August 28, 2008 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – The Association of Internet and Hosting Service Providers, AIHSP (http://www.aihsp.org), the first-ever trade association serving the shared interests of providers and vendors in the Web hosting and Internet services industry, today announced a call for qualified industry professionals to join five distinguished key advisory subcommittees, each charged with critiquing and improving the organization’s roadmap to implementing core initiatives.
Launched last month at HostingCon 2008, the largest annual gathering of Web services professionals, AIHSP has received broad attention for its intention to unify the Web hosting and Internet services industry and use collective power to resolve problems within the marketplace and provide greater public and political representation.
The AIHSP Founding Committee seeks qualified industry professionals to sit on five key advisory subcommittees: AIHSP Benefits and Professional Services Subcommittee; AIHSP Standards and Ethics Subcommittee; AIHSP Industry Representation and Advocacy Subcommittee; AIHSP Systems and Infrastructure Subcommittee; and AIHSP Research Investigatory Subcommittee. Each subcommittee will meet online and in teleconference calls over a six week period to fulfill its charge and provide the necessary guidance and advice to help AIHSP reach its 14 inaugural goals (http://www.aihsp.org/About-AIHSP/AIHSP-Goals.php).
“Our advisory subcommittees will play an important role in shaping the future of this organization, laying the groundwork for the realization of our goals. Today, we are a small but agile group of dedicated volunteers, and we see these advisory subcommittees as an opportunity to involve the greater community and benefit from the collective wisdom therein,” said Paul Hirