An Interview with The Computer Tailors: Spotlight on nopCommerce
Longtime Applied Innovations customer The Computer Tailors is based in Boca Raton, Florida. Owner Louis Datz sat down with us to talk about a site he recently launched using nopCommerce and why he hosts his clients’ sites with Appliedi.
AI: How many sites does The Computer Tailors host with Applied Innovations?
LD: I host 45 sites with Appliedi.net.
AI: Wow! That’s a lot. So how long ago did you discover Appliedi?
LD: I believe I met Jess Coburn [president of Applied Innovations] at a Code Camp around 4 years ago.
AI: Why do you choose Applied Innovations as your web hosting provider?
LD: Prior to becoming a reseller for Appliedi.net, I hosted my own sites. I had a primary and secondary domain server, a web server/SQL Server, an email server, and a T1 line. What a nightmare! Appliedi.net has allowed me to sleep again. I no longer have to worry about clients’ email going down or other hosting issues and I can concentrate on my custom web services. The best part is that Applied Innovations has the greatest support team.
We have moved lots of clients over to AppliedI, and the number one reason is support. A few months ago, I was trying to support a client who was hosted with another company. I didn’t charge them for the hours I spent trying to get through to support and couldn’t. In the end, I just couldn’t solve their problem. So the client asked me to switch her to my hosting company, Applied Innovations.
AI: Do you have a good example of a nopCommerce site that you have developed?
LD: Yes, I just started getting into nopCommerce a few months ago and launched www.Unbreakable.com . Last week, nopCommerce released version 2.0 which is in the Model/View/Controller format. I’m incorporating the nopCommerce 2.0 version into another Model/View/Controller website I’m working on using Visual Studio 2010. It’s a coupon site that will be launching soon.
AI: Are there any specific considerations when building a nopCommerce site?
LD: Any open source application still requires a thorough knowledge of the underlying code. Unless, of course, you don’t need to make changes and can use it “Out of the Box”. But making changes and websites go hand-in-hand. There aren’t many successful websites that haven’t evolved over time.
AI: How about considerations when hosting a nopCommerce site with Applied Innovations?
LD: If you are hosting with AppliedI, I don’t know of any special considerations you need to set up a nopCommerce site. You have to set it up with the 4.0 framework, but that is about all I have encountered so far. I know that with another open source site that I used to work with, it made use of AppliedI’s Full Text Indexing capability for catalog searches. I discovered the hard way that some other hosting companies do not provide Full Text Indexing with SQL Server.
AI: Before we wrap up, tell us a little bit about The Computer Tailors.
LD: We’re a boutique customization house concentrating on full service website services including hosting, development, and graphic design, with an emphasis on eCommerce. Last year we ventured into the realm of Online Marketing including SEO, Email Marketing, Social Media, and Custom Text Messaging Services. Due to the economy, we are being called up to do more and more maintenance and upgrade jobs. Many shopping carts sites are 5 to 10 years old and are not PCI compliant. And many of companies that originally set them up are no longer in business. Our company has a great track record porting these sites over to new shopping cart applications, including transferring the data.
AI: Do you consider yourself a Windows app expert?
LD: I’ve been programming business and accounting type applications on Microsoft Platforms dating back to MS-DOS. Other people call me an expert. I am my own worst critic so I always strive to be an expert.
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