Layered Tech Launches Managed Services

Dedicated hosting provider Layered Technologies has begun to add managed services, taking advantage of its acquisition of FastServers.net. Layered Tech said today that it is offering DEFCON, a suite of managed services developed by FastServers, to some dedicated server customers in its data centers. Services offered in DEFCON include server monitoring, security, server software updates and advanced support.

Layered Tech, which has been among the fastest-growing hosting companies in recent years, has traditionally focused on unmanaged dedicated servers. "One of the largest opportunities we saw in our acquisition of FastServers.Net was the ability to rapidly offer DEFCON Management Services to our current customers," said Jack Finlayson, Chief Executive Officer of Layered Technologies. "We are very pleased to be able to leverage the knowledge and expertise of FastServers.Net and pass that onto our customers for their benefit and value."

Layered Tech announced in March that it had raised $11 million in investment from private equity firm Enhanced Equity Fund, LP (EEF) and its founding investor, Pangloss International. The FastServers acquisition followed a month later.

The DEFCON suite offers five tiers of service, ranging from Defcon 5 (unmanaged) to Defcon 1 (fully managed by Layered Tech). The tiers are named for the Defense Readiness Condition scale used by the U.S. military and featured in the 1983 movie WarGames. The services will initially be available to a "select group" of Layered Tech customers, with wider rollout to follow.

"The extension of these services to a larger customer base will allow a scalable managed infrastructure that provides managed support to over 6,000 clients of Layered Technologies," said Aaron Phillips, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, FastServers.Net.

"As one of our most significant service rollouts, our entire company is well prepared for this initial phase," said Todd Abrams, Chief Operating Officer and President of Layered Technologies. "This ensures that execution and resources are available for a full and complete customer deployment in the coming months."

Managed services provide stronger profit margins than basic shared or dedicated hosting. But Layered Tech's move up the value chain hasn't been entirely uneventful, as recent price hikes on low-end servers prompted complaints from some customers on industry forums.