Overview

IO Zoom is without a doubt one of the best VPS providers in the hosting space for offering a solid managed VPS. Whether you’re looking for a partner for your web development exploits or a host for your business site, this is the place to get all types of VPS packages structured for just that. What makes the company an outstanding web host are the free services they attach to their plans such as free 10 Gbps worth of DDoS protection that mitigates 95% of the most common attacks.

The company was established in 2015 by its founder Kiet Duong. Kiet joined the web hosting business in 2004, at the time only focusing on offering shared hosting. As shared hosting became ineffective with time, many of his customers preferred virtual private servers for their website. It is here that he shifted his focus to VPS hosting.

IO Zoom is based in Houston, Texas and strives to become the go-to premier web host that serious business people can rely on. The company has 6 data centers spread in Miami, Dallas, Los, Angeles, Chicago, Secaucus, and Mepel in Amsterdam.

This IO Zoom review offers a breakdown of what this hosting provider offers including its hosting plans, features, strengths and weaknesses and frequently asked questions about IO Zoom.

I/O Zoom Features

Performance and Speed

Web hosting technologies continue to evolve as providers embrace changes in the industry. IO Zoom realizes that the best way to overcome some of the challenges experienced in hosting is by adopting the latest technology in their data centers. After all, we are living in a world where people want quick website loading which can only be achieved by adopting the best hardware components for each server in the hosting network.

IO Zoom relies on a few aspects to keep their services operating at industry leading speeds and uptime count. Let’s take a look at these features that give this company an upper hand when it comes to performance and speed:

Full speed SSD drives

SSDs have been around for a while now but are still more expensive compared to HDDs. That said, these nonvolatile memory drives rely on flash memory to provide much faster operating speeds. IO Zoom acknowledges this and the fact that just having ‘SSD Cache’ on your server doesn’t mean that you will get similar performance to that of 100% SSD storage.

The web host uses SSDs from some of the industry giants such as Samsung and Intel thus the quality and reliability of the product comes as a guarantee. All this plays a huge role in ensuring that your site is responsive and ever available for your visitors.

LSI RAID 10 arrays

Your website will have numerous upgrade requirements along the way as your business hopefully grows and traffic increases. These needs call for versatility in terms of hardware upgrades, an example being that the server hosting your site should have scalability tools. It is for this reason that IO Zoom has invested in LSI RAID 10 arrays in all of their data centers.

RAID 10 combines disk mirroring with disk striping to provide additional data protection. The configuration also gives room for hot swapping which is useful in replacing disks with errors or while scaling the storage allocation on a particular server.

DDR4 memory

DDR4 has the upper hand over the older DDR3 memory configuration. This can be seen in the reduced power consumption as well as increased data transfer speed. This positive reflection on a server’s performance and power consumption help in reducing the hosting cost burden that’s handed down to the subscriber.

The reduced power consumption as well as cooling bill due to the much lower heat generation by the memory cards, play a significant role in supporting a greener environment.

Intel Xeon processors

Your website has a backend where you get to set up your site- this is where all the coding responsible for each feature can be controlled from. On the frontend is where your customers usually interact with your website when they visit. The programs responsible for all these require computing power which is provided by an Intel Xeon processor on each server. Some of these servers even have a dual processor configuration for increased processing speeds and data transfer.

100% uptime guarantee

IO Zoom investment in the latest server tech and state of the art data centers with qualified technicians has seen the hosting business achieve some of the best uptime counts. So reliable that the company is willing to offer a 100% uptime guarantee. The SLA states that the company will credit accounts that have been affected by any downtime each month. However, it’s recommended that you take a good look at the finer details as the SLA has a caveat against what exactly qualifies for the uptime guarantee.

Security

IO Zoom takes the security of its users seriously by offering rich security features. Apart from malware protection, the company also offers account isolation, free Let’s Encrypt SSL and intrusion prevention. Some of the key security features include:

DDoS Protection

As DDoS attacks continue to rise in the hosting space, it has become crucial for websites to have some form of powerful protection to minimize downtimes. IO Zoom security is stable with DDoS protection which the company offers as a standard service for VPS plans. The host offers DDoS that can filter up to 10 Gbps – if an attack goes over the limit, your IP will send a signal to your email.

This web host also boasts of protecting your site from over 95% of the most common attacks and threats.

Spam Expert Filtering

IO Zoom also helps keep your inbox secure by offering SpamExperts, a self-leaning technology that fights off spam and virus in mails. This tool prevents phishing, malware attacks, and ransomware before they make way to your inbox. SpamExperts is designed to detect new spam in real-time, then analyze and fight against it. It then improves intelligence in secure data collection to keep your email space safe.

