SoftLayer, Inc. In 2021: What Do SoftLayer, Inc. Client Reviews Say?
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Our overview of SoftLayer, Inc.…
Expert Opinion
Hear from our web hosting expert, WhoIsHostingThis Team.
Best Reviews
See what 13 SoftLayer, Inc. customers have to say.
Hosting Plans
Compare the best SoftLayer, Inc. hosting plans and their prices.
FAQs
Most asked Questions about SoftLayer, Inc. – answered!
SoftLayer Hosting
Founded in 2005, SoftLayer provides enterprise scale cloud hosting. They’re an IBM company with data centers in Amsterdam, Dallas, Houston, San Jose, Seattle, Singapore, and Washington DC They boast a fully automated platform with security and scalability. SoftLayer is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Support
For self-help you can use a knowledge base, called KnowledgeLayer® , a forum, and automated tools within SoftLayer’s portal. For technical support, you can submit a support ticket or call a toll-free number. Tickets and phone support are available 24/7. Support tickets receive a response within 20 minutes. Phones are always answered by the second ring.
Features
(Network and Data Center features if several hosting types) Introduction sentence.- 100% uptime service level agreement (SLA)
- 17 geographically diverse points of presence (POPs)
- Fully redundant
- Standardized specifications across data centers
- Full control of services via Customer Portal and application programming interface (API)
- Server reboots, operating system reloads, and many other services can be done automatically, without contacting customer support
- Flex Images™ for capturing server images
Dedicated Servers
Available in a wide spectrum, from single processor servers up to massive hex core, and in customized solutions for medium businesses on up.
- 5 TB outbound traffic
- 100 Mbps uplink
- Server to server connectivity
- Choice of operating system (OS); several Linux distributions or Windows
- Server update utilities
- Nimsoft monitoring
- Provisioning in two to four hours
- Up to four quad core with 20 MB cache, depending on server configuration chose
- Up to 32 GB DDR3 random access memory (RAM), depending on server configuration chose
- One public Internet protocol (IP) address
- High performance builds with NVIDIA Tesla graphics processing unit (GPU) cards
- Many RAM, redundant array of independent disks (RAID), and hard drive upgrades available for additional fees
SoftLayer, Inc. Reviews by Our Community
Overall Rating from 13 Reviews by SoftLayer, Inc. Customers
| Support | |
|---|---|
| Quality | |
| Features | |
| Value |
Most Helpful Reviews
K Deeds oldtowncreative.com
Jul 02, 2012
Paul Williams purelocal.com.au
Jan 12, 2017
Softlayer are a good company with responsive customer support but do not offer unlimited bandwidth which is a Huge drawback. We have a GoDaddy server and use SoftLayer.com webhosting for a separate website. If we go over our allocated bandwidth allowance of 10GB with Softlayer , we pay $75 USD per month for an additional 30GB of bandwidth.
This is now looking like we need an additional 30GB of bandwidth per month so that’s an extra $150USD per month whilst with GoDaddy the bandwidth is unlimited. I don’t understand why SoftLayer charge this much for bandwidth usage compared to GoDaddy but it does require change in my opinion. Contacting SoftLayer about why they charge this much they say that GoDaddy are more for servers and they deal more with larger companies. In short , SoftLayer are a good company but if you use more than 10GB of bandwidth per month I’d say there are better options given their high price for extra bandwidth per month.
Ashok Kumar A M zebros.in
Jan 20, 2013
I have using for the past three years, I never faced downtime to my site. Its works well ever and ever. and their tech support is great.
CloudLayer
Cloud-based server options that are perfect if you’re short on time or need lots of flexibility.
- Rapidly deployable; as few as five minutes
- Customizable plans
- Robust content delivery network (CDN) with pay as you go bandwidth
- Hourly or monthly pricing without contract
- Scalable
- Seamless integration with physical servers for hybrid environment
- Option to Build Your Own Cloud
- Choice of public, private, or Bare Metal cloud
- Up to 8 core, 8 GB RAM, and 100 GB storage, depending on Public Cloud server chosen
- Up to 8 core, 32 GB RAM, and 100 GB storage, depending on Private Cloud server chosen
- Up to 16 core, 64 GB RAM with 250 GB hard drive, depending on Bare Metal server chosen
- Additional storage and alternate operating systems available for a fee
Managed Servers
If you’d rather have someone handle the updates and monitoring of your server, a managed server is right for you.
- Deployment in one business day
- Monthly contracts
- Fully customized solutions; engineering team helps you find the best architecture for your business
- Daily backups
- Full monitoring
- Database monitoring and tuning
- Advanced security measures; virus scanning, firewalls, and server hardening
- Service organization control (SOC) 2 compliant
- 1 Gbps ports with base configuration
- Separate private and public network interfaces
- Antivirus software with base configuration
- Virtual dedicated rack
- 50 GB Evault® backup with base configuration
- Additional Bare Metal restore plugin with base configuration running Windows
- Managed Nimsoft monitoring
Pros
- Premium support standard
- Fully customizable plans
- Monthly plans; no long service contracts
Cons
- No budget hosting plans
- Few package plans; pricing is vague
- Popular features, like cPanel, WHM, and Fantastico cost extra
The Verdict
SoftLayer offers up the type of solutions that are perfect for you if you’re running a large scale business, numerous sites, or resource needy websites. These are not hosting plans for an individual or a blogger. They include premium technical support, such as round the clock phone support. This is not a place for budget hosting solutions. If you need a serious hosting provider with experienced support and a rock-solid, geographically diverse infrastructure, then SoftLayer is for you.
Most Popular SoftLayer, Inc. Hosting Plans
| Virtual Server | |
|---|---|
| Disk Space | 25GB |
| Bandwidth | 250GB |
| Price | $25 / mo (Billed as $25 Per Month) ⓘPrices in are approximate, based on current exchange rates. The host will likely charge you in USD, or at a different exchange rate. Usual price: – Get % off! |
| Visit SoftLayer, Inc. Now |
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SoftLayer has been great imo over the last 3 years. When they first took over Orbit I felt there were issues. I’ve been coding for 20 years and no matter who you host with there will be an issue or two.
If not you are one lucky coder and living in a different world than the rest of us. I give SoftLayer high marks, and will say we manage our server, so this doesn’t include any of their managed services. Our up-time has been great, their response time to tickets has been fast, and they’ve given me about 10 hours of the last year of free help and advice when I’ve had to make server management decisions.
We currently have 4 servers with them and really can’t dish them at all. I’ve been with about 8 different companies over the years and feel I’ve had my fair share of good and bad hosts. Two thumbs up to SoftLayer from me.
I also will point out if you have clients that are very large and recognized they ask who their site will be hosted with if you are the developer. Spitting out some small companies name they have never heard of can cost you a client from time to time.