A major shake-up hits Curaçao’s gambling regulator as the CGA board steps down and the Prime Minister takes charge.

Curaçao’s long-awaited gambling reform has hit a major setback following the mass resignation of the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) Supervisory Board. The move has left the regulator without leadership at a critical stage of transition, while Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas has stepped in to assume direct control of the island’s gaming sector.

According to multiple reports, all members of the CGA’s Supervisory Board resigned in mid-September, creating a sudden power vacuum. The resignations come just months after the CGA was established to replace the outdated Gaming Control Board (GCB) and implement stronger licensing and compliance standards.

Prime Minister Pisas reportedly held meetings directly with CGA executives shortly after the board’s exit—without the participation of Finance Minister Javier Silvania, who had previously overseen gaming regulation. This unexpected move is widely interpreted as a political power shift, giving the Prime Minister’s office greater influence over one of the country’s key economic sectors.

Legal and Operational Uncertainty

The mass resignation has raised serious concerns about governance and the legal status of the regulator itself. Local media noted that the CGA has yet to appear in Curaçao’s commercial registry, which could complicate decision-making and licensing procedures.

The lack of an appointed board has left operators uncertain about whom to engage with on compliance and licensing issues. No official timetable has been announced for appointing new members or clarifying oversight responsibilities.

Reform at Risk

This turmoil comes at a crucial point for Curaçao’s gaming industry. The island is midway through implementing the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), a comprehensive reform designed to phase out the old sublicensing model and introduce direct, transparent regulation under the CGA.

With Minister Silvania—one of the main architects of the reform—now reportedly sidelined, observers fear the process could slow down or lose direction. Industry insiders warn that further delays could hurt Curaçao’s credibility as it seeks to align with international compliance and anti-money-laundering standards.

What’s Next for Curaçao’s iGaming Sector

The Prime Minister’s office has not announced new appointments or offered clarity on how pending license applications will be handled.

As global regulators and operators watch closely, the next few weeks will determine whether Curaçao can restore confidence and continue its modernization—or risk undermining years of reform efforts.

Sources:
https://www.gamblinginsider.com/news/31575/prime-minister-takes-control-as-entire-curaao-gaming-authority-board-resigns
https://igaming-times.com/curacaos-gambling-regulation-in-turmoil-as-cga-board-resigns-and-prime-minister-takes-control/

In this guide, we’ll provide you a step-by-step guide to installing WordPress with LAMP on an AlmaLinux 9 server.

WordPress has become a leading content management system thanks to its user-friendly interface, versatile customization capabilities, and growing community. Deploying WordPress with LAMP on an AlmaLinux 9 server offers a reliable and powerful web hosting solution.

LAMP stands for Linux Apache MySQL PHP-Pearl-Python. It’s a popular-among-developers tech stack for hosting content management systems (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc) and other web-based applications.

In this guide, we’ll provide you a step-by-step guide to installing WordPress with LAMP on an AlmaLinux 9 server.

Prerequisites

• Server running Almalinux 9.x
• LAMP Stack installed 
• SSH Access with root or sudo-privileged user

Step 1: Switch to Root user

First, switch to the root user using the following command. Unless stated otherwise, all subsequent commands must be executed as the root user.

johndoe@localhost:~$ sudo -i

Step 2. Install PHP MySQL Extension

WordPress requires that a PHP MySQL Extension is installed so that it can connect to a MySQL database. Ensure the extension is present by running the following command. 

root@localhost:~$ yum install php-mysqli

Step 3. Create Database & User

Next you need to create a WordPress database and database user. Run the following command to access MySQL shell on your server.

root@localhost:~$ mysql -uroot -p

As soon you enter the mysql’s root password you will get access to the MySQL shell which looks like this:

Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 640035
Server version: 8.0.43 MySQL Community Server - GPL

Copyright (c) 2000, 2025, Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its
affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the current input statement.

mysql>

Below is the list of commands needed to create a database for WordPress, alongside a user that has full access to the database.

mysql> CREATE DATABASE wordpress;
mysql> CREATE USER admin@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'my-password';
mysql> GRANT ALL ON wordpress.* TO admin@localhost;
mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Sample Output:

MariaDB [(none)]> CREATE DATABASE wordpress;

Query OK, 1 row affected (0.005 sec)

MariaDB [(none)]> CREATE USER wpuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'my-password';

Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.011 sec)

MariaDB [(none)]> GRANT ALL ON wordpress.* TO wpuser@localhost;

Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.003 sec)

MariaDB [(none)]> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.006 sec)

MariaDB [(none)]> exit

Bye

Make sure to note the database name and user/ password as we will need those later. For the purposes of this tutorial, we created a database named wordpress and user wpuser with password my-password.

Step 5. Download & Install WordPress

With the Apache web server running and the MariaDB database in place, we now need to deploy WordPress.

First, download the latest version of WordPress by running the following command. 

root@localhost:~$ curl -L -O http://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz

This will download a file called latest.tar.gz in the current directory. Extract the downloaded file by executing the following command.

root@localhost:~$ tar -zxvf latest.tar.gz

Now we need to move the directory we just extracted to the directory Apache is configured to serve files from. Unless specified otherwise, this directory is /var/www/html. 

root@localhost:~$ mv wordpress /var/www/html

WordPress comes with a sample configuration file we can use as a template for inserting our own configuration. Copy the sample configuration file to the location WordPress expects to read the actual configuration file from.

root@localhost:~$ cp /var/www/html/wordpress/wp-config-sample.php /var/www/html/wordpress/wp-config.php

Using your favourite editor, edit wp-config.php. We like to use the vi editor.

root@localhost:~$ vi /var/www/html/wordpress/wp-config.php

Find the following lines:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'database_name_here' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'username_here' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'password_here' );

Use the values that you chose when creating the WordPress database and user. As per this tutorial, the values will change as follows:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'wordpress' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'dbusr' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'my-password' );

Save the file and exit.

