed to deliver results you can act on today. Reserve your spot now to future-proof your hosting in 2025 and beyond. About Liquid Web As part of CloudOne Digital, Liquid Web delivers reliable, secure, and scalable cloud infrastructure tailored to the needs of small businesses, regulated digital enterprises, performance-centric teams, and enterprise backbone institutions. With more than 25 years of proven success, we power mission-critical websites, ecommerce stores, and applications with premium hosting and hands-on support. Trusted by nearly 200,000 customers worldwide, Liquid Web's global presence and exceptional service make us a partner businesses rely on. Our expert team is available 24/7/365 to ensure performance and peace of mind. Most recently named Best Dedicated Hosting Provider for 2025 by HostAdvice, Liquid Web continues to lead through innovation, trust, and unwavering customer commitment. For media inquiries, please contact:Media Contact Name: Amanda ValleTitle: Global DirectorEmail: media@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Liquid Web Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
07-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Hiring For HostingOps: A New Era For CTOs
Ryan Frankel is President & CTO of HostingAdvice. HostingOps, or hosting operations, is a term I've found myself using more and more when I'm discussing hosting, storage and general infrastructure with colleagues. By my definition, HostingOps is the management, automation and optimization of web and storage infrastructure. Lately, as I've been on the hunt for some new employees, I've started to think about our infrastructure and the skills that I'd be looking for to maintain it. Increasingly more companies are using a combination of cloud and on-premises hosting infrastructure, and there should be a term (i.e., job title) that denotes a team's or one's expertise in building and maintaining a company's hosting infrastructure. Enter HostingOps. HostingOps Vs. DevOps: A Clearer Way To Think About Operations DevOps started with good intentions—tear down silos, speed up delivery and automate everything. But somewhere along the way, it became a buzzword buffet, slapped on everything from culture to Kubernetes. These days, saying someone 'does DevOps' can mean anything or nothing at all. HostingOps brings the focus back to what actually keeps websites and apps running: owning infrastructure, scaling smartly and making sure the backend doesn't catch fire at three in the morning. With HostingOps, roles are clearer and responsibilities are grounded. According to a 2024 report, 80% of organizations practice DevOps, but many still struggle with its implementation and clarity of roles. By adopting HostingOps, we aim to provide a clearer framework for our teams, focusing on the specific challenges of managing diverse hosting infrastructures. HostingOps Vs. CloudOps: Not Just About The Cloud Anymore CloudOps is very pragmatically all about the cloud. It's specialized. But in 2021, about 80% of companies operated with some version of a hybrid cloud, especially with cloud repatriation taking hold over the past few years. Legacy systems, regulatory constraints and performance needs—plenty of workloads still live on-prem, in colocation racks or out at the edge. HostingOps encompasses this entire spectrum that's today's infrastructure reality. It doesn't matter where your infrastructure lives—just that it works, scales and stays secure. Whether you're running on AWS, in a basement server room or on a foggy mountain edge node, HostingOps meets you where you are. It reflects the messy, hybrid world most teams are actually working in. How HostingOps Helps You Hire The Right People Ask five companies what a 'DevOps engineer' does and you'll get five different answers. For some, it's automation wizardry. For others, it's babysitting CI/CD pipelines. The title's almost like a Rorschach test for tech teams. HostingOps brings much-needed clarity. It's about tangible responsibilities: infrastructure ownership, performance tuning, cost management and reliability. That means job descriptions truly match the work, and hiring managers can find candidates who know what they're signing up for. No more guessing games and roulette. This clarity helps candidates understand expectations and allows us to assess skills more effectively. HostingOps gives you the framework to handle today's complexity, and if done well, sets you up to adapt as that complexity grows. That means tighter performance, better cost control and better protection for your brand. HostingOps isn't just another tech buzzword—to me, it's a reflection of how the job has changed. The boundaries between cloud and on-prem, dev and ops, and infra and app are breaking down. What's emerging is a new discipline that demands both technical depth and operational range. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Kidfluencers: Balancing compliance and reach
HighlightsIn India, 37% of Generation Alpha children aspire to become social media influencers, reflecting a significant shift in childhood ambitions from traditional careers to digital stardom. The number of kid influencers (under 16) on Instagram in India surged to 83,212 by March 2025, with a notable 41% growth since April 2024, predominantly featuring young girls. India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act aims to protect children under 18 from using social media, but enforcement remains a challenge, leading to potential vulnerabilities for young content creators. First, they won the pageant stage; then they shone on the silver screen — now, these pint-sized stars dazzle through our smartphones. Welcome to the era of the ' kidfluencer '. In today's social media age, the playground has become more of a virtual concept, with the excitement of swings and slides replaced by shares and sponsorships. Toddlers unbox toys for views, children share the stage with sponsored content and family vlogs transform bedtime routines into branded narratives. Complex world This is the evolving reality for today's kidfluencers. Some have barely hit adolescence and yet, they are already building brands and commanding audiences in millions, while navigating the complex world of content creation, parental management and online scrutiny. Dreams of becoming an astronaut have been replaced by ambitions of social media stardom. According to a 2024 survey by US-based tech website Hosting Advice, 37% of Gen Alpha kids (born 2010-2025) in India aspire to become social media influencers . While precise figures can fluctuate, industry reports indicate that their primary revenue stream comes from sponsored content. In the US, brands allocate budgets ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 per sponsored post or video from successful kidfluencers. In fact, even a nano-influencer can get $600 per post. Following criticism, Instagram and TikTok have made it