Hi Ben! I’m so glad you’re our interviewee this month. So tell us, what is your official job title here at LP?

Ben:  Hi Amy and all! First and foremost, thank you very much for the opportunity to share my experiences as an Account Manager here at Lunarpages Internet Solutions! My goal as an Account Manager is to enhance our business partnerships and ensure our customer’s hosting service requirements are being met to their expectations and associated customer satisfaction.

Ben, I know you’re always incredibly busy, but fill us in on your day to day tasks.

Ben: Sure Amy! My mornings start at 7AM with a cup of Pete’s Coffee, brewed in-house courtesy of Lunarpages.  Then I run through the usual routine – check voicemail(s), email(s), announcement(s), ticket(s), and the live chat.  After I’ve followed-up with my clients and when I’m not assisting inbound new account inquiries, you can find me studying the industry and the latest technology trends.  I am always looking for ways to improve efficiency and I rarely take breaks (in fact, I often eat lunch at my desk to help cover the phones).  A wise man once told me, “If you learn to work in fast-forward, then you will make it far in life,” and it stuck with me ever since.

Have you worked in any other departments at Lunarpages?

Ben: Yes I have, in fact. My journey began here as a Customer Service Representative (CSR I) back in June of 2008. After almost a year of experience, I proudly gained the title (and privilege) of a CSR II along with additional training in order to help our Billing Team with the work load. Soon I also became the Site Transfer Liaison, solely handling shared website migrations to Lunarpages so as to prove that we are the best home for your website(s). In March 2010, I became an Account Manager.

What did you do before Lunarpages? What made you decide to join our Family?

Ben: Heh, it’s funny you ask! I grew up in Northern California and have been surrounded by computers throughout my entire life. Both of my parents were computer programming specialists, yet while I was growing-up they often called upon my assistance with tasks such as setting-up and configuring new computers, networks, accessories, etc.

Like most other kids from my generation, I was quite fond of playing video games. So much so that I even dreamt of growing up to become a video game tester. My friends and I developed a lightweight obsession with one game in particular called Everquest (MMORPG). I eventually discovered ways to “hack” the game by writing my own custom scripts to auto-control my character and do practically ANYTHING I could imagine. Before long, I had max experience, the best loots in the game, and more money than anyone in Norrath could ever imagine. I retired from the game as one of the most notorious and legendary Bards of Povar.

Life soon brought me to college at California State University, Fullerton. Based on my knowledge (and accompanying parental influence), I decided to focus on achieving a B.S. in Computer Science. Over the next two-and-a-half years, I held several part-time jobs at places like coffee shops, gymnasiums, and record stores. Those didn’t last long. However, the customer service experience combined with my technological background eventually paved the way for me as a full-time CSR here at Lunarpages.

You are very successful with high end sales. What are the benefits of getting a dedicated server if you run your own business?

Ben: Why thank you, Amy! I am a firm believer in Dedicated Hosting (versus shared, VPS, “the cloud”, etc). There’s no doubt that I’d own a server myself if I weren’t burdened by the typical “college student budget”. Are they an absolute necessity? The answer is: “not for everybody. Not yet, at least”.

If you’re involved in business, then you should undoubtedly have a website. Most people who are starting a website off the ground will be perfectly fine on a Lunarpages Basic Plan (Shared Server).  If you already have a website and it’s currently hosted on a shared server, then it should be your goal to grow beyond the boundaries of the shared environment.  Eventually your website should require the committed resources, greater security, fully managed services, and peace of mind found in our 24/7/365 Dedicated Support.  This means you’re growing. Growth means money, and “money makes the world go ’round”.

As I advise my clients, Lunarpages Internet Solutions has been growing ever since we launched back in 1998. We’re all about growth, and we’d love to help you achieve your goal(s). There’s nothing we love more than actually seeing our customers’ business grow!

Do you host any websites with Lunarpages? If yes, what are they?

Ben: I do! From the ground-up, I’ve built and still manage a few websites for my college fraternity, friends, family, and various school projects. With my current schedule I’ve found it quite difficult to update and moderate them like a diligent webmaster really should, but for the sake of example:

www.ThetaDeltaBeta.com

www.FullertonTDB.com

These sites demonstrate a little bit of the HTML, CSS, Javascript, AJAX, PHP and MySQL skills that I’ve picked up while studying Computer Science and working for Lunarpages.