Step 6. Update Ownership and File Permissions

The last step of the WordPress installation process is to update the ownership and permissions of the wordpress folder, so Apache can have secure access. Do as follows:

root@localhost:~$ chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html/wordpress

root@localhost:~$ find /var/www/html/wordpress -type d -exec chmod 750 {} \;

Then assign the appropriate permissions to all WordPress files.

root@localhost:~$ find /var/www/html/wordpress -type f -exec chmod 640 {} \;

Step 7. Complete Installation

If all went well then by typing navigating to http://SERVER_IP/wordpress on your browser, you should be seeing the WordPress installation page. Make sure to replace SERVER_IP with the actual ip address of your Almalinux server.

Voila! Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the WordPress installation.

Still Need Help? Get Expert WordPress Assistance from NetShop ISP

We’ve been around for the last 20 years helping freelancers and businesses get an online presence. Our web hosting specialists can help you install and further optimize WordPress on Dedicated Servers or VPS.

Feel free to contact us before purchasing your desired server plan so we can advise you on the specifications of the server according to your bespoke needs.

NetShop ISP Attends Forex Expo Dubai 2025 to Showcase XConnect Low-latency Connectivity Solution.

NetShop ISP is excited to announce its participation at the Forex Expo Dubai 2025, the largest gathering of forex professionals in the Middle East.

The event will take place on 6–7 October 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, bringing together brokers, traders, liquidity providers, fintech companies, and technology innovators from around the globe.

Forex Expo is a premier networking event that connects the global forex and fintech community under one roof. The two-day exhibition and conference features expert speakers, panel discussions, and product showcases, giving industry leaders a platform to explore new technologies, partnerships, and regulatory insights.

At Forex Expo Dubai, our team will be engaging with brokers, liquidity providers, and technology partners to discuss how our infrastructure can help solve critical challenges in the trading ecosystem.

• XConnect – Ultra-Low Latency Interconnections
  With XConnect, we bring brokers, liquidity, and technology providers closer than ever — delivering connectivity as low as 0.4ms in certain financial hubs. This ensures faster execution, tighter spreads, and greater trading efficiency.
  
• Bare-Metal & Virtual Servers in Key Hubs
  Our hosting footprint in LD4, LD7, AM2, and SG5 provides clients with proximity to major exchanges and liquidity pools. Whether you need the raw performance of bare-metal or the scalability of VPS, our solutions are built for mission-critical trading workloads.
  
• Managed Services from Trading Experts
  Our dedicated support team, with direct experience in MT4/MT5 and other trading platforms, offers 24/7 monitoring, optimization, and incident response. This allows clients to focus on trading strategies while we handle infrastructure performance and stability.

Join Us in Dubai

Forex Expo Dubai 2025 will be an exciting opportunity to connect with industry peers, share insights, and explore collaborations that advance the future of trading technology.

If you are attending, reach out to our team to arrange a meeting and let’s discuss how NetShop ISP can help you achieve an edge in speed, resilience, and connectivity.

In this guide, we explain how to correctly configure lower_case_table_names=1 in MySQL 8 running on any Linux distribution (Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, Rocky, AlmaLinux, etc.).

When running MySQL 8 on Linux servers, you may encounter problems with case sensitivity in table names.

On Linux, file systems are case-sensitive, which means Table1 and table1 are treated as different objects. On Windows or macOS, however, MySQL defaults to case-insensitive behavior.

This difference can lead to issues such as:

• Failing imports of database dumps created on Windows servers
• Failing to synchronize data with Forex CRM systems that use lowercase table names as the MetaTrader 4 application uses uppercase format.
• WordPress or other CMS breaking due to mismatched table casing
• Replication errors when syncing from case-insensitive servers

The MySQL system variable lower_case_table_names controls this behavior.

In this guide, we explain how to correctly configure lower_case_table_names=1 in MySQL 8 running on any Linux distribution (Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, Rocky, AlmaLinux, etc.).

Prerequisites

• A server running Linux with MySQL 8.x installed
• Root or sudo access
• A full database backup (the process we describe in this tutorial wipes the MySQL system tables)

Step 1: Stop the MySQL Service

The command to stop MySQL differs slightly by distribution:

Debian/Ubuntu:

root@localhost:~$ systemctl stop mysql

CentOS/RHEL/RockyLinux/AlmaLinux:

root@localhost:~$ systemctl stop mysqld

Step 2: Check Existing Configurations

Make sure there are no conflicting entries for lower_case_table_names in the mysql configuration files:

root@localhost:~$ grep -RIn "lower_case_table_names" /etc/mysql /etc/my.cnf* || true

Edit your MySQL configuration file (my.cnf) and set:

[mysqld]
lower_case_table_names=1

• Debian/Ubuntu: /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf
• CentOS/RHEL-based: /etc/my.cnf or /etc/my.cnf.d/custom.cnf

Step 3: Confirm the Data Directory

Check which datadir MySQL is using:

root@localhost:~$ grep -RIn "^datadir" /etc/mysql /etc/my.cnf* || true

The default is usually /var/lib/mysql.

Step 4: Wipe and Recreate the Data Directory

Important: This destroys MySQL system tables. Ensure you have backups !!!

root@localhost:~$ rm -rf /var/lib/mysql/*
root@localhost:~$ mkdir -p /var/lib/mysql
root@localhost:~$ chown mysql:mysql /var/lib/mysql

Note: Replace /var/lib/mysql if your server uses a different datadir.

