Founded in 1998, Prominic Technologies (Prominic) is a full-service hosting provider with over 400 clients. They specialize in IBM Lotus technologies and supports Microsoft.
Pros: Prominic uses both Microsoft and IBM technologies to bring both dedicated hosting and wireless services to their customers. With every dedicated server package, they offer Intel Core Duo or Xeon processors, Fedora Linux or Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition, uninterrupted power with natural gas backup generation, firewall protection, and more. They also offer quite a few options with their packages, but many things are included.
Cons: There are set-up fees included with every package and some of the plans aren’t clear on pricing. You have to contact the company directly for a quote for larger businesses. They also don’t seem to support Apple Technologies.
Version of BES: Prominic uses IBM Lotus Domino and supports Microsoft Exchange and other applications.
Plans and Pricing: The company has 6 dedicated hosting packages. Level 1 gives users a Blade/Core Duo 1.86 GHz processor and 1 GB of memory. It includes redundant RAID array and a development-grade server. This plan is $219 a month. Level 2 gives users an Intel Core Duo 1.86 GHz processor and 1 GB of memory. It includes the same options as Level 1. Level 3 to 6 includes 24/7 monitoring and a production-grade server. Levels 3 to 5 include 2 GB of memory. Level 3 is $389 a month; Level 4 is $824 a month; Level 5 is $1117 a month and level 6 is $1646 a month. Levels 4-6 have a Dual P4 Xeon processor, ranging from 2.8 to 3.6 GHz. Level 6 also includes 4 GB of memory.
With their partner, eAccess, Prominic provides BlackBerry handhelds and wireless service for a low monthly fee. Depending on the number of users, set-up and monthly fees vary. If you have 1 to 2 users, the monthly fee is $30 and the set-up is $150. For 3 to 10 users, the monthly fee is $25 and the set-up is $120. For 11+ users, the monthly fee is $20 and the set-up is $80. All monthly fees are per user.
Firewall Protection: Prominic, unlike other companies, offers firewall protection for free. The firewall is called GNAT-Box and all servers are located behind the firewall for no extra charge. If you want a dedicated firewall with VPN, that is extra.
Anti-Spam and Virus Protection: The company uses Postini anti-virus and anti-spam to protect your email. This is an option users can choose.
Set-up Fee: There are set-up fees charged with every plan.
Other Devices Supported: Prominic supports BlackBerry and other handhelds through their partner, eAccess.
Customer Service: Monthly Support is offered with all of Prominic’s packages, but you can also choose to buy a prepaid support bundle so that you can have support and service anytime. These range in price from $150 to $1,800 and are priced by how many hours you want to buy. You can buy up to 20 hours of support. Users can also check the network status on the Website when they sign in.
Backup History Storage: Prominic has nightly backups to RAID, tapes, CDs or disk drives. You have an option as to how long you want to keep your backups.
Uptime Guarantee: Prominic guarantees 24/7 uptime monitoring to prevent crashes and problems.
Additional Services: Prominic offers many other services, including messaging solutions, collaboration solutions and rack rental services.
Fee to Change BlackBerry for Current Customers: There is no charge for this service, although you will only get the last 7 days of email on your new BlackBerry.