Having an extra layer to protect your email flow and infrastructure increases redundancy and promotes your email delivering process. Even when destination mail server is down, SpamExperts filter protects your emails. Unfortnately, this security feature is only available to Linux users.

Imunify360 Security

Iminify360 offers an effective security solution with the dashboard offering a consolidated view and more control over the advanced firewall, malware detection, IDS/IPS, sandboxing, reputation management and sandboxing. The tool is meant to keep your website server safe.

Server management

IO Zoom offers server management as a standard feature for every VPS plan for the expert level user. The company says that it offers 24/7 monitoring and proactive updates for your server. Server management involves server security hardening, malware scanning, and proactive security updates.

Backups

This web host offers backup for every VPS on its server on a daily routine. Your data is stored on a dedicated backup for free and doesn’t count in your disk space. However, the company does not offer automatic backup but restores the whole virtual server if you need your lost data.

The company also offers plans to help you restore individual files from backup. The platform is compatible with most backup software available including R1Soft, Plesk or JetBackup among others. If a customer does not want to select a backup plan, they can have scheduled backups via the cPanel or do a local backup.

R1Soft server backup software is arguably the most effective one, providing high-performance server backup that comprises of the data repository and central management. A full virtual backup takes a short time and allows you to have your own logins for added safety.

IO Zoom Control Panel

Your control panel is the key to your website. It therefore goes without saying that any hosting company out there should offer the best control panel as per their plans. IO Zoom provides four control panel programs to choose from. For dedicated hosting, customers can go with Web Host Manager (WHM). WordPress hosting plans use the Plesk Control Panel. Those on shared hosting get cPanel while those on unmanaged VPS plans get SolusVM Control Panel.

Each of these options is highly adapted to its specific tasks as well as features. However, the tools available in each are similar across the board. Let’s take a look at some of these features:

Software installation and updates

When you log on to the client area, you can use the update tool to either install new plug-ins to give your website additional features or even update existing applications. The tool holds additional functionality in that it can be used to uninstall these third-party programs.

Mail management

Use the mail tab to create autoresponders, email marketing blasts, and update alerts to send to your mailing list. The tab can also be used to configure your filtering service to access the most important emails first. You can also set the included SpamExperts third-party email filtering plug-in.

Security tab

You can configure your website’s security options such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates. Besides, in IO Zoom’s cloud server plans, you can use the security tab to grant full root access to various users connected to your account.

Customer Support

In case you experience issues with your hosting, having responsive and helpful customer support is crucial. This hosting company uses a client-centered approach to ensure that customers stay happy. IO Zoom offers a support ticket system to enable you reach them any time you encounter challenges in your hosting account. Most of the VPS plans are self-managed by default hence you only get support for hardware and network related issues. You can also buy a professional support plan for additional assistance.

Contact the company’s team of professionals who offer 24/7 support via their live chat support and other channels such as email and offline chats.

Knowledgebase

I/O Zoom offers a lot of useful information on the knowledgebase section in the form of short questions and answers, guides and tutorials. There are a video tutorial sections where interested customers learn skills related to website building and web hosting among other subjects. The knowledge base offer rich posts related to various issues that customers come across. You can also access the community forum provided to find answers to some of the commonly asked questions that users encounter.

In case you don’t get answers in the knowledge base and video tutorials, this web host offers tickets for emails where you can raise your issue.

30-day Money Back Guarantee

As with most hosts, IO Zoom offers 30-day refund policy. The company guarantees that you will be refunded the full amount in case you’re not satisfied with their services. However, any cost of add-ons will be subtracted from the total cost. If you raise a claim after the 30-day window, you do not get any refund.

Dedicated Environment

IO Zoom Extras

Free Migration Assistance

If your site is already hosted elsewhere and you have paid for a hosting plan on IO Zoom, then you are in luck. The company offers free migration assistance where their in-house team will move your site over to IO Zoom and make sure that everything works at no extra charge.

Software Installation

When it comes to the technical tasks and projects around a server or site maintenance, things can get a little out of hand. Luckily, IO Zoom provides professional software installation services to their clients. This even extends to checking for compatibility as well as installing all necessary modules to keep everything running smoothly.