What do you like to do in any other spare time you find?

Ben: When I am not at work or school, the first place you should expect to find me is the gym. I am quite intrigued by health & fitness, and that’s why you can find me reading articles on MensHealth.com and counting calories on DailyBurn.com. You’ll also find that I am a “music aficionado”, and surround myself with it 24/7. At the gym, in the shower, at work, at home, even while sleeping — wherever I may be, there will probably be music. I also strum the ‘ol guitar, whenever I get the chance.

For entertainment, I’ll often browse through various funny videos/shows on the internet and television. My favorite movies are Comedies, and my most cherished moments in life are shared with those who make me laugh.

If you weren’t working here, where do you think you’d be?

Ben: Hmm, good question… Probably still at the gym, selling fitness.

You work at our Anaheim Corporate Office, tell us about the most entertaining employee there.

Ben: The most entertaining employee, hmm… another good question! Well, I can’t point my finger at one particular person because everyone can be entertaining in their own unique way. Here’s what I’ll tell you:

Since my venture as an Account Manager, I’ve migrated to a more secluded office down the hall from Support. The most entertaining people I’ve found are the ones who sit alongside me: Clay, Shawn, Rodger, and recently Keith; dubbed “The A-Team”. When we’re not helping our customers and each other out, we’ll frequently brainstorm to discover new business opportunities, improve our operations and work flow, and provide the best possible service that Lunarpages can offer. (Not to mention we know how to have a good laugh every once in a while, too).

Can you share some interesting information about the Anaheim Corporate Office?

Ben: If you’re like me, then you may be a little reluctant to fully-accept someone’s account of a “paranormal experience”.  However, a few of my colleagues claim to have heard “inexplicable sounds” at night such as doors opening/closing by themselves, noises originating from a dark & empty gymnasium, and even one occasion where the alarm went off by itself.  They claimed this place was haunted, yet I found it hard to believe.

A few months ago though, I was working the Saturday shift and there were just a few of us here in the headquarters.  We have motion-sensor lights in all of our hallways and one must walk through them in order to get upstairs.  The office where I sit is separate from the call center, so I’m by myself on the weekends and thus the hallway lights are off for most of the day.  One weekend, I heard loud footsteps that sounded like they were going upstairs. Startled, I turned around to find a dark and unlit hallway.  The footsteps ended when they sounded like they had reached the top, and the hallway lights never turned on.  I quickly messaged my colleagues who told me that they too had heard it.  After exploring the rest of the building, I found that it was completely empty.  I’ll admit it though – I had goose-bumps on the back of my neck.

What do you see as the future of hosting technology in 2010 and beyond?

Ben: I am a big advocate of Open-Source software. What I’d like to see is the continuing trend toward Open-Source software versus Commercialized software, along with a growing “common knowledge” and emphasis on website/server/network security. After working in Support for nearly 2 years and being a webmaster myself, it is astonishing to find how many people’s websites are getting hacked on the daily basis. Even I have been a victim of this heinous crime.

Hardware-wise, I’m eagerly anticipating an affordable Solid State Drive (SSD) solution. Currently most hard drives use spinning disks, and we all know that moving parts are prone to failure. Imagine never having to worry about your hard drive failing! For those of us who are familiar with computing (RAID1) or have been affected by a “server migration due to a drive failure”, you probably know what I’m talking about. Currently 1 total terabyte (TB) of usable SSD storage costs approximately $58,750.00, versus 1TB of internal HHD storage which can go for lower than $50.00.

And now for some usual LP Fun, what (or who) is your favorite…

Animal?

Ben: Great White Shark

Superhero?

Ben: Spider-Man

Place to live?

Ben: Orange County, CA

Place to vacation?

Ben: The Philippine Islands

Season of the year?

Ben: Summer

Website?

Ben: FullertonTDB.com

Book?

Ben: The Lord of the Rings Saga

Movie?

Ben: Scarface

Celebrity?

Ben: Mark Zuckerberg

Hobby?

Ben: Guitar

Video game?

Ben: Everquest (retired)

Color?

Ben: Red & Black

Thanks Ben!