Client Case Study - Conjungo

Conjungo gets connected with Hostway

Conjungo is a specialised online technology search portal which aims to unite technology buyers with suppliers. By using Conjungo to identify, select and evaluate the suppliers and solutions that are available worldwide, procurement departments and purchasers can faster and more easily find the best solution for them and their company. There are many other vertical search engines such as Monster.com (jobs) and Rightmove.com (housing) and Conjungo aims to provide a similar service for the technology market.

Conjungo allows users to specify search criteria such as the geographic region of the seller, the size of the company they sell to, and their specialisations. For example, many companies would prefer to work with a supplier close to their premises to minimise response times to problems, or with a company that specialises in supplying to offices of a certain size, and Conjungo allows users to specify these details when searching.

For the Conjungo site to launch successfully and be usable, it was essential that the company had a reliable web hosting provider so that users could have a good experience every time they log on.

“Data is our bread and butter,” said Ben Weiner, COO Conjungo. “Without a robust and reliable back end, we cannot provide an effective service for our customers. Many of our clients are global brands, so it is imperative that we have an enterprise-level service that is capable of scaling up as Conjungo grows.”

Conjungo initially met with ten hosting companies and then developed a shortlist of six. Web hosting is crucial to Conjungo’s business, so it was important that the chosen company was able to provide a perfectly tailored solution for Conjungo’s needs. The Conjungo team was also keen for the hosting company to have a good understanding of Conjungo’s long and short-term goals, which would directly affect the hosting arrangements.

“After our tender process, we chose Hostway because of the company’s comprehensive offering, as well as its interest and understanding of our business needs and future plans,” continued Weiner. “We see Hostway as our technology provider, rather than just a supplier.”

Conjungo chose to use two Hostway servers, which they then divided into four virtual machines: three web servers and one database server running Oracle. Enterprise-level firewalls are in place and Conjungo is also using 250Gb of space on Hostway’s SAN system – 200Gb for the database and 50Gb archive space. Conjungo also chose to have onsite backup and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to ensure that even in the event of a power failure or server error, the website would still operate as normal. Because Conjungo is hosted on virtual servers, it is easier to scale up the website and quickly add more virtual machines, rather than having to install everything onto a new physical server.

Weiner concluded, “We are confident that our portal will perform to expectations and deliver an excellent service to technology buyers. Without Hostway’s services, we simply couldn’t be sure that our website would perform in line with our high standards.”

“Our relationship with Conjungo goes a little further than providing technology and services as we are using its portal to support our channel partners in new ways,” said David Foxley, channel manager, Hostway. “All our partners are listed on Conjungo, giving them increased visibility on the web. It should also help with lead generation, helping customers to precisely find a reseller which can meet their exact needs.”

www.conjungo.com