This new PHP version has allowed popular frameworks like Symfony and WordPress to run on PHP 8.1, so you know that A2 Hosting’s servers will be able to support it! You can now take advantage of PHP 8.1 with your PHP applications hosted by us.

New Updates!

PHP 8.1 is the most recent release of PHP and features new updates, such as:

Scalar Type Hints

PHP will now receive better error messages when type hinting doesn’t match. This means that if you’re expecting a string and PHP receives an integer, PHP will throw a clear and concise error message to help you debug the issue easier. PHP will also not allow errors to occur when typing hinting at your PHP variables. This is just one of the ways PHP 8.1 helps you keep your PHP applications secure and bug-free!

Return Type Declarations

PHP 8.1 now supports return type declarations which means that PHP will be able to tell what kind of data you’re expecting back from a function. PHP 8.1 can not only help with security but also PHP performance as PHP will be able to execute the function and return the type of data you’ve requested without an extra step which speeds up PHP execution!

PHP 7 Compatibility

PHP 8.1 now has improved compatibility with PHP 7 so PHP developers don’t have to rewrite their PHP scripts for PHP 7. PHP 8.1 is backward compatible with PHP 7 so you don’t have to rewrite your code!

Contact Us Today

A2 Hosting is a leading provider of PHP hosting with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and a 24/7 support team to help you get the most out of PHP 8.1, today! Our expert Guru Crew team can help you with any questions or concerns about your PHP application, PHP 8.1 support, or migrating to PHP 8.1! We are available 24/7/365.

The post A2 Hosting Supports Newest PHP Version 8.1 appeared first on The A2 Posting.

Looking to learn more in-depth about the security included with all these plans? Below is an explanation of the different security tools and features included and how this can help you make sure your website is safe and secure.

The Importance of Security on Websites Using WordPress

When there’s a huge demand for a script or CMS, there’s a good chance that hackers and attackers will be keeping an eye on websites using it. At any one time, there could be hundreds or thousands of attacks happening on the internet. This makes WordPress websites a target.

As such, hackers will always be scanning WordPress websites for vulnerable areas. This means website owners who don’t properly prepare and secure their WordPress sites may be at risk. This is why you need to keep the security on your website in tip-top shape! Below are the features we offer at A2 Hosting on our Managed WordPress plans to help ensure your security success.

Managed WordPress Security Features

A2 Hosting’s new Managed WordPress plans now come with a selection of enhanced security features that have been designed to support our users such as HackScan Protection, Reinforced DDoS Protection, and KernelCare. We’re including a complete breakdown below of three of the main tools we will be including in the plans and the different security features they provide our users:

WordPress Toolkit

We include different levels of cPanel’s WordPress Toolkit on all of our WordPress plans. Below are some of the main security perks:

• 1-Click Hardening: Used to scan existing and new sites for settings that may be potentially vulnerable.
• Automatic Hardening: This can keep your site safe through the auto-application of the industry’s best practices in security.
• Mass Hardening: Scans all your sites for vulnerable settings while securing every site with just a click.
• Security Rollback: In rare cases, security updates may create compatibility issues on your website. This feature will allow you to quickly revert the changes made.
• Mass Updates: This allows you to execute updates for all of your website’s WordPress themes, core, and plugins.

Jetpack Security

We will also be including the popular Jetpack Plugin. This plugin comes with a multitude of security features including:

• Automated Spam Filtering: Protects your site by keeping spam content away.
• Brute Force Attack Protection: Works to keep your website safe by blocking unsafe login attempts from distributed attacks and malicious botnets.
• Free Daily Malware Scans (Included with our Fly & Sell Plans): This feature automatically checks your site for vulnerabilities such as malware. You’ll also receive immediate alerts if Jetpack finds problems to be addressed quickly.

A2 Optimized

All of our plans also come with our plugin, A2 Optimized. We’ve focused on various security measures with A2 Optimized, which include the following:

• Deny Direct Access to Configuration Files and Comment Form: This allows you to protect your configuration files by creating a Forbidden error to bots and web users who try to access WP configuration files.
• Lock Editing of Plugins and Themes from the WP Admin: This prevents exploits to use the built-in editing capabilities of the WP Admin.
• Login URL Change: With this, you can hide your wp-login and wp-admin pages, blocking off hackers from entry through brute force attacks.
• Regenerate wp-config salts: WP salts and security keys help to secure the site’s login process along with the cookies that WordPress implements to authenticate users.
• ReCAPTCHA on Comments and Login: Used to increase site security while decreasing spam by adding a CAPTCHA to the login screen and comment forms.
• Unused Themes & Inactive Plugin Notifications: Themes and plugins with security flaws can still have an impact on the site. Having these notifications can help you better manage other features on your site for improved security.

cPanel Security Features

There is also a wide range of improvements to cPanel’s Security. This includes:

• Directory Privacy: Blocks users who want to open a folder that you’ve designated for protection. They will first need to enter a username and password for access.
• Free SSL Certificate (Free RapidSSL On Sell plans): This allows you to secure pages on your website so that details such as credit card numbers, logins, and more are sent encrypted instead of plain text.
• Hotlink Protection: Stops your images from being used on other sites.
• Imunify360: A comprehensive security suite for real-time and proactive website protection. It provides an all-in-one security solution that features a Web Application Firewall, an Intrusion Prevention and Detection system, a Network Firewall, Patch Management, and Real-time Antivirus protection.
• IP Blocker: Blocks a range of IP addresses to stop hackers from getting access to your site.
• Leech Protection: Stops users from publicly posting or sharing passwords to restricted areas of your site.
• ModSecurity: Provides real-time monitoring for incoming threats and blocks malicious connections before reaching your WordPress website and applications.
• Patchman: This scans your account for any outdated WP malware scripts, vulnerabilities, and applications. It will then fix any vulnerabilities without doing damage to the site.
• SSH: Provides more secure file transfers.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): If turned on, it will require the app on your smartphone to provide a unique security code that you must input apart from your password when trying to log into your account.
• Virus Scanner: Configurable scan of your account to identify any security threats.

Need Help? Ask Our Guru Crew

If you need support or just have a few WordPress Hosting questions, you can count on our expert Sales team! Working 24/7/365, our friendly and knowledgeable staff are more than happy to address any concerns or issues. You may also reach them via email, phone, or live chat, so you can get the answers you need when you need them.

The post New Managed WordPress Enhanced Security Features with A2 Hosting appeared first on The A2 Posting.

Ann Arbor, MI—January 17, 2022—A2 Hosting, a provider of high-speed web hosting solutions, announced the availability of its new and improved portfolio of Managed WordPress plans. Modernizing its prior WordPress offerings, the new plans run on the company’s high-performing Turbo servers and introduce advanced features and tools—innovations that collectively increase website speed and security as well as ease of management for customers. The plans are available in four distinct packages to support various business requirements from single or multiple website deployments to basic corporate or eCommerce site configurations. 

“Last year, 70 percent of businesses chose to invest more in their digital presence. In parallel, over 60 percent of websites currently use WordPress as their content management system,” said Bryan Muthig, CEO, A2 Hosting. “We have a highly regarded track record of staying in step with our customers’ wants and needs which is why we released an extensive WordPress survey. The results guided us in creating our new Managed WordPress solutions that maximize, secure, and simplify the use of WordPress.” 

Run, Jump, Fly, Sell

As stated above, A2 Hosting’s WordPress experts developed the four different levels of WordPress plans based on feedback from current and prospective customers. All plans include cPanel’s WordPress Toolkit for easy site management. The tiers are defined as: 

• Run: The first tier plan is for WordPress beginners and hobbyists to quickly and easily get sites up and running. Run best fits the needs of users who are beginning on WordPress and need a strong foundation optimized with security and features that can be built on.
• Jump: The second tier plan is designed for professionals whose businesses need more resources and/or have up to five websites to host. Jump includes extras like Jetpack’s Daily Backup License and 250 GB of NVMe performance storage.
• Fly: The third tier plan is designed for experienced web professionals and developers who host a number of sites for themselves and their customers. Fly provides users with unlimited websites, unlimited NVMe storage, and free daily malware scans with Jetpack’s Security Daily License. 
• Sell: This tier is specifically crafted for eCommerce professionals, with WooCommerce pre-installed and optimized. Sell is also bundled with a premium RapidSSL certificate and a site seal to demonstrate enhanced security to customers. This plan is ideal for buying and selling using WordPress.