Step 5: Initialize MySQL with Lowercase Setting

Run the following command to reinitialize the system tables:

root@localhost:~$ sudo -u mysql /usr/sbin/mysqld \
  --no-defaults \
  --initialize-insecure \
  --lower_case_table_names=1 \
  --datadir=/var/lib/mysql \
  --log-error=/var/log/mysql/error.log


This ensures the lower_case_table_names=1 is embedded in the system dictionary.

Step 6: Restart MySQL

Start the service again:

Debian/Ubuntu/CentOS/RHEL/RockyLinux/AlmaLinux:

root@localhost:~$ systemctl start mysql

Step 7: Verify the Configuration

Check if MySQL is now case-insensitive:

root@localhost:~$ mysql -u root --skip-password -e "SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'lower_case_table_names';"

Expected output:

+------------------------+-------+
| Variable_name          | Value |
+------------------------+-------+
| lower_case_table_names | 1     |
+------------------------+-------+

Step 8: Reset the Root Password

Since MySQL was initialized insecurely, you must set a new root password:

root@localhost:~$ mysql -u root --skip-password -e "ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourNewPassword'; ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' PASSWORD EXPIRE NEVER;"

Conclusion

By forcing lower_case_table_names=1 during initialization, you ensure consistent, case-insensitive table handling for your MySQL databases.

Remember: you must set this variable before the data dictionary is created — changing it afterward is not supported.

At NetShop ISP, we help businesses configure, optimize, and troubleshoot databases, servers, and hosting infrastructure. Need expert assistance with MySQL migrations or performance tuning? Get in touch with our team.

Learn how NetShop’s XConnect Solution helped a Forex broker achieve a 0.2ms latency between LD4 Data center and Azure infrastructures.

NetShop ISP is pleased to announce the successful completion of a cross connect with Microsoft Azure on behalf of a financial services company operating within the Forex trading industry.

The project was carried out in our LD4 data center, one of the world’s most interconnected hubs for low-latency trading, financial exchanges, and cloud connectivity.

The Client’s Challenge

Our client, a financial services provider, runs mission-critical forex trading platforms within NetShop ISP’s infrastructure at LD4. While their trading platforms perform optimally in our environment, the company also relies heavily on applications and databases hosted in Microsoft Azure.

To ensure seamless operation, they needed a dedicated, secure, and low-latency link between their LD4-based infrastructure and their Azure resources.

Relying solely on the public internet was not an option due to concerns about latency, reliability, and security. For trading firms, where milliseconds can make the difference in execution, a private cross connect provides the optimal solution.

The Solution: NetShop’s XConnect Hub

Leveraging NetShop ISP’s XConnect Hub, we established a direct cross connect with Microsoft Azure. This private connection now allows trading data to be securely transferred from the client’s LD4-hosted platforms to their Azure databases and back.

The completed cross-connect resulted into a 0.26ms latency from within NetShop’s LD4 infrastructure and the customer’s private Azure environment.

The XConnect Hub was designed to simplify and accelerate private interconnections between cloud providers, financial exchanges, and customer networks. By choosing this solution, the client benefits from:

• Ultra-low latency between LD4 and Azure.
• High reliability through a dedicated network path.
• Enhanced security, with traffic flowing via a private cross connect rather than the public internet.

Why Latency Matters in Forex Trading

For Forex brokers and financial institutions, the ability to move data quickly and securely is vital. Trading platforms hosted in LD4 are often at the heart of execution engines, order matching systems, and liquidity aggregation. At the same time, internal applications and risk management tools are increasingly hosted in Azure for flexibility and global reach.

This cross connect between LD4 and Azure ensures that all these critical components communicate over a dedicated, high-performance link, reducing latency and minimizing operational risks. The result is smoother order execution, better performance for end-users, and stronger infrastructure resilience.

Related blog articles for Forex latency:

• https://netshop-isp.com.cy/blog/how-server-hosting-reduces-latency-and-enhances-performance-for-forex-brokers-ceo-interview-at-fazzaco/
• https://netshop-isp.com.cy/blog/how-to-achieve-ultra-low-latency-a-guide-for-forex-brokers-and-liquidity-providers/

NetShop ISP’s Role in Financial Connectivity

As a trusted hosting partner for forex and fintech companies, NetShop ISP continues to expand its connectivity ecosystem. With presence in LD4, LD7, AM2, SG5, and other leading data centers worldwide, we provide clients with direct cross connects to Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, and other major providers.

This latest implementation demonstrates our commitment to helping financial services companies build hybrid infrastructures that combine the best of dedicated hosting and cloud computing.

Are you a Forex broker or financial services provider looking to interconnect with Microsoft Azure or other cloud platforms?
Explore our XConnect Solution page to learn how NetShop ISP can help you achieve secure, low-latency connectivity for your business.

This guide will show you how to generate and submit your CSR so your SSL Certificate can be issued.

When you order an SSL Certificate, it will remain in Pending status until you upload your Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

This guide will show you how to generate and submit your CSR so your SSL Certificate can be issued.

Step 1: Generate Your CSR

Option A: Customers with Control Panel like cPanel, Plesk, etc

Due to cPanel’s popularity among NetShop ISP customers, the following steps and screenshots are for cPanel control panel.

1. Log in to cPanel.

2: Go to the SSL/TLS section.

3. Click Generate, view or delete SSL certificate signing requests from the right-side panel.

4. Enter the required details:

• Common Name – your domain name (e.g., example.com).
• Location & Country – city, state, country.
• Organization Name – your company or personal name.

Then click Generate to submit the form.

Your CSR is now ready, so you need to copy it in full, including the lines:

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
(encrypted text)
-----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

Keep your Private Key safe – you will need it during SSL installation.

Option B: Generate CSR on Linux Server via CLI (No Control Panel)

If you are managing a server without a control panel, you can generate the CSR via the command line.

Follow our detailed guide here: How to Generate a CSR on Linux Server (CLI).

