Combell's Origin Story and Services

Combell ’s journey began in 1999 when Jonas , then 19, founded the company in Ghent. Over the years, Combell has evolved significantly, highlighted by key milestones. In 2002, the company made its first strategic acquisitions, including a domain name service, marking the beginning of its expansion. By 2014, it transformed into Combell Group, and in 2018, it rebranded as Team Blue to emphasize its international ambitions and collaborative approach, allowing acquired companies to operate independently under different names. As Simon Verdonck pointed out during his lecture, 2023 marks a significant year for Combell, positioning itself as “ready for the future.”

Infrastructure and Technology

Combell has established a robust backbone to support its extensive services. The infrastructure is designed with redundancy at its core, ensuring a “backup can backup” system that enhances reliability. Combell’s operations are spread across five different regions, each equipped with UPS systems, diesel generators, and VESDA fire detection systems that remove oxygen to suppress fires effectively. Furthermore, 24/7 camera surveillance and premium hardware from DELL-NETAPP fortify the security and performance of Combell’s data centers.

Interestingly, these data centers are not directly connected to the internet but are linked to major European network hubs, similar to those used by Telenet and Proximus. Combell also ensures connectivity redundancy by using two different internet providers, a crucial factor in maintaining uptime and reliability.

Hosting Solutions and Features

Shared Hosting

Combell’s shared hosting services are built on more than 1,000 web nodes running Linux Debian OS, Apache webservers, and MySQL databases. Each account is isolated in its container, enhancing security through localized firewalls, SSH access per customer, brute force protection, and IP-offloading. Additionally, DDoS protection, Varnish with custom VCL support, non-persistent Redis, and isolated account environments ensure high performance and security. Customers also benefit from clear cache options via the dashboard and comprehensive malware protection with critical patching.

Specialized Hosting Offerings

Simon emphasized the versatility of Combell’s hosting solutions, particularly its Managed WordPress service, which powers 70% of all websites online. This service includes automatic updates for WordPress core, templates, and themes, one-click copy test environments, and direct community support, bolstering its appeal. For those seeking performance, Combell Boost offers a Litespeed hosting cluster that is six times faster than standard solutions, with easy implementation and flexible scalability.

Tailored Hosting Services

For larger scale operations, such as the example of Tomorrowland mentioned by Simon, Combell provides customized hosting solutions like Public and Private Cloud services. During peak times, such as ticket sales, Tomorrowland leverages a private cloud setup that dynamically scales to 36 interconnected servers to handle the massive influx of web traffic.

Comprehensive Digital Services

Beyond hosting, Combell offers a 360° suite of services to support businesses online. This includes domain name registration, Flexmail for reliable email delivery, and Leadinfo for advanced lead generation and website analytics. Moreover, Combell provides integrations with Office 365, compliance tools like Iubenda for cookie and general condition management, SSL certificates, and specialized booking software.

Simon Verdonck’s lecture provided a clear view into how Combell has strategically positioned itself to not only grow within the ever-evolving digital landscape but also to offer a broad spectrum of reliable and innovative web services. From its humble beginnings to its current status as a key player in the hosting and web services industry, Combell continues to adapt and thrive in a digital age.

Thank you for reading! I also extend my gratitude to Simon Verdonck for his insightful lecture organized by Alexander Vandepitte , which provided invaluable perspectives on Combell’s journey and services.

Interested in more? I recommend you visit Combell’s website to explore their hosting solutions and services.