Advanced Plan Features and Benefits

The new Managed WordPress plans are supported 24/7/365 by A2 Hosting’s in-house Guru Crew. This team provides hands-on assistance with server and plan maintenance. The plans take a focused approach to help users increase their success rates with the popular CMS: 

•  Security Enhancements

Also included is extensive security, including features like a web application firewall, real-time antivirus protection, a network firewall, and patch management that detect, fix, and protect these hosting plans. The Fly and Sell plans also include Jetpack Daily Secure that addresses specific WordPress vulnerabilities through malware scans, brute force protection, automated spam filtering, and more to remove the guesswork from deploying the most secure website possible today. 

• Speed Optimization

The plans are hosted on A2 Hosting’s Turbo servers. The servers’ integrated NVMe storage, advanced LiteSpeed caching, and A2 Optimized plugin (which uses Memcached and TurboCache to accelerate website performance) to increase server speeds up to 20x faster than stock installation with 204% of standard disk performance.

• Managed Server Benefits

All plans come with complete server management. This includes features like 24/7 server maintenance, security, resource upgrades, malware scanning, and more. 

• WordPress-Specific Site Management Tools  

The plans also include newly introduced tools designed to aid and automate the speed and security of WordPress websites. The tools offer daily back-ups and malware scans, site speed scores, 1-click optimizations, optimized CSS, and other features. They are also bundled with cPanel’s Deluxe WordPress Toolkit, which helps users easily manage, update, back up, clone, stage, and secure WordPress websites.  

A2 Hosting’s New Managed WordPress plans are currently discounted, ranging in price from $11.99 to $41.99 per month.  

About A2 Hosting

Recently awarded Leader in Web Hosting for Summer 2021 by G2 and Best Cheap Dedicated Web Hosting by Digital.com, A2 Hosting, Inc. is a high-performance hosting services provider located in Ann Arbor, MI. The company delivers ultra-reliable solutions and 24/7/365 US-based support from its Guru Crew team. Since 2003, A2 Hosting has offered innovative, affordable, and developer-friendly hosting for small- and medium-sized businesses as well as web development agencies worldwide. Customers seeking the fastest hosting options in the industry can host websites of any size on A2’s Turbo Performance server platform featuring page load speeds up to 20X faster compared to competing solutions. To learn more, visit https://www.a2hosting.com.

### 

Press Contact:

Heather Ailara

211 Communications

+1.973.567.6040

heather@211comms.com

The post A2 Hosting Launches Next-Generation Managed WordPress Hosting appeared first on The A2 Posting.

Apache Log4j 2 is a Java-based logging library developed by the Apache Foundation. It is used by numerous enterprise applications and cloud services to provide advanced logging capabilities. If you have a managed hosting account, you can rest assured that we take care of server configuration and updates for you. If you have an unmanaged server, now is a good time to review your security configuration and make sure updates are installed in a timely manner.

On November 24, 2021, Alibaba Cloud’s security team reported a Log4j 2 remote code execution vulnerability to Apache. The exploit takes advantage of some Log4j functions that perform recursive analysis. With specially constructed malicious requests, attackers can trigger remote code execution.

The vulnerability impacts default configurations of several Apache frameworks, including:

• Apache Druid
• Apache Flink
• Apache Solr
• Apache Struts2

On December 10, 2021, this vulnerability was officially designated in the NIST national vulnerability database as CVE-2021-44228 (also known as the “Log4Shell” vulnerability).