mandatory for users to be at least 13 years. But this rule is easily circumvented as children are already building online empires, guided by their parents, via 'momfluencers' or 'momagers'. Concerns about the safety of these youngsters have led governments across the world to take action, from Europe's strict GDPR to the US tightening controls on TikTok and child data collection. France has passed a law that safeguards child influencers ' earnings and limits their working hours, while Australia has banned all children under 16 from using social media. In India, however, regulations remain a step behind, leaving young content creators vulnerable. These dynamics, fraught with both opportunities and pitfalls, echo the unsettling narratives explored in shows such as Adolescence and Bad Influence, where the digital world casts long shadows on young lives. What are the consequences of these blurred lines between childhood and online commerce? Cradle to content India's digital landscape is teeming with young talent. According to influencer marketing platform Qoruz, the number of kid influencers (under 16) on Instagram in India reached 83,212 by March 2025, with a 41% growth from April 2024. These creators, predominantly girls (68.69%), command an average engagement rate of 3.17% and a reach of 1,20,000 per influencer. Micro-influencers (10K to 100K followers) dominate at 59.15%, reflecting a broad base of niche, engaged communities. Anantya Anand, better known as MyMissAnand , embodies the rise of the kidfluencers in India. 'I enjoy being in front of the camera,' she says, recalling how she began as a four-year-old encouraged by her mother. Anantya was eight when she got her first brand deal; today she's 16 and boasts of deals with Disney and Nestlé. 'It's a full-time job managing her account's content,' says her mother, Nisha Topwal. 'It's still a hit and trial strategy for us.' For many others in Anantya's space, the journey started with a love for performing, later guided by digital-savvy parents. Alongside kidfluencers are the 'momfluencers', whose parenting content often features their children. According to Qoruz, India had over 3,79,265 parenting influencers on Instagram in India by March 2025. Women continue to lead this space, accounting for 63.59% of creators, reflecting their role as primary content drivers and household decision-makers. Avantika Bahuguna, a momfluencer and founder of Momsleague, says that her teenaged daughter occasionally features in her content, but only with her consent. As platforms tighten age restrictions, Bahuguna sees an opportunity: 'It's a great time to shift the spotlight back on us,' she says. Where law meets likes India's legal framework for social media age limits is evolving. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) bars children under 18 from using social media. 'Parental consent will also be required, but currently all this has not been enforced,' says Mallika Noorani, senior partner at Parinam Law Associates. Until the DPDPA is notified, platforms such as Meta and YouTube rely on their global 'Terms of Use', setting 13 as the minimum age. Noorani notes, 'If a local law sets a higher age limit, that would take precedence.' This reliance on platform guidelines often leads to workarounds. Anantya Anand's account, for instance, is managed by her mother, Nisha. 'In India, I think it's after 16 or 18 that she can manage her own account, but currently it's managed by me,' Nisha explains. Rules that aim to protect kids' privacy and safety also end up being a challenge for creators and brands. For instance, YouTube's 'Made for Kids' label restricts personalised ads, affecting monetisation. Meta's stricter privacy settings limit reach and engagement of young influencers. Ethical responsibility is also key for brands targeting children. Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary general of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), stresses the importance of clear privacy laws, explicit consent for data collection and responsible, transparent marketing practices. 'This includes strict adherence to age restrictions on platforms and a shared responsibility between brands and guardians,' Kapoor states. Brands on alert Brands like Funskool India rely on kid and momfluencers for authentic storytelling. Its Instagram and Facebook campaigns focus on mothers to promote developmental play, aligning with child safety values. Philip Royappan, GM of sales and marketing, Funskool, believes that stricter age limits won't affect their strategy, as 'our collaborations are centred around parents'. The brand is also exploring content hubs and YouTube playlists for parents to stay compliant. 'Our campaigns focus on play value, not unboxing hype,' he adds, underscoring their commitment to responsible content. Meanwhile, since 2023, Unilever globally has tightened its rules on food and drink advertising, pledging to stop targeting children under 16 across all media. Its statement reads: 'A key part of this updated policy is the ban on using influencers, celebrities or social media stars who are under 16 or primarily appeal to that age group. The move aims to promote responsible marketing in the digital age and support parents.' Adding a broader perspective, Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, CEO of Qoruz, notes a global shift: 'Campaign briefs now often include explicit clauses about age verification and consent.' The price of influence But what about the psychological risks of social media on young minds? 'Being part of social media content from a young age can shape how they see themselves,' says Bahuguna. Stricter age limits could alleviate this pressure, giving kids the space to grow without a digital footprint. Anantya's detachment from comments — 'I've never really cared enough to go through them' — suggests a coping mechanism, but not all kids may be as insulated as she is. In Adolescence, for instance, the lead character was disturbed by online comments, once again showing how deeply such interactions can affect their mental health. As social media age limits tighten, the influencer ecosystem is at a crossroads. Kid influencers like Anantya may need to pause or pivot. Brands are already adapting with parent-focused campaigns and alternative platforms, ensuring compliance without sacrificing reach. But while platforms like Meta and YouTube change their global guidelines, India's regulatory bodies will need to consider the implications and the delicate balance between opportunity and exploitation for these young digital stars. Bhuvaneswar says, 'The future of influencer marketing will not just be about engagement metrics, but also about ethical storytelling and regulatory alignment.' In India, where the kid influencer boom shows no signs of slowing, these changes signal a shift toward a safer, more responsible digital space — one where tiny stars can shine without burning out.
