“But Bernard, how does this relate to the hosting business? “

Well, if nothing had been done to change or update the Bond movies, the producers would have been just fine. They would have survived comfortably, and easily continued to put out profitable movies that appealed to Bond fans worldwide. Not a bad outlook, really. Many web hosting companies are comfortably sitting back knowing that the market for web and server hosting will be auto-sufficient for the near future. And the fact is: you’ll probably be fine if you keep doing what’s worked for years…

Instead, EON Productions challenged everything comfortable about their job and mission. They questioned everything that Bond movies are, for better or for worse. They even questioned Bond himself; the character they had turned him into. They then decided to make an exciting new movie, not just “another Bond adventure”. Like it or not, the new 007 is building an army of new followers in the process. They have reinvented their business, and have become relevant again. They decided to focus on the core; instead of relying on the conclusions of the past 45 years.

It’s all in the questions, really:
 

• Will Web hosting (as a stand alone service) be relevant for the next generation?
• What happens when Search engines are no longer an easy way to generate leads?
• Can most 15 year-olds today use FTP? Do they really need to?
• What are your clients REALLY looking for when they buy web hosting or lease dedicated servers?
• Do e-mail customers need e-mail itself, or do they need to communicate easily?
• Does your hosting service help your clients sell more/better products or services? Can it?

Bernard Dahl