How the Vulnerability Impacts You

Depending on the type of hosting account you have with A2 Hosting, you may or may not need to take action:

Shared, Reseller, and Managed WordPress Accounts

If you have a shared, reseller, or Managed WordPress hosting account, you do not need to do anything. These servers automatically receive frequent updates that include patches for the Log4j 2 vulnerability.

cPanel published an update to mitigate CVE-2021-44228 the same day the vulnerability was announced. For more information, see cPanel’s blog entry.

Managed VPS and Dedicated Servers

If you have a Managed VPS or Managed Dedicated server, you most likely do not need to take any action – your server is updated automatically with patches for the Log4j 2 vulnerability. The only exception is if you have installed any software utilizing log4j outside of cPanel/WHM you should ensure those installations are updated. All software installed and managed by A2 has already been updated.

cPanel published an update to mitigate CVE-2021-44228 the same day the vulnerability was announced. For more information, see cPanel’s blog entry.

Unmanaged VPS and Dedicated Servers

If you have an unmanaged VPS or unmanaged Dedicated server, make sure you keep it up-to-date with the latest security patches.

If you use Log4j 2 it is very important to ensure you have updated to the most recent version.  The first patch included another vulnerability which required a second patch.

Java 8 (or later) users should upgrade to release 2.16.0.

Java 7 users should upgrade to release 2.12.2.

More information can be found at Apache.

For information about how to install updates on unmanaged servers, please see this Knowledge Base article.

The Bottom Line

Heartbleed… Shellshock… The Log4j vulnerability is only the latest in a long line of security bugs. It isn’t the first, and it surely won’t be the last.

If you have a managed hosting account, you can rest assured that we take care of server configuration and updates for you. If you have an unmanaged server, now is a good time to review your security configuration and make sure updates are installed in a timely manner.

The post Log4Shell: 0-day Exploit in Popular Apache Logging Package Log4j 2 appeared first on The A2 Posting.

To end the year with a bang we are running one final Holiday Sale. Starting today through the beginning of next year we will be offering sitewide discounts on all of our plans! Feel free to check out our Year in Review infographic below and then click here to get access to our latest low prices. Let’s start the new year going faster together!

The post A2 Hosting’s 2021 Year in Review appeared first on The A2 Posting.

What is Magento?

First, let’s discuss what Magento is and why it may be a helpful platform for you. Magento is one of the top e-commerce platforms today. It is made with open-source software so users are able to control their online store’s look, functionality, and content without compromising the shopping experience. Also, Magento provides its users with a number of useful tools and features including marketing, SEO, and catalog-management tools. With Magento, users have access to a wide variety of plugins and themes to customize whatever they want. Such customizations can also improve customer experience.

In general, the platform is scalable to any store size and will adapt to your business, whether you are catering to a few customers or a million. This means that as your business grows you won’t be forced to change platforms.

What is Managed VPS Hosting?

Managed VPS Hosting is a managed service where you don’t need to worry about managing your server. With Managed VPS Hosting, your hosting provider will take care of server maintenance such as core updates, software installation, backup, security, and more.

Benefits of Magento as an eCommerce Platform

Magento offers numerous advantages to e-commerce businesses. As an e-commerce platform, it provides:

• Increased performance and scalability
• Improved ability to persuade customers
• A powerful platform that can support thousands of products
• A responsive and mobile-friendly experience
• Advanced search engine optimization features
• A helpful community with developer support

Benefits of Managed VPS Hosting with A2 Hosting

• Enjoy Full Root Access: With full root access you can tailor your managed server to meet your specific needs as you’re not sharing it with other entities.
• Cost Savings: With managed virtual hosting, you can eliminate expenses incurred on hiring dedicated staff to take care of the technical administration and management tasks.
• Scalability: Managed VPS Hosting services also take care of scalability, which is an important requirement for growing businesses. With rising traffic, your server resources can be easily ramped up to meet the increasing demands.
• Security: With Managed VPS Hosting, you get an IP address that is unique to your server, which offers increased website security.