Step 2: Upload Your CSR in the myNetShop Portal

1. Log in to the myNetShop Portal.

2. Click on the menu on the left > Dashboard. On the list of services click on Addons > SSL Certificates.

3. Click on Manage SSL Certificates and then Manage.

4. You will see the message: “Your SSL Certificate Request is currently pending.”

5. Click to Upload your Certificate Signing Request (CSR).

6. Paste the CSR copied from Step 1 into the field.

7. Select your server software from the list and click Submit.

Step 3: Certificate Issuance

Once your CSR is submitted:

• The Certificate Authority (CA) will validate your request.
• The SSL Certificate will be issued shortly after validation.
• You will need to complete a quick Domain Control Validation (DCV) (usually via email, DNS, or file upload).

Upon successful validation of your domain (DCV), you will be able to Download the Certificates via the myNetShop Portal (Addons > SSL Certificates > Manage SSL Certifates)

Step 4: SSL Installation

The last step is to install the newly issued SSL Certificate on your hosting environment.

Option A: Install SSL on cPanel

1. Go to SSL / TLS and then click Generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates from the right-hand side menu.

2. Upload your newly Certificate in the large text area, add a description and click Save Certificate.
A message will appear upon successful installation.

3. Go back to the list of SSL Certificates, find the Certificate which you saved and click Install.

4. In the next page, ensure that all text areas are completed (if not, click the Autofill by Certificate button) and then click Install Certificate.

Still Need Help? Get In Touch

NetShop ISP’s Technical Support team works around the clock to assist customers for any technical inquiries.

If you experience any difficulties in generating the CSR or installing the commercial SSL certificate to you hosting environment, submit a ticket to the Technical Support department via the myNetShop Portal.

In this article, we’ll look at what’s driving this shift, when dedicated infrastructure is the smarter choice, and how to weigh the trade-offs with today’s data in mind.

Not long ago, it seemed like every workload was headed for the public cloud. Fast forward to 2025, and dedicated servers and bare metal are making a strong return—not because of nostalgia, but because businesses are finding they solve real problems.

Rising cloud costs, stricter data regulations, and the growing demand for AI workloads are pushing companies to take another look at dedicated hosting. The scope is clear: consistent performance, better control over compliance, and predictable costs.

In this article, we’ll look at what’s driving this repatriation*, when dedicated infrastructure is the smarter choice, and how to weigh the trade-offs with today’s data in mind.

* In the hosting / cloud industry, “repatriation” means moving workloads, data, or applications out of the public cloud and back to dedicated servers, bare metal or colocation. It’s the opposite of cloud migration.

Surveys & Facts: What the data says

A recent survey by TechRadar of 1,000+ IT professionals found 86% of organizations still use dedicated servers; 42% reported moving some workloads from public cloud back to dedicated infrastructure in the last 12 months.

Additional valid sources are reporting that repatriation is indeed happening:

• Analysts caution this isn’t a mass exodus: only ~8–9% of companies plan full workload repatriation—most are selectively moving pieces like data, backups, or steady compute. IDC Blog, Puppet
  
• Uptime Institute’s 2025 survey indicates 46% of AI inference workloads run on-premises and 34% in colocation, with a minority leaning primarily on public cloud today. NEXTDC
  

Why Bare-metal Servers are Rising Again

1) Cost clarity vs surprise bills

Cloud its powerful especially when it comes to elasticity and speed. However, unpredictable consumption can turn budgets into moving targets.

In a recent research by Flexera, managing cloud spend remains the #1 challenge; budgets exceeded targets by ~17% in the prior year and are still rising. Financials with dedicated infrastructure are fair and straight-forward: you pay for the capacity you own, not every read, write, or packet.

2) Consistent Performance

Bare metal hosting eliminates the virtualization layer and multi-tenant risks. For databases, latency-sensitive trading platforms, and high-throughput applications, having a consistent performance beats burst capacity models that are usually offered by cloud providers.

Modern bare-metal providers now offer cloud-like APIs and instant provisioning servers —making dedicated hosting feel as if customer is purchasing a cloud instance.

3) AI and Data Sovereignty

AI changed the infrastructure world. Training for modern AI models requires GPU density, high bandwidth, and predictable I/O.

Many operators are keeping AI close to their data for cost, control, and sovereignty reasons—hence the preference toward on-premises, colocation, and dedicated servers for AI workloads.

4) Compliance and Control

Regulated industries (finance, public sector, health) are known for their preference towards dedicated hosting for isolation, auditability, and deterministic change management.

Organizations find it easier to document processes and prepare compliance reports for a physical infrastructure which is leased, on-prem, or co-located in a specific data center facility.

IT Fields where Dedicated Hosting Shines

NetShop ISP powers 9,000+ customers worldwide — from freelancers and SMEs to large organizations. The findings from our research align closely with insights from our extensive client base regarding the applications most commonly deployed on bare-metal servers.

1. Databases and data platforms
   High IOPS storage (NVMe), predictable CPU, and dedicated memory allocation make dedicated servers ideal for OLTP (online transaction processing), analytics engines, and message/streaming infrastructure.
   
2. AI/ML training and inference
   For companies with ongoing AI demands, bare metal servers with GPUs can reduce the overall costs. Uptime Institute data indicates many operators prefer to run on-prem or in colocation to control power density, cooling, and data locality.
   
3. Low-latency workloads
   Forex trading, ad auctions, multiplayer gaming, and personalization engines benefit from single-tenant hardware, which are easier to standardize on physical, dedicated servers.
   
4. Steady, long-running services
   If a workload’s utilization curve is stable and predictable month-to-month, committing to bare metal capacity often yields lower TCO (total cost of ownership) than Pay-per-use cloud.

What lies ahead

It’s not really about moving everything back from the cloud—it’s about finding balance.

