Parallels announced that ActiveHost will offer Windows virtual private server (VPS) packages based solely on Parallels products. The new offering will be delivered by the newly created ActiveVPS division of ActiveHost.

ActiveHost is using Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, Parallels Plesk Control Panel and Parallels Business Automation software to provide its customers with a complete platform to manage their own VPS resources and billing account information. ActiveVPS managed hosting plans are available with pre-configured software solutions including the Parallels Plesk Control Panel for server management, SmarterTools software for business productivity, and Acronis TrueImage for server backup.

"We see our VPS offering as a hybrid service between shared and dedicated hosting, providing better security, isolation and management capabilities than traditional hosting solutions at a more attractive price," said William Platnick, director of Managed Services, ActiveHost. "It is a great offering for small and mid-sized businesses that want control of their server, but can’t afford a dedicated server package."

Due to rising energy costs, ActiveHost has seen increasing demand by large enterprises for economical servers to use in development and test environments. Many businesses are bearing the strain by decreasing technical staff and capacity in their corporate datacenters. As a result, ActiveVPS expects more businesses will turn to service providers for the speed, safety and security of hosted VPS services.

"ActiveHost provides service and support that exceed customer expectations and we are pleased they chose Parallels products to launch their new ActiveVPS services," said Kurt Daniel, senior vice president of marketing and online, Parallels. "Parallels Open Platform and industry-leading virtualization and automation technology deliver unbeatable performance and ensure lower management costs and higher overall return on investment."

Parallels Virtuozzo Containers is an operating system (OS) virtualization solution. On a single physical server and single OS installation, it enables users to run workloads in multiple, simultaneously running execution environments called "containers". Compared to other virtualization technologies, Parallels Virtuozzo Containers offers the highest levels of density, performance and manageability.

The Parallels Open Platform enables hosting with Parallels virtualization and automation technology that can be integrated with a wide range of third-party applications and systems. The Application Packaging Standard (APS), a key element of the platform, is used by ISVs and service providers to integrate applications, which can be offered to the more than 10 million businesses and individuals that use Parallels products.