David Snead Interview General Counsel of cPanel at WHD Mumbai 2015

“A lot of companies focus too much on price and not enough on what they need for their business.” ⚖️

At World Hosting Days Mumbai 2015, I spoke with David Snead, General Counsel at cPanel, about how to pick a web host you can trust. 🎙️

📊 In this episode, we unpacked:

• 🔄 Hosting at a transition point
• 📝 Start with your three make-or-break needs
• 📈 What bloggers need from a host
• 🔍 Spotting paid reviews
• 🛠️ What cPanel actually does

🎥 Watch the full episode:

🔄 Hosting at a Transition Point

David has been an attorney in web hosting since 1999. He’s also a co-founder of the advocacy group the Internet Infrastructure Coalition. 🔄

He sees hosting at a transition point. As it becomes a commodity, hosts are specializing, for example in healthcare or regulated areas, instead of being general hosts. For another WHD Mumbai conversation, read Joeri Borstlap’s interview. 🔗

📝 Start With Your Three Make-or-Break Needs

He asks clients to name the three issues that will make or break their business. Then they ask hosts whether they can meet those criteria, and negotiate on needs rather than price. 📝

Support is crucial too: you want a company that can support you when you need it. For a cloud hosting founder’s view, read Mitch Wainer of DigitalOcean. 🔗

📈 What Bloggers Need From a Host

For bloggers, he recommends a host with strong uptime that can handle bandwidth spikes. If a post goes viral, your host should scale with the traffic. 📈

To judge trust, look at the host’s track record, who it serves, who is behind it and what products it integrates. You want stable infrastructure. 🧱

🔍 Spotting Paid Reviews

Reviews are useful, but look for real customer reviews, not paid ones, and ask colleagues about their good and bad experiences. 🔍

He couldn’t say exactly how to tell a fake review, but paid review sites tend to feature the same hosting companies over and over. Same-sounding praise with no pros and cons is a good sign a site isn’t using real customer reviews. To compare hosts with real data, read Daren Low of Bitcatcha. 🔗

🛠️ What cPanel Actually Does

cPanel doesn’t provide hosting. It makes control panel software. What matters in that software: tested, stable releases and support that can solve problems other customers haven’t hit. 🛠️

World Hosting Days is one of his favorite events. He loves India and Indian food, and had attended the main WHD in Germany since the beginning, with plans to be there again in March. 🇮🇳

📝 Key Takeaways From the David Snead Interview

• 📝 Define your three make-or-break needs first
• 💸 Negotiate on needs, not price
• 📈 Bloggers need uptime and room for traffic spikes
• 🔍 Prefer real customer reviews over paid ones
• 🛠️ Value stable releases and strong support

❓ FAQs About David Snead

Who is David Snead?

The General Counsel of cPanel, an attorney in web hosting since 1999 and co-founder of the Internet Infrastructure Coalition.

How should you choose a web host?

List the three issues that will make or break your business and ask hosts whether they can meet them, rather than starting with price.

Does cPanel provide hosting?

No. cPanel makes control panel software that hosting companies use.

🎙️ More Inside A Hustler’s Brain Interviews You’ll Love

• Interview with Na.Vijayashankar Cyber Laws Expert at Domain X Bangalore 2015
• Interview With Ron Jackson Owner of DNjournal.com at DomainX Bangalore 2015
• Chat with Experienced Cyber Law Consultant Rodney D. Ryder at Domain X Bangalore 2015
• Interview with Edmon Chung CEO of DotAsia.org at Domainfest 2015

What matters most to you in a web host? Tell me in the comments. 💬

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