Devops teams, CTO’s and CIO’s, today, are being more practical: running each workload where it makes the most sense in terms of cost, performance, and risk.

Surveys show that dedicated servers and bare metal are becoming an important part of that mix, especially for AI, data-heavy applications and latency-sensitive workloads, while the cloud is still the preferred option when it comes to flexibility and global reach.

As infrastructure choices get more complex, the real challenge for businesses isn’t picking between cloud or dedicated hosting—it’s knowing how to combine them in a way that supports long-term growth.

That’s where the right partner makes a difference. At NetShop ISP, we’ve spent over 20 years helping companies in finance, iGaming, fintech and ICT design hosting solutions that strike the right balance between cost, performance, and compliance.

NetShop ISP introduce an upgrade to Backup Services – now offering Hybrid Backup solutions and per-Workload billing model plans.

At NetShop ISP, we’ve always prioritized the safety and continuity of our customers’ data. With the growing complexity of IT environments and the increasing importance of compliance and data sovereignty, backup strategies must evolve.

That’s why we’re excited to announce an upgrade to our Cloud Backup Services — now offering Hybrid Backup solutions and per-Workload billing model plans.

These improvements offer our customers more control over how backups are billed, where data is stored, and how quickly it can be recovered. Whether you’re backing up a single server or managing a global infrastructure, our updated backup solutions adapts to your specific needs.

What’s New: Per-Workload Backup Plans

Until now, NetShop ISP has offered Cloud Backup services on a per-GB billing model — a straightforward solution where customers pay only for the amount of storage they use. This plan remains ideal for businesses that have a large number of devices but only need to back up small amounts of data per device — such as workstations or endpoints with light file-based backups.

However, for businesses with fewer devices that contain large volumes of data, we are introducing our new Per-Workload Backup Plans.

Here’s how it works:

• You pay a fixed monthly fee per device (also called a “workload”) — such as a dedicated server, VPS, or a Microsoft 365 account.
• You also benefit from a heavily discounted per-GB storage rate, optimized for higher data usage.

This billing model is ideal for organizations backing up:

• Data-heavy servers
• Databases
• Large-scale file or storage systems
• SaaS applications with significant storage requirements

Key benefits of Per-Workload plans:

• Lower storage costs for large datasets
• Ideal for resource-heavy environments
• Ability to choose local, cloud or hybrid storage

Hybrid Backup: Local, Cloud, or Both

Alongside the per-Workload plans, we’re also introducing Hybrid Backup — a solution that allows you to choose where your data is stored:

• Cloud Backup: Store data securely in NetShop ISP’s cloud infrastructure or Acronis’ global data centers.
• Local Backup: Retain copies on-premise for faster recovery and full data control.
• Hybrid: Use both options simultaneously to achieve maximum resilience and performance.

Hybrid Backup is the most versatile approach, giving you the ability to:

• Recover faster with local backups
• Meet compliance and data sovereignty requirements
• Enable disaster recovery with off-site cloud copies
• Reduce RTO (Recovery Time Objective) for mission-critical systems

Powered by Acronis: The Best Choice in Backup & Disaster Recovery

As always, our backup solutions are built on Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, disaster recovery, and compliance-ready backup technologies.

Built-In Ransomware Protection

Acronis includes AI-powered ransomware detection and automatic recovery tools to ensure your backups remain clean and secure.

Granular Restore Options

Recover full systems, individual files, applications, or even a single email — on-demand and within minutes.

Compliance-Ready Architecture

Acronis supports GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulatory frameworks with encryption, audit trails, and data sovereignty controls built-in.

True Disaster Recovery

Spin up your systems directly from backups in the cloud in the event of an outage or disaster — minimizing downtime and business impact.

Choosing the Right Plan: Per-GB vs Per-Workload

Let’s compare both models so you can choose the one that best fits your infrastructure and data usage:

Feature	Per-GB Plan	Per-Workload Plan
Best for	Many devices, low data per device	Few devices, large volumes of data
Billing Model	Pay only for storage used	Fixed cost per device + low per-GB rate for storage
Use Cases	Endpoint backups, small file backups	Servers, VMs, databases, large file systems
Scalability	Scales well with growing number of endpoints	Scales with growing data size on fewer devices
Flexibility	Flexible for varying storage use	Cost-effective for storage-heavy workloads

Use Cases: Real-World Scenarios

Small & Medium Businesses (SMBs)

Use per-GB billing for lightweight workstations, or switch to per-Workload for data-heavy servers and applications.

Enterprises with High-Volume Systems

If you manage fewer but powerful systems with large datasets — such as ERP, CRM, or database servers — the per-Workload model offers excellent cost-efficiency.

Remote Workforce & SaaS Applications

Protect cloud apps like Microsoft 365 with a per-user (workload) model, while taking advantage of lower storage pricing.

Regulated Industries

Choose Hybrid Backup to meet data sovereignty, encryption, and recovery time objectives (RTOs) for HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR compliance.

Why Trust NetShop ISP with Your Backup?

With over 20 years in the business and clients spanning industries like Fintech, Forex, iGaming, and ICT, we understand how critical data availability is to your operations.

Here’s why businesses choose NetShop ISP:

• Trusted Acronis Partner
• Global infrastructure with multiple data centers
• Support for local, cloud, and hybrid backup strategies
• 24/7 Technical Support by server and backup solution experts
• Customizable backup plans
• Regular Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan Reviews/Tests

Ready to Upgrade Your Backup Strategy?

Whether you’re just starting out with cloud backup or looking to modernize your disaster recovery strategy, our enhanced backup services offer the flexibility and performance your business demands.

Visit our Cloud Backup page for more details or contact our sales team for a personalized quote.

Let NetShop ISP help you protect your data — smarter, faster, and more affordably — with hybrid cloud backup, per-Workload billing, and Acronis-powered security.

