Parallels launched Parallels Plesk 12 today, featuring a new security core, a full-featured WordPress Toolkit and four new editions of the software designed to deliver targeted functionality to web hosting administrators, application developers, web professionals and hosting service providers. LeaseWeb, Strato and 1&1 are among the global hosting providers adding Plesk 12 to their offerings at day of launch.
LeaseWeb, one of the world’s largest hosting brands with more than 60,000 physical servers under management, initiated a comprehensive testing plan for Plesk 12 at an early stage. All configuration options and automatic delivery processes were tested thoroughly by LeaseWeb’s engineers, as well as the compatibility of Plesk 12 with a variety of operating systems, such as CentOS, Debian, and Ubuntu.
During testing, LeaseWeb found out that Plesk 12 offered improved functionality, particularly with regards to security. “Plesk 12 features significant security improvements,” said Marc Burkels, LeaseWeb’s Manager of Dedicated Hosting. “Some key security features of Plesk 12 include protection from outgoing spam and protection from e-mail interception. The former enables admins to halt the sending of spam via outgoing e-mail limits. The latter empowers admins to protect users from e-mail interception by malicious users masquerading as legitimate companies – by prohibiting the setup of pre-registered domains.”
The Four new editions in Parallels Plesk 12 include:
- Plesk Web Admin Edition – Best for hosting self-managed sites, this edition enables web administrators to easily manage their own server, websites, domains, email and more.
- Plesk Web App Edition – Best for hosting web applications, this edition enables web application developers to control application access rights with custom view management, manage servers and domains from any mobile device and deliver complete server-to-site security for protection from common scripted attacks against software.
- Plesk Web Pro Edition – Best for web professionals and digital agencies managing and hosting WordPress sites, this edition offers mass-management and security tools for WordPress hosting, server, account and WordPress management from any mobile device, and complete server-to-site security for protection from automated attacks against WordPress.
- Plesk Web Host Edition – Best for service providers who are hosting and reselling unmanaged shared accounts, this edition offers support for multi-tenant, high-density shared hosting, with upgraded reseller, subscription and account management tools, integrated supportability and security tools for WordPress hosting and complete server-to-site security for protection from malicious use.
Putting the focus on the user
The Parallels Plesk 12 solution would also include some significant user-centric improvements. “Plesk 11 provided us with a comprehensive set of new user-friendly features and we are pleased to say that Plesk 12 has surpassed its previous benchmarks in this regard,” added Burkels. “The Plesk 12 team has really spent time on account management and, in this version, server administrators now have access to a robust system designed to facilitate all aspects of site, user, and account management.”