Conclusion:

At A2 Hosting, our goal is to offer fast, responsive, and reliable hosting solutions to meet your unique needs. This recent integration with Magento is one way for us to show our support to all of our customers.

If you’re a growing enterprise, increasing business demands can place undue strain on your website and online operations if they’re not designed to handle high traffic and other challenges. In addition, the demands of an expanding business can divert attention from more valuable business activities. This is where A2 Hosting can come to your rescue. By opting for our Managed Magento VPS Hosting, you can focus your time and attention on operations such as marketing, promotions, sales, and customer service that directly contribute to the growth of your business.

Leave the hosting challenges to us while you attend to your customers. Benefit from our hassle-free and seamless hosting plans!

Click here to check out our Managed VPS Hosting plans. If you have any further questions, contact our sales team today!

The post A2 Hosting Now Offers Magento Support on Managed VPS Hosting Plans appeared first on The A2 Posting.

ANN ARBOR, MICH–NOV 22, 2021–Black Friday sales in 2021 are forecasted to break $900 billion in online shopping globally, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index. To prepare, eCommerce companies have begun to buckle down and enhance their websites for the recording-breaking traffic coming their way. A2 Hosting, a leading player in the web hosting industry, just released an accompanying ebook to aid online entrepreneurs in their preparations. “With the impacts of Covid 19 in 2020 and 2021, we know that now more than ever it’s imperative for our customers to experience a win during the holiday sales. We’re trying to give them as many resources as possible to help them succeed,” says Bryan Muthig, A2 Hosting’s CEO. 

This ebook is changing the game for eCommerce owners in 2021. It covers backend technical website improvements, front-end website optimization, and digital marketing do’s and don’t. eCommerce owners will find a thorough guide with step-by-step instructions on how to upgrade their websites as well as insight from A2 Hosting’s top-end development team, marketing team, and support gurus. Along with this ebook and a number of preparatory guides on their blog, A2 Hosting is also offering a Black Friday and Cyber Monday sitewide discount with their lowest prices of the year from 11/22-12/5. 

“We want to give our customers the right resources to succeed,” says Muthig. “Not only does that include the right hosting, but it also encapsulates the hosting experience in general. Our guru support crew will be available 24/7 for our customers throughout the holiday season so we’re here for you when it counts. Whether it’s a website crashing on Christmas Day or client questions on Black Friday morning, we’re a team that values supporting our customers in any way we can all season long.”    

About A2 Hosting

Recently awarded Leader in Web Hosting for Summer 2021 by G2 and Best Cheap Dedicated Web Hosting by Digital.com, A2 Hosting, Inc. is a high-performance hosting services provider located in Ann Arbor, MI. The company delivers ultra-reliable solutions and 24/7/365 US-based support from its Guru Crew team. Since 2003, A2 Hosting has offered innovative, affordable, and developer-friendly hosting for small- and medium-sized businesses as well as web development agencies worldwide. Customers seeking the fastest hosting options in the industry can host websites of any size on A2’s Turbo Performance server platform featuring page load speeds up to 20X faster compared to competing solutions. To learn more, visit https://www.a2hosting.com.

The post Win 2021 Black Friday Website Preparations with A2 Hosting’s Free eCommerce eBook appeared first on The A2 Posting.

WordPress (WP) Toolkit is a WordPress management solution. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows users to install, configure, secure, update, and manage all of their WordPress sites. A2 Hosting will be offering WP Toolkit Deluxe on all Turbo Managed Plans, and WP Toolkit Standard will be included on all other Managed plans, including our new Managed WordPress Plans! Watch our video below for an introduction on how to use the WordPress Toolkit Deluxe for Site Management or read the step-by-step guide beneath it.

So installing your site, is as easy as clicking the yellow highlighted button below and then filling out the following form that populates from this.

General

Once you click to install, this page will pop up. In the general section, there are a few things to make sure you fill out.

Installation Path: Your current live site will automatically show up on the installation path. Here you need to select another site or create a staging site (website.staging.com)

Website Title: Now we’ll go ahead and give your website a name. This can always be changed later within WordPress.