Performance Optimization

IO Zoom managed plans include performance optimization that's typically done in the backend to increase your website's responsiveness. Some of the tests carried out include page load speed using GTmetrix as well as Google page speed, Apache, htaccess responsiveness, and MySQL processing speed. The results are then carefully analyzed to pick out areas that need to be optimized by either tuning the software or implementing new plug-ins to help accelerate your website.

I/O Zoom Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Spread out data locations

IO Zoom’s quick popularity can be attributed to good network and advanced server technology. A key contribution is the strategically located data centers in 6 different locations. The company has it’s data center’s in Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Meppel in Amsterdam, and Secaucus in New Jersey. The company is quickly making a name with an infrastructure that offers reliable networks.

Secure services

I/O Zoom provides effective solutions in regard to security including the DDoS protection that keeps you safe from the most common attacks. Precisely, the company says that they mitigate 95% of the most common attacks. This means you experience fewer downtimes caused by attacks.

Another option is the SpamExperts tool for your inbox, made to keep your emails safe and spam-free. The tool plays a crucial role in improving productivity because you don’t have to waste any time to deal with spam.

Commendable customer support

Besides offering secure services, IO Zoom has strong support that serves customers quite diligently. The web host offers 3 types of support options including video tutorials, knowledgebase, support ticket, and offline chat. For tutorials, you can view over a thousand videos on their portal which can help you learn various subjects. The knowledgebase comprises a rich source of articles with questions and answers.

IO Zoom also provides an option to use support tickets in case video tutorials do not offer enough information. You can also start a chat with their staff offline where they can respond to your issue.

30-day Money Back Guarantee

In case you experience issues with speed, downtime or purchased a plan with insufficient resources for your site, you can seek a refund. This company offers a 30-day refund policy and guarantees to refund without any issues.

Easy Usability

IO Zoom offers to take care of server management for free to its customers as long as they add a cPanel to their packages. For customers who choose to use self-managed VPS hosting, the host offers a SolusVM control panel which offers effortless management of the server. The control panel comes equipped with key features like ability to shutdown, change hostname, root password, remote reboot, usage statistics, and server status.

Not only this, the company offers these users with full root and admin access to ensure easy server management. You do not have to worry about spam and malware as that is dealt with quite promptly.

100% uptime guarantee

IO Zoom offers a 100% uptime. The hosting provider promises that their network, hardware, and infrastructure will be online 100% of the time. However, should you experience issues to do with downtime, the company offers credit, but you have to email them at billing@iozoom.com.

Weaknesses

No direct contact for support

One area that IO Zoom needs to improve is on customer support. While they offer a live chat option, it’s functional only for some hours every day. What’s more, this company does not offer phone support which is crucial for urgent issues.

IO Zoom Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When and who created IO Zoom?

IO Zoom is a privately owned company that was established in 2015. The company was founded by entrepreneur Kiet Duong who says that he joined the hosting space in 2004. He began offering shared hosting before upgrading to offering virtual private servers. The company has 6 data centers with facilities in California, Illinois, Texas, and New Jersey. The main aim of the company is to offer the best hosting for the advanced user at an affordable price.

How is IO Zoom infrastructure?

The company uses Intel processors with DDR4 Memory, hardware and solid-state drivers to keep their performance strong. It also boasts a robust network infrastructure including equipment from Juniper, Intel, Cisco, and Samsung. What’s more, it feature multiple service providers such as China Unicom and Comcast. IO Zoom has 6 data centers worldwide with more expected to be added soon.

Where are IO Zoom’s data centers located?

IO Zoom has 6 data centers spread across the globe for global hosting capabilities. Their servers are in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Meppel in Amsterdam, and Secaucus in New Jersey. The company also plans on expanding its services across Europe before 2018 ends.

What services and specializations does IO Zoom offer?

IO Zoom mainly focuses on offering VPS plans as well as other services like backups and server management. The company offers plans that vary based on disk space, amount of RAM, and cores among other additions. Managing their VPS servers is easy, thanks to a SolusVM control panel that they include with every purchase. This web host also offers services for Windows, Linux, WordPress and recently, cloud services.

What’s IO Zoom’s uptime guarantee?

IO Zoom promises to offer 100% uptime guarantee. Of course, it’s almost impossible to find a provider that offers 100% uptime – however, you can rest assure that you will experience fewer downtimes with this host, all thanks to the high-speed network providers and the location of their data centers. Besides, in the event they fail to meet the guarantee, you’re free to ask for a bill credit through a single or couple of billing cycles.

What do they mean by “300% faster SSD VPS hosting?

IO Zoom ensures that all servers are built for performance with all servers running in a Raid 10 configuration. This gives the company’s servers a tremendous boost in speed.

