8 reasons to blindly trust Combell

Trust is essential for a hosting provider. As a user, you should be able to trust your hosting provider blindly. Every day, we at Combell put a lot of effort into the 8 pillars on which our customers' trust is built.

1. The strength of the corporation, the determination of the new kid on the block

Many of the people who are now involved in Combell's management were already on board at the beginning, almost twenty years ago. They now boast a great deal of experience. You can name any problem; we have most probably experienced it before. And more importantly, we have already solved it before. An emergency plan is available for any possible scenario. Hiccups that are guaranteed to cause downtime with less experienced hosting providers are not a problem for us, and we will even fix them without you (the user) noticing anything.

“We have long since outgrown the attic where everything started, but along the way we have always been able to keep alive the determination and the curiosity of the new kid on the block.”

Combell is a stable company, a trusted place that is built on solid foundations. We have been growing steadily and have now become a market leader in many European countries. We are an established name in lists such as the Technology Fast 50, which ranks the fastest growing technology companies every year. Combell is not an ephemeral project; we are here to stay. Companies like Bostoen and Plopsaland do not take hasty decisions when it comes to choosing a hosting provider for their websites and apps. The fact that they, like tens of thousands of other large and small companies, have joined forces with Combell proves that we are a truly reliable partner.

We combine the best of both worlds. It has now been a while since Combell was that young, inexperienced start-up whose future was still uncertain. But we are also not that big, unwieldy behemoth that gives you very little room for manoeuvre. We have long since outgrown the attic where everything started, but along the way we have always been able to keep alive the determination and the curiosity of the new kid on the block.

2.Trusted advisors

People do not trust brands or companies; they trust other people. Combell is not an anonymous, faceless company. For Combell, corporate trust is also about open, honest and transparent communication.

That is why, when we need to recruit new staff, rather than just looking for technological profiles, we try to find people who want to help other people. People who are always wondering: “How will the customer experience this?” Because technology is something you can learn as you go along. But getting inside the customer's head must be in your DNA.

“We will never force you to use expensive, complex technology that you do not really need.”

Technology and communication go hand in hand at Combell. Why would we provide cutting-edge technology if we cannot show our customers the opportunities it offers? Or the other way around: why would we provide 24/7 support if we cannot explain to our own technicians what problems and challenges customers are facing? Customers should not have to get involved in the world of hosting. We have to get out of our ‘shelter’ and immerse ourselves in their environment.

We will never force you to use expensive, complex technology that you do not really need. Growing with the customer, for instance, does not always mean upscaling. Sometimes, extra features just get in the way. For many customers, shared hosting is the perfect solution; they do not need dedicated web hosting. This is why we will not recommend it.

What customers do you want for your business? Customers who, after one year, realise they cannot do anything with that expensive, complex technology that you recommended to them? Or loyal and satisfied customers who, day after day, contribute to your growth and stay on board for many years?

3. 24/7 support (provided by people, not by bots)

Reachability has been extremely important to Combell from day one. On the websites of big behemoths, contact information is hidden as if it were stolen panels of the Mystic Lamb. They do not like to come out of their ivory tower. Open Combell's website, and you will immediately notice the support line. The customer service is available 24/7 through various channels.

Despite our strong growth, reachability remains one of our key concerns. We do always explore opportunities for further growth. But we will never change our DNA for them. We will never allow our human approach to be compromised. And we will never allow a gap to develop between Combell and our customers.

Our customers want to move forward. They want to grow. Their websites and apps must therefore remain accessible, and their business must be running. If they have a problem, they want help. Here and now. They can reach Combell through various channels, and they can always count on a personal approach. On a real person who will take their question seriously. A person who will not see them as numbers, and who will certainly not treat them as such. Our experts will not see a support ticket as something they want to get rid of, but rather as a problem they want to solve.

4. Inaccessible technology within reach

Combell has an insatiable appetite for innovation. Our scale also allows us to invest in new, state-of-the-art applications. This way, we make inaccessible and unaffordable technologies accessible and affordable.