Plugin/Theme Set: Here you can choose a plugin theme or set. These are usually just pre-configured packs for you to get started.

WordPress Administrator: Here an overall username and password are required to access the WordPress portion of your site. One of the features of the WordPress Toolkit is to generate these automatically for you and then save them within cPanel so that all you have to do is click a button and you don’t have to remember these at all moving through the database.

Database

Most users may not have to interact with the Database section. This is automatically generated information kind of like the WordPress Administrator section above. You also don’t need to really remember this unless you’re integration level work in your actual databases, but for the most part, these can be left ignored.

Automatic Updates

This is an important consideration for making sure that your site stays available and online and stays secure as updates become available for vulnerabilities. So the default is yes, all minor and major updates. You can also if you choose, select plugins and themes to automatically be updated as well. After deciding this go ahead and click install to start the site installation process.

Just like that your new site is created! Once your installation is complete the window pictured below will pop up. It’s going to provide you with an opportunity to install some plugins. These plugins come directly from wordpress.org. This is the same set of plugins in the community that are managed and downloaded.

If you can click on the install plugins button it will take you to the screen pictured below. There you can look and see all the plugins and themes available. You will be able to see ratings, how many people have already downloaded it, and who the publisher is. It’s going to provide you with the information that you need to be able to decide if it’s the right plugin for you.

Finding Your Plugins and Themes

Let’s say you finish downloading all the ones you want and click off and then realize that you may have missed an important plugin. If you ever need to come back to make a change on your plugins and themes, you can find those in these tabs here on the main dashboard. So we can see that Akisment Anti-Spam 4.1.12 is installed and not currently online until we want to turn it on.

Finding and Installing Your Existing WordPress Sites

Let’s say that you have an existing WordPress site and you’d like to bring it into the WordPress Toolkit so that you can use all these features on your existing WordPress site. As long as it’s under your account, you can use the scan button here and it’s going to search your account’s directories and find your word, your previous WordPress sites that are out there.

Implementing WordPress Toolkit for Your Site

Using the WordPress Toolkit Deluxe to manage your WordPress sites can save you time and stress in the long run. That’s why A2 Hosting is offering the WordPress Toolkit Deluxe version for free on all Managed Turbo plans and the WordPress Toolkit Standard on all other Managed plans. We feel free to look into our new Managed WordPress plans we just refreshed. If you have any other questions, contact our sales and support teams and they will be happy to help you!

The post Using cPanel’s WordPress Toolkit Deluxe for Site Management appeared first on The A2 Posting.

WordPress (WP) Toolkit is a WordPress management solution. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows users to install, configure, secure, update, and manage all of their WordPress sites. Users can implement it with cPanel as a replacement for the cPanel WordPress Manager. A2 Hosting will be offering WP Toolkit Deluxe on all Turbo Managed Plans, and WP Toolkit Standard will be included on all other Managed plans. Watch our video below for an introduction to the WordPress Toolkit Deluxe or read the step-by-step guide beneath it.

An Introduction to WordPress Toolkit

So you’ve just created your new hosting account at A2 Hosting and you logged in to find your WordPress site and WordPress Toolkit. I’m going to walk you through some of the features that you’ll see on the dashboard when you first get started.  

Dashboard

There’s a slew of different features that will allow you to control certain aspects of your WordPress site. First things first, let’s say you want to get into WordPress and start writing on your blog or start working on the site itself. Right below the thumbnail and the bottom left is going to be your easy access, one-click login to get into the WordPress admin area. That’s where everything that happens on the app that contributes to your site management is going to take place.

Site Management on Your Dashboard

The rest of WordPress Toolkit is built around managing your site from more of a project perspective. Here is a screenshot of the dashboard and what each section means:

• File Manager: This is where you can look at all of the files that you currently have on your WordPress Site.
• Copy Data: This button allows you to copy data from one site to another if you’re managing more than one WordPress domain.
• Clones: There’s also a place where you can create a clone, which is basically creating a copy of your site and then storing it within the dashboard’s interface.
• Backup and Restore: This feature enables you to save a backup of your website. This backup can be downloaded, it can be moved, and it allows you to keep that record of your site at a certain place in time to be able to restore it at a later date if you ever need to.