How good is IO Zoom customer service?

Customers who require support can use the ticket system offered by IO Zoom. All VPS plans are self-managed hence you only require hardware and network issues. You can also get additional assistance using the help desk or buy a cPanel add-on. The company also offers a staff off chat where you can talk to their representatives and get quick responses. Most issues are also addressed on the knowledge base section and community forum.

Is IO Zoom secure?

Sure, this company offers a range of security features to safeguard sites against malware and virus. For starters, you get a web application firewall, free SSL certificate, and account isolation. All sites are protected against DDoS attacks with the company saying that their network protects most common attacks.

The host offers SpamExperts, a tool that keeps your inbox spam-free to improve productivity. It also strives to monitor its network and hardware undergo through its 24/7 monitoring policy to prevent attacks.

Does IO Zoom have any setup fees or hidden costs?

Their WordPress shared hosting plan has a small setup fee on monthly billing and semi-annual billing cycles. However, longer-term billing cycles do not have such setup fees. The same extends to VPN plans, and the company’s rates do not change on term renewals.

Why should you consider I/O Zoom?

IO Zoom offers multiple operating system choices and plenty of resources to satisfy the customer. They offer a fast and reliable VPS speed performance which is 300% faster than regular VPS hosting solutions. More importantly, the company offers cheap hosting which makes it ideal for clients on a tight budget.

Additionally, IO Zoom runs Raid 10 on their SSD’s and offer 24/7 monitoring from a dedicated monitoring station to resolve issues much quicker. They also offer self-managed hosting with no setup fee, no risk, and no commitment.

Does IO Zoom offer a money back guarantee?

Yes, IO Zoom has a 30-day no-hassle money back guarantee. If you are unhappy with your plan, you can go ahead and cancel it, and the company will issue a refund.

Does IO Zoom allow account upgrading?

Yes, IO Zoom plans are designed in such a way that you can seamlessly upgrade or downgrade to the plan that best fits your needs.

Can I migrate freely to and from IO Zoom hosting?

Yes, IO permits transferring site data over to your new hosting or VPS account. It’s important to note that the company provides an unlimited control panel to control panel transfers as long as you have a fully managed VPS or shared cloud hosting account.

Which virtualization tech does IO Zoom offer?

IO Zoom uses KVM virtualization with their Linux servers while Hyper-V virtualization is used on all windows server plans.

Does IO Zoom offer 100% pure SSD storage or is it just SSD cache?

IO Zoom uses pure SSD storage solution instead of SSD caching which uses HDDs for primary storage and SSD to cache data.

What are IO Zoom payment options?

IO Zoom offers VPS packages per month. The hosting provider accepts payments through Master Card, Visa Card and PayPal. Other payments that this host accepts include American Express, Discovers, UnionPay, and Alipay.

Does IO Zoom provide tutorials?

Yes, IO Zoom has a very detailed knowledge base with all the much-needed tutorials on various topics. Its support team continually updates this database with some of the most common queries from the customer base.

Does IO Zoom store credit card information on their servers?

NO, instead IO Zoom transfers the credit card information to Merchant processors servers and connects it to your account through the use of tokens. The credit card data is transmitted under securely encrypted channels.

Does IO Zoom enforce bandwidth caps?

Yes, the hosting plans on IO Zoom contain various bandwidth quotas. Therefore, when your account uses up your entire allocation, the connection speed will be throttled down to 256kbps. The company will notify you when your bandwidth is 90% used up allowing you to renew your subscription and keep your site running at full speed.

Does IO Zoom offer reseller programs?

Yes, Io Zoom has a rather generous reseller program where the discount is allocated as per the number of accounts bought. For you to qualify for this program, you must be a web hosting service provider and must have at least a pair of active VPS servers.

Does IO Zoom offer back up services?

This web host does not offer backup services but performs daily backups in case clients need them. Apart from offering data packages, you can also use the control panel to schedule and get backups.

What are best IO Zoom alternatives?

IO zoom boasts a more solid service compared to most other web hosts out there. However, should you need to shift to similar alternatives, then you may consider InMotion, A2 Hosting and GoDaddy Web hosting.

InMotion offers feature-packed VPS host plans for both Windows and Linux with an outstanding customer service. On the othe hand, A2 Hosting offers a scalable and reliable option for VPS hosting with generous amounts of RAM and support for numerous websites. You also get a myriad of ecommerce features. Finally, GoDaddy offers amazing features such as superb uptime, numerous web-building tools, and excellent customer service.