Combell is tech savvy. We have experts in-house whose main task is to immerse themselves in new technologies and who are particularly active in the open source community. We are firmly convinced that we can make our solutions even more effective if we share our knowledge and expertise. If we dare to question our ideas. If we let them collide with those of other brains.

Our customers are also constantly challenging us. Developing new technologies is a two-way street. Sometimes, customers have questions that are so specific or complex that we cannot answer them with our existing technology. And that is when we start exploring new solutions. We do not focus on one technology only, nor do we ever stay in one box. This is how our customers drive us forward. They constantly encourage us to keep experimenting and pioneering.

“There is only one indicator to integrate new technologies into our solutions: do they help our customers move forward?”

5. Battle-proven technologies – past the hype

No matter how much we love new technology, we always look past the hype. Over the last twenty years, we have seen many ‘revolutionary’ technologies come to the fore. Some lived up to their expectations, while others vanished almost as quickly as they had appeared. Combell has the experience and expertise to look at new technology with the right attitude: open, but always critical.

There is only one indicator to integrate new technologies into our solutions: do they help our customers move forward? Combell goes for battle-proven technologies. Technologies that can withstand and survive the hype. Technology is a means for our customers to grow, and never an end in itself.

6. Zero downtime

In the nineties, a Belgian supermarket chain came up with a legendary advertising slogan: “Two million customers, you gotta earn that, every day”. Now, think about this: a hosting provider has to make that day a second! We have to earn our customers literally every second of every day. For hosting providers, trust stands or falls on uptime. On being online anytime, anywhere. Zero downtime must be self-evident. Stability is the foundation on which every hosting provider bases its work.

For our customers, 100% uptime must be self-evident. When you have Combell host your website, you have to be able to blindly trust us to keep it up and running. It is as simple as that.

But the fact that zero downtime is and should be self-evident for customers does not make it any less challenging for hosting providers. Behind the scenes and under the hood, we put tremendous effort into ensuring the stability of our network 24/7. The infrastructure in our three data centres is fully redundant. Every component is duplicated. Some are even available in triplicate. Prevention is better than cure.

And if the infrastructure does fail anyway, we can rely on the very best experts to solve problems before any of our customers experience any inconvenience at all. People and machines.

7. Faster and smarter than cybercriminals

Being online all the time is the first fundamental principle for hosting providers, while cybersecurity is the second. It is wonderful that we live in a world that is increasingly connected, but that also carries risks. The attack surface is getting bigger for ill-intentioned people, and an attack on a single computer may immediately contaminate your entire company. That is why Combell constantly makes significant investments in cybersecurity. We are doing everything we can to prevent hackers from getting past our security systems. And to detect and block malware, SQL injections and DDoS attacks.

We could shut down all our servers; it would be quite easy. But then, visitors would no longer be able to access Combell websites, and customers would no longer receive any e-mails. We always have to keep a port open for the Internet, which means that there is always the risk of someone sneaking in. And we need to make sure that secure connections can work properly alongside high-speed connections. We need to ensure that the websites and apps we host are optimally provided, without compromising their performance.

Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly smart and inventive, so we have to do the same. We continuously run tests to make sure our cyberwalls and firewalls are still strong enough. For these tests, we work with ethical hackers: foresters who used to be poachers themselves, and who know all about the poachers' tricks. Combell invests heavily in cybersecurity. So, even if your company is big, it will be very difficult for you to bear the financial burden of the security that you can expect from us.

8. Are you not satisfied? We will give you a refund!

Corporate trust works both ways. It is also about self-confidence. At Combell, we combine a heavy dose of Belgian modesty with healthy self-confidence. The belief in our hosting is so strong that we are not afraid to offer a ‘money-back guarantee’. If you are disappointed with the hosting of your website or app, we will simply give you a refund. Could there be a greater act of trust?