Plugins 

So you can see for my site that was just created that I have the Akismet AntiSpam 4.1.12  and Hello Dolly 1.7.2 plugins. I could also enable some others by clicking the install button just below the word Plugins. This will take you to a page where you can search and find additional plugins within the WordPress community that can be added to your site.

Themes

I also have three themes on this example dashboard.: Twenty Nineteen 2.1, Twenty Twenty 1.8, Twenty Twenty-One 1.4. I currently have the bottom theme enabled but you can turn them off and on as needed. You can also search for more themes by clicking the install button and the screen pictured below will pop up. From there you can choose from thousands of amazing free and paid themes.

Status and Updates

So getting into the center section of the site here, we can see there’s a status column and that’s going to provide us with the status of our WordPress site. In WordPress, and with any type of website really, it’s always important to make sure that your site is kept up to date in both the version as well as your plugins and themes. 

The WordPress community is very active and there are people that are trying to maliciously attack websites all the time, so if there’s ever an issue or there’s a way that someone is able to crack the security of a website, these plugins, themes, and WordPress core, as we refer to it, get updated very quickly. It’s very important that you make sure that those updates are always applied to your site when they become available. That’ll help keep your site safe.

Running a Security Check

The next important security step is running a security check, which is included here within the WordPress Toolkit interface. Watch in the video below as I click security to run a check so the Toolkit can tell me what there is to update and fix on my example site. 

Once enabled, WordPress Toolkit will pull up a predefined list of security measures that you can implement to protect your site from outside attackers. If some of these tasks aren’t familiar to you you can click the little notice icon and it will provide you with a little bit more detail so that you can decide if you want to move forward with each step. 

Once you decide that you’re comfortable making these updates you can select the ones you’d like to apply or go ahead and select all and click Secure at the top. Check out the video below where I show you how on my example site. 

Tools

The second column here is tools. These items are a bit more advanced and can be utilized when you need to change how your site is interacting with the outside world or the outside web. 

• Search Engine Indexing: So search engine indexing is just like it sounds. This is where you can turn on indexing and index your site so that it can be found in a search engine or you can turn it off so it’s hidden from visitors.  
• Debugging: Debugging is a tool that allows you to essentially track issues that are happening with your site so that you can catch them and then apply those fixes.
• Password Protection: Password protection allows you to set a password for access to your site. This is a good tool to use if you’re working on your site and it’s currently not ready for production view. You can put a password on it so that only you or anyone with the password can access it.
• WP-Cron: WP-Cron is a technology that allows you to schedule tasks to run on your site and it’s a great time saver. It runs routinely and allows WordPress Toolkit to implement your changes as necessary to make sure that your resources are being allocated correctly and your site stays in production. 
• Hotlink Protection: Hotlink protection prevents other websites from using your images. Basically, if anyone were to come to your website and right-click your image to get the image location, or the image URL, and then link to it from a different site, hotlink protection would prevent them from being able to do that.

Checking WordPress Integrity

The last part of keeping your site up to date and running is to check WordPress integrity. This is basically a way to check to see if your site has files that have ever been infected by malware and it’s an important step in ensuring your website is active and online. Check out the video below to see how.

Implementing WordPress Toolkit for Your Site

Using the WordPress Toolkit Deluxe to manage your WordPress sites can save you time and stress in the long run. That’s why A2 Hosting is offering the WordPress Toolkit Deluxe version for free on all Managed Turbo plans and the WordPress Toolkit Standard on all other Managed plans. If you have any other questions feel free to contact our sales and support teams and they will be happy to help you!

The post An Introduction to WordPress Toolkit Deluxe appeared first on The A2 Posting.

What is WordPress Toolkit?

WP Toolkit is a WordPress management solution that provides users with a simple interface for installing, configuring, securing, updating, and managing their WordPress sites. It can be used with cPanel because it replaces the cPanel WordPress Manager.