In this article, we’ll explore how NetShop’s XConnect solution enables ultra‑low latency connectivity, what makes it ideal for latency‑sensitive ecosystems, and how it empowers financial and technology players to gain competitive edge.

High-performance cross connect services are increasingly vital for forex brokers, fintech platforms, cloud-native applications, and technology providers.

In this article, we’ll explore how NetShop’s XConnect solution enables ultra‑low latency connectivity, what makes it ideal for latency‑sensitive ecosystems, and how it empowers financial and technology players to gain competitive edge.

Why Latency Matters in Forex and Fintech

In the forex and fintech world, microseconds make a difference. Trading platforms exchange tick data, liquidity feeds, and settlement orders in real time—meaning every millisecond counts.

Traditional public‑internet routing introduces unpredictable delays and packet loss, potentially impacting trade execution, price validation, and overall reliability.

By contrast, a private cross‑connect like XConnect minimizes hops, removes the unpredictability of public internet, and provides deterministic, high-throughput performance. This ensures consistently low latency, deterministic throughput, and higher SLA stability—all critical for mission‑critical financial systems.

NetShop ISP’s XConnect Service: Overview

NetShop’s XConnect service enables you to establish direct fibre connections within data centres, linking your infrastructure with cloud platforms, liquidity providers, and technology partners with minimal delay.

The Four Pillars of XConnect

1. Top Security
   Direct physical fibre is much more secure than public‑internet links, eliminating exposure to public routing vulnerabilities.
   
2. Ecosystem Direct Access
   Seamless connection to carriers, cloud providers, liquidity institutions, and other technology providers in Equinix IBX ecosystems via private links.
   
3. Data Center Resilience
   Enables redundant, high-availability designs without consuming public bandwidth, improving uptime and reliability.
   
4. Network Stability
   Eliminates packet loss and latency variability associated with public Internet routing—delivering deterministic performance.

How Cross‑Connect Works in Practice

Consider a forex brokerage firm with servers hosted in a data centre that interacts with a bridge technology provider. Sharing real-time price feeds or trading data over public Internet introduces latency and instability. But with XConnect, both parties connect to the same facility using a private fibre link.

This cross‑connect ensures data flows directly between environments over a secure, dedicated channel. The result: near-instantaneous data exchange, consistent low latency, and elevated reliability for trading systems where timing is everything.

NetShop’s XConnect Product Portfolio

NetShop ISP offers four distinct XConnect solutions, each tailored to the needs of different workloads.

1. Metro Direct XConnect

This solution provides direct point-to-point connections between two customers within the same Equinix data centre or campus. Ideal for:

• Forex brokers accessing bridge providers or liquidity feeds within the same facility
• Fintech partners collaborating securely in close proximity
• High-throughput applications that require ultra-low latency

Metro Direct XConnect is your fastest and most efficient option when both parties operate under the same IBX roof.

2. Intra-Metro XConnect (Layer 2)

The Intra-Metro XConnect enables private connectivity between different Equinix facilities within the same metro area (e.g., between LD4, LD6, and LD7 in London).

It offers Layer 2 VLAN-based connectivity, making it ideal for:

• Redundant or high-availability forex systems spanning multiple data centres
• Fintech companies running multi-zone architecture within a metro hub
• Institutions needing ultra-fast data synchronization across sites

This solution provides the low latency benefits of local links with the flexibility of geographic diversity.

3. Cloud Fabric XConnect

NetShop’s Cloud Fabric XConnect integrates your on-prem or co-located infrastructure directly with leading cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Alibaba Cloud, and Oracle Cloud.

Perfect for fintech developers, SaaS providers, and brokers needing:

• Multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud setups
• Secure, direct access to cloud APIs and services
• Avoidance of public internet bottlenecks or security risks

Provisioned over Equinix Fabric, this service brings low-latency, scalable access to the cloud without routing traffic over the internet.

4. Global XConnect

Global XConnect extends private connectivity beyond a single metro or country, enabling dedicated point-to-point or multipoint connectivity across continents.

Ideal for:

• Brokers serving traders in multiple regions (e.g., London to Hong Kong or New York)
• Fintech enterprises synchronizing data centers globally
• Applications with high sensitivity to jitter and packet loss

NetShop’s Global XConnect provides international reach while retaining the performance and security of a local private circuit.

Benefits for Forex & Fintech Providers

Ultra‑Low Latency

By eliminating public routing, xconnect cuts latency significantly—crucial for algorithmic or high-frequency forex trading.

High Security & Compliance

Private fibre avoids public exposure, minimizing risk—an important consideration given the regulatory demands in fintech.

Flexible Ecosystem Access

Quickly join cloud networks or access liquidity/bridge providers already present in major data centers.

Cost‑Effective Redundancy

Design dual‑path architecture without relying on public internet bandwidth, lowering cost and improving uptime resilience.

Use Cases for XConnect

• Forex trading platforms needing ultra‑fast execution and direct liquidity access
• Fintech firms deploying in multi-cloud or multi-datacenter environments
• Technology providers and bridges seeking secure cross-connectivity within colocation facilities
• Media streaming, blockchain, and latency-sensitive applications benefiting from dedicated infrastructure

Why Choose NetShop ISP for XConnect?

NetShop ISP provides industry-aligned, high-availability solutions tailored to forex, fintech, and cloud-native use cases. As a trusted partner within Equinix IBX data centers and major financial hubs, we offer:

• Low connectivity costs
• Fast provisioning
• 24/7 NOC support
• Local, regional and global fibre reach
• Strategic location presence in LD4, LD7, SG5, AM2, and more

Get in touch with NetShop ISP today and explore the most suitable XConnect solution for your business.

