The Zio Inc story can teach numerous lessons on properly researching a prospective web host prior to committing yourself and your data. Questions regarding off site backups, financial stability, and the ability to easily generate and download a backup or copy of your data are as important as package limits, data transfer specs, and security measures that the web host utilizes.
On December 1st the owner of Zio Inc awoke to what he describes as a ridiculously long, almost 104 (editor's note... almost 104?), voice mails from clients informing him that the servers were off line. Zio's owner claims that the night before he had notified the dedicated server company he was leasing servers from, that a payment on services would be made by 6PM EST the next business day.
Apparently the company took the servers off line including those which Zio attests where current. Zio further states that the company required full payment for all the servers that were with them before the ones that I had been making timely payments on for THE LAST 2 YEARS could be reactivated.
It appears that the owner of Zio Inc made some inquiries on December 1 where it is alleged that statements including death threats were made to staff of the dedicated server company.
HostJury has chosen to refrain from identifying the dedicated server company hosting the servers as it appears their actions have been professional, and in keeping with industry protocol. It also appears this company allowed the servers to remain on-line for over 3 months. (past due dates on some invoices in August)
As always seems the case when a web host abruptly goes off line, a number of clients are finding themselves marooned with no website, data, or backups that can be restored on another web host. Web hosting companies can transfer data and websites from another host, but the server needs to be on-line to accomplish this.
HostJury approached the dedicated server company involved, inquiring whether it was possible to bring the servers on-line for 24 hours so that clients of Zio without backups, would have an opportunity to retrieve their data. HostJury offered to pay the cost associated with bringing the servers on-line for 24 hours.
Dedicated Server Company Response:
At this time no data will be released from any servers allocated to Zio Inc due to an ongoing legal investigation. If any clients of Zio Inc are frustrated with this decision, they can of course contact legal representation and direct that frustration via action against Zio Inc regarding their data.
We cannot and will not accept any payment for these services from anyone other then our direct client as per our privacy policies. Our direct client has been given numerous avenues for resolving his situation and is the only one who can resolve this situation affectively.
For clients of Zio Inc, it may be encouraging news that their data still exists, and likely will until at least the legal investigation is complete. Equally disheartening may be the knowledge that releasing that data may hinge on Zio Inc.
Sun, 18 March 2012, 08:11
Direct Deposit negations have been settled. The data will be transferred and moved to a new system. The estimated time frame to CDN launch is 3-6 weeks. Please understand our network was in test phases and we didn't have the equipment that is near finished being built. This will complete our topology and bring years worth of stability to the table as a managed service platform.
Mon, 12 March 2012, 22:30
http://www.ripoffreport.com/web-hosting/host-dime/host-dime-surpass-hosting-llc-c7c11.htm
I have a $85,000 corporate credit card, host dime won't accept it. No death threats were made and Host Dime recorded cannot publish the recorded death threats that was supposedly iterated. Federal Government has offered badged access to 9 high profile secure network facilities to operate our Content Delivery Network. No suit has been brought forward. Host Dime has been offered payment in full and has declined.
Sat, 10 December 2011, 20:49
It appear that presently there are no positive developments to report.
The dedicated server company has reiterated that:
"The client's of Zio Inc have one and only way of retrieving their data, and that is by dealing with Zio Inc."
Sat, 10 December 2011, 04:26
Would request Hostjury to check with both the companies and see if there's some positive development underway to end the stalemate and bring ZioInc back online.
Fri, 9 December 2011, 17:56
Mike-
I partially agree..
Indeed it is the clients responsibility to generate and download, or offload to an external site backups of their data. So yes it is indeed "their fault"
HJ also feels, and states in the story, that the server company has acted professionally, and has demonstrated a willingness to go further than required, in fact further than many companies would. HJ is totally aware that privacy and civil laws limit the response by the dedicated server company. The company requested that we refrain from using their name, and we are respecting their wishes.
I disagree that the involvement of lawyers in effect 'ties' their hands. Lawyers pretty much screw up everything but maybe just this once they're absconded.
The response from the company clearly states: client has been given numerous avenues for resolving his situation and is the only one who can resolve this situation affectively.
What those avenues consist of is open to interpretation.. walking on hot coals, long walks off high cliffs... paying his alleged invoices!
No mention of lawyer types...
Fri, 9 December 2011, 17:14
That is there fault for not making back ups of there site.
Your only source is Zio Inc, the people that made this report.
The "server company" which I know the name too have already made many replies to Zio Inc publicly. They have also posted there side of the story in which shows Zio Inc was making death threats to them among other things. This may be the reason why they won't turn the server online at all. Because there are layers involved now.
Fri, 9 December 2011, 17:21
I'm unsure which part of the story HJ missed that could realistically be confirmed.
The dedicated server company would be constrained by privacy laws to which information it could divulge.
The owner of Zio can make numerous claims which again would be almost impossible to collaborate without the cooperation of the dedicated server company.
What can be confirmed is the servers are off line and numerous clients were caught "with their pants down".. they have no back ups of their sites or data.
HostJury also disagree that the server company cannot bring the servers back on-line. Doing so would not provide access to anyone other than those clients who had access prior to December 1st.
Its not that the dedicated server company "can't" bring the servers online.. rather "they won't"
Fri, 9 December 2011, 16:03
You all really need to get both sides of this story and not only the one side. There is more going on then what you think is. Zio Inc was making death threats to the company employees among other things.
Why don't you ask your self, "why wouldn't they want to accept payment" there is a lot more going on than what meets the eye.