WordPress Toolkit Standard Features

A Free cPanel WordPress Management Solution

WP Toolkit Standard comes free with all of A2 Hosting’s managed plans. One of the greatest features of this toolkit is the dashboard which helps make installation, access, and modification of individual WordPress sites easy. Here are some of the features of WP Toolkit Standard we like the most:

• A single dashboard displays all WordPress sites: Check the status of all sites, including their updates and security, as well as site management tools that are readily accessible. You may search and filter the dashboard to see only the sites you’re interested in.
• Customizable installation: Users of cPanel WordPress may quickly set up new sites, and each one can be modified before going live. Installation path, administrator details, website title, automatic update settings, and database credentials are just a few of the customization choices available.
• One-Click Logins: With a click of the mouse, access the dashboard of any WPT-managed WordPress site.
• Automatic Security Hardening: WP Toolkit implements a variety of security upgrades automatically upon installation, including limiting access to essential files, switching off pingbacks, creating security keys, among others.
• Debug Management: From the site’s interface, quickly activate WordPress debugging options. You may enable enhanced maintenance mode in the same dashboard, disable search engine crawling, and enable password security.
• Plugin and Theme Set Installation: When you install a site, it will automatically install predetermined plugin and theme settings. Setting up WooCommerce stores, blogs, and other websites is a breeze with this capability.
• Single-site Automatic Updates: Within hosting cPanel WordPress, you may customize the automatic update preferences for WordPress sites, themes, and plugins.

WordPress Toolkit Deluxe Features

WP Toolkit Deluxe features everything in the standard version, plus powerful batch management and website cloning technologies that make handling huge volumes of WordPress sites considerably faster and easier.

WordPress Site Cloning and Staging

Cloning is helpful for building staging sites where modifications and additional features can be tested. Any WordPress site managed by WP Toolkit can be cloned with only a single click of the mouse. First, you choose a site and inform WP Toolkit which domain you want to use. Then it copies the files and database, updates the configuration files, and creates a subdomain so you can view the cloned site right away. Then you can manually copy items and database tables back to the source location, allowing you to deploy updates rapidly or deploy them all at once.

Smart Updates

Sometimes users update their WordPress or its plugins only to discover that the modifications have ruined their site, making the process of updating daunting. To solve this, the deluxe version of WordPress Toolkit set up Smart Updates.

Whenever a Smart Update is initiated, WP Toolkit makes a clone, runs a set of tests, modifies the clone, restarts the test, and generates a report in a platform that lets users examine the site before and after changes. When everything is in working condition, and the user approves, the WP Toolkit removes the clone while updating the parent site. This way you can test for updates without breaking anything!

Mass Hardening and Updates

WP Toolkit Deluxe expands and improves the Standard version’s safety and updating features. WP Toolkit Deluxe also lets users analyze many sites and implement security hardening settings individually at the same time, on top of automatic security hardening. For instance, using the toolkit’s Security Status screen, you might activate bot protection on scores of WordPress sites in moments.

Plug-In and Theme Set Management

You can upgrade WordPress core and plugins, add and remove plugins and themes, and change the auto-update settings for numerous sites all at once.

Back-Up and Restore Points

If something breaks or there is a problem when updating or changing your site, backups and restore points work together to allow users to reload their sites to earlier versions.

The Bottomline

WordPress Toolkit is a convenient tool for those who manage numerous WordPress sites. In this article, we’ve covered the WordPress features that you can take advantage of using both Standard and Deluxe. Keep your eye on the A2 Hosting blog as we release video content and guides on how to use this amazing toolkit to manage your WordPress sites!

At A2 Hosting, we provide Managed WordPress hosting plans where we handle all aspects of website management for you, including upgrades and patches, ensuring that your site is secure and configured to function as efficiently as possible. We will be offering WP Toolkit Deluxe on all Turbo Managed Plans, and WP Toolkit Standard will be included on all other managed plans. To learn more about our services, contact us today!

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