Herndon, Virginia - (The Hosting News) - January 4, 2008 - Virtualization software company, SWsoft, has enabled service providers to offer customers instant license renewals and upgrades for software applications, with the latest release of the Plesk control panel solution.

SWsoft Plesk 8.3 supports a new licensing and upgrade format as part of the Application Packaging Standard (APS) for packaging software programs running on hosting platforms, which simplifies integration and makes it easier to deliver software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. Now, end-users can use the Plesk interface to upgrade any third-party application installed through the Plesk Application Vault, a repository for APS-based applications. Plesk 8.3 also includes support for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7), which features an enhanced FastCGI module for faster, more reliable hosting.

Serguei Beloussov, CEO of SWsoft noted, ''Plesk 8.3 includes new features to improve end-user performance and adds support for key Microsoft software to address the hosting requirements of our customers who use Windows. With support for the APS Standard in the latest Plesk software, we've achieved another milestone in our Open Fusion initiative with continued innovation in hosting automation.''

New features in Plesk 8.3 include support for:

• APS-based Licensing and Upgrades - Enables users to install updates or license upgrades to any application in the Application Vault directly through the Plesk interface.
• Windows Server 2008 and Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7) - Supports Microsoft's latest web server technology for faster, more reliable hosting.
• PHP FastCGI - Allows users to run stable PHP applications with improved efficiency over CGI.
• New Mail and Anti-Spam Software - Adds support for SmarterMail Mail Lists, CommunigatePro Mail Lists, Merak Spam Filter, and SmarterMail 4 Spam Filter.
• Webmail per Domain - Allows customers to use different webmail software on different domains, even if on the same server.
• ColdFusion 8 - Supports the latest version of ColdFusion, the HTML-based application used to create dynamic web pages.

Lou Honick, CEO of HostMySite.com remarked, ''We're excited that Plesk now supports PHP FastCGI, which will significantly improve performance and reliability for our dedicated hosting customers. In addition, Plesk's support for IIS7 will help our Windows-based customers go to market faster with new services with minimal cost and improved manageability.''

SWsoft Plesk is the leading multi-platform control panel designed to meet the needs of small to large hosting providers, resellers and end users. With patented hosting technology, the software is easy to use and automates a large number of tasks that allow service providers to reduce operating costs while increasing efficiency, profitability and customer satisfaction.

Open Fusion is an SWsoft technology initiative to improve integration among a wide range of systems, third-party applications and modules, and custom and in-house solutions. The Open Fusion platform enables optimized delivery of SaaS and traditional hosting services. The APS Standard is a key element in this initiative and provides a format for software applications running on hosting platforms.

Plesk 8.3 for the Linux/Unix and Windows platforms is available now from SWsoft and its partners worldwide. Upgrades are available at no additional charge to existing customers with subscriptions or the SWsoft software update service.

SWsoft is a virtualization and automation software firm with solutions designed to assist consumers, businesses, and service providers optimize technology use. The company's software powers more than 130,000 servers and 700,000 desktops worldwide in 125 countries. The SWsoft product line includes Virtuozzo - the leading operating system virtualization solution, Parallels - the leading desktop virtualization product, and Plesk - the leading server control panel. Founded in 1999, the company has offices throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

To learn more about the new application, please visit: www.swsoft.com/en/products/plesk.

For more information about SWsoft, please visit: www.swsoft.com.