In this article, we explain how NetShop ISP ensures secure local backups using Acronis software and ISO 27001-certified data centers.

For businesses in Forex, iGaming as well as other, regulated sectors, servers are the lifeblood of operations.

One unplanned outage or data loss incident can carry dire consequences—lost revenue, regulatory penalties for ISO 27001 workflows, and irreparable reputational damage.

Yet too often, organizations neglect real-world backup strategies—until it’s too late.

The Risk Landscape: Why Backup Can’t Be an Afterthought

Hardware Failures & Cyber Threats

Disk corruption, RAID failures, ransomware, and human error remain common sources of data loss. Even top-tier providers can’t eliminate all risks. As NetShop ISP emphasizes, backups are vital because “servers are not eternal” and file-system or drive-level breakdowns can happen unexpectedly.

Single Points of Failure

Common setups like Windows with MySQL on the same drive are vulnerable. If one drive fails—or the server crashes entirely—both data and operating systems may vanish. Having no backups can mean catastrophic downtime.

Regulatory & Compliance Pressure

Clients holding ISO 27001 certification are bound to follow defined business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) procedures, which include robust backup mechanisms and regular testing. Falling short of these requirements risks losing certifications and facing audit penalties.

The Layered Backup Strategy: Local + Cloud = Resilience

Hybrid Backup (On- & Off‑Site)

NetShop ISP strongly promotes a hybrid backup approach, combining local appliances—for fast restores—with off‑site cloud copies to protect against site-wide disasters. Local storage enables rapid recovery; cloud backup ensures continuity if the main site is compromised.

Leveraging Acronis for Fully Managed Cloud Backup

You’re using Acronis Cloud Backup, which uniquely integrates local and cloud-based solutions:

• Disk‑level snapshots: Full system and database capture
• File‑level granularity: Recover individual files, folders, or entire systems
• 1‑Click restore via the myNetShop Portal and/or the Acronis Cloud Control Panel
• Automated scheduling & retention controls, with a management portal for monitoring and restoring quickly

This hybrid architecture aligns tightly with ISO 27001 mandates on data availability, integrity, and recoverability—ensuring clients can meet both Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO).

Why Businesses Fail to Act Fast

Many businesses view backups as a cost center rather than insurance against downtime. NetShop ISP highlights how proactive backup management is often neglected—until disaster strikes.

Human Factor & Testing Gaps

Manual backups are unreliable. Studies show that automation vastly improves consistency and reduces errors. Importantly, backups must be verified and periodically tested—restoration drills minimize failure surprises.

ISO 27001 & DR Guidelines: What You Need to Know

ISO 27001 requires organizations to:

1. Define maximum acceptable data loss (RPO),
2. Establish acceptable downtime (RTO),
3. Maintain backup copies off‑site,
4. Plan DR procedures, and
5. Conduct periodic tests of restoration scenarios.

By combining Acronis (for hybrid backup) with a documented Disaster Recovery plan—including failover and re-provisioning via DRaaS—you fulfill all critical control requirements.

Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

For businesses that cannot tolerate extended outages—such as live forex trading platforms or transactional game servers—DRaaS delivers quick failover via cloud replication. NetShop ISP’s DRaaS can be set up within two business days, with guaranteed RTO as low as 5 minutes.

This offers critical benefits:

• Seamless failover to DR environment,
• Minimal latency or transaction interruption,
• Compliance with audit and business resilience requirements.

Industry-Specific Considerations

E‑Commerce

For websites and applications, CRM and ERP’s, loss or corruption means lost sales and trust. Acronis enables granular restores of databases and product files, minimizing downtime and revenue loss.

Forex / Financial Services

Even seconds of downtime may result in irreversible trading losses. Compliance frameworks demand data consistency and high availability. Local snapshots + cloud replication ensure recoverability and audit traceability.

iGaming

Real-time gaming platforms demand high integrity and continuity. Data validation, player account history, and transactional logs all must be backed up frequently and restored instantly if needed.

Best Practices Checklist

Practice	Why it matters
Automated, versioned backups	Ensures consistent snapshots and retention
Hybrid strategy: local + cloud	Fast recovery locally + resilience off‑site
Encrypted backups	Protects confidentiality, essential for ISO and customer trust
Scheduled restore drills	Prevent surprises and validate restore procedures
Defined RTO/RPO aligned with business needs	Meets internal policy and reduces risk exposure
DRaaS (failover strategy)	Enables near-zero downtime when infrastructure fails

Be Proactive, Not Reactive

In industries like e‑commerce, forex, iGaming, and any sector governed by ISO 27001, data is not just valuable—it’s mission-critical. Investing in structured backup and disaster recovery (particularly using Acronis combined with DRaaS) protects against financial loss, legal risk, and reputational damage.

Should you require more information about how a solid backup and disaster recovery plan can be customised to your business’ bespoke needs, contact us today for a free consultation.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to fix SSL certificate renewal issues in WHM after a hostname change, using Let’s Encrypt SSL and AutoSSL.

Changing the hostname of your WHM/cPanel server is a common task, whether you’re rebranding, migrating domains, or organizing your infrastructure. However, this change can cause unexpected issues, like expired or invalid SSL certificates for core services like Exim, Dovecot, FTP, and the WHM panel itself.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to fix SSL certificate renewal issues in WHM after a hostname change — using Let’s Encrypt SSL and AutoSSL to ensure a secure and trusted connection for both users and services.

Why SSL Certificates Break After Changing Hostname

When you install a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate via WHM/cPanel, it’s bound to your server’s hostname (FQDN). If you later change this hostname, the certificate becomes invalid, and cPanel services like Webmail, WHM, and email (SMTP/IMAP/POP) start showing SSL certificate warnings or “expired certificate” errors.

You might also notice:

• Users see security warnings in browsers when accessing WHM.
• Mail clients (like Outlook or Thunderbird) reject SSL connections.
• Webmail or FTP throws SSL mismatch errors.

Step-by-Step Guide to Renew SSL After WHM Hostname Change

Step 1: Confirm the New Hostname is Set Correctly in WHM

Login to your WHM panel and navigate to:

WHM > Networking Setup > Change Hostname

• Enter your new FQDN hostname (e.g. cpanel.example.com).
• Make sure the domain resolves to your server IP.
• Click “Change” and wait for confirmation.

Step 2: Ensure DNS and Reverse DNS (PTR) Are Updated

Before issuing a new certificate:

• Confirm your new hostname has valid A and AAAA DNS records.
• Use a tool like https://dnschecker.org to verify.
• Set the correct PTR (reverse DNS) with your hosting provider.

Step 3: Reissue SSL Certificate for the New Hostname

From your WHM Control Panel navigate to:

WHM > Manage Service SSL Certificates

This section manages SSL certs for:

• cPanel/WHM/Webmail
• Dovecot (IMAP/POP)
• Exim (SMTP)
• FTP

For each service:

1. Click “Reset Certificate”
2. Choose “Install the certificate for the current hostname”
3. Click “Use the Hostname’s SSL Certificate”

This links the service SSL to the new Let’s Encrypt hostname cert.

Step 4: Run AutoSSL Manually

Even if the certificates were successfully installed, it’s highly recommended to force AutoSSL to validate and renew:

Run the following command via SSH:

root@whm:~$ /usr/local/cpanel/bin/autossl_check --force

This forces WHM to:

• Renew SSL certificates
• Apply them to all services
• Revalidate the new hostname with Let’s Encrypt

Step 5: Restart Core Services to Apply New Certificates

To ensure all services load the new certificate, restart them via SSH:

root@whm:~$ /scripts/restartsrv_cpsrvd    # WHM/cPanel
root@whm:~$ /scripts/restartsrv_exim      # SMTP
root@whm:~$ /scripts/restartsrv_dovecot   # IMAP/POP
root@whm:~$ /scripts/restartsrv_ftpserver # FTP

Upon executing successfully the above commands, you may reboot the server (not required but it’s highly suggested).

Step 6: Validate Renewed Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificate

In order to confirm your steps were successful, you may want to validate the renewed SSL via a trustworthy online tool such as https://www.sslshopper.com/ssl-checker.html.

Additionally, please make sure that you access your WHM control panel with https://<hostname>:2087 via an incognito browser, or by deleting cache/cookies on your existing one.

Deploy Cheap Dedicated Server Worldwide

Explore today our wide-range of dedicated servers available in multiple locations, or visit our Instant Servers page for configurations which are instantly available for provisioning.

In this guide we explain how to clean and further manage the redolog folder in order to preserve sufficient disk space on Zimbra server.

Zimbra is a collaborative software suite that includes an email server and a web client. It’s known for its features like email, calendar, contacts, and document sharing, making it a comprehensive platform for communication and collaboration.

At NetShop ISP, we not only offer Email-as-a-Service powered by Zimbra Collaboration, but also deploy and manage hundreds of Zimbra instances for customers hosted on VPS and Dedicated Servers. This tailored hosting approach ensures high availability, performance, and flexibility for businesses of all sizes.

One of the most common operational challenges we encounter is Zimbra servers running out of disk space. This issue often arises due to the accumulation of large backup files, statistical data, and redo log files. Without proper monitoring and housekeeping, these elements can rapidly consume available storage, leading to service disruptions.

In this guide we explain how to clean and further manage the redolog folder in order to preserve sufficient disk space on Zimbra server.

Steps to Troubleshoot Large Redo Log Files

When dealing with zimbra files and commands on your Zimbra server, ensure you are switched to the local zimbra user. You can switch from root to zimbra user by executing the following command:

root@localhost:~$ su zimbra

Step 1: Check Folder Size

zimbra@localhost:~$ du -sh /opt/zimbra/redolog/archive

Step 2: Remove Old Archived Redo Logs

Make sure no active process is using them:

zimbra@localhost:~$ zmcontrol stop
zimbra@localhost:~$rm -f /opt/zimbra/redolog/archive/*
zimbra@localhost:~$ zmcontrol start

Then you can check the new free disk space on your server by this command:

zimbra@localhost:~$ df -h

If the new root disk partition (“/”) free space satisfies you, you may stop here and continue to Step 3. Otherwise, you may want to look at different directories on your server which may be taking up space, such as /var/log/, /opt/zimbra/zmstat/, /opt/zimbra/backup/)

Step 3: Prevent Future Bloat

The following commands help in preventing the Redo log files taking large disk space on your server.
Below are some recommended settings, however you may adjust accordingly as per your company’s data retention policy.

zimbra@localhost:~$ zmprov ms zmhostname zimbraRedoLogArchiveInterval 1d
zimbra@localhost:~$ zmprov ms zmhostname zimbraRedoLogDeleteOnRollover TRUE
zimbra@localhost:~$ zmcontrol restart

Get Your Zimbra-based E-mail Accounts on Shared, VPS or Dedicated Server

Zimbra is ideal for those who care about data sovereignty and maintaining 100% control over the email service & data of their business.

At NetShop ISP we offer three types of hosting for Zimbra e-mails:

• Shared E-mail Server: Fully managed email hosting service, starting from €2.99/month
  
• VPS Server: Zimbra Collaboration solution hosted on Virtual Private Server. Based on recommended hardware specifications, solution starts from €25/month
  
• Dedicated Server: Recommended for businesses and organizations with more than 50 e-mail accounts. Pricing depends on the server’s specifications, roughly start from €99/month.

For more information or to get a free consultation about the right Zimbra hosting package that suits your business, please contact our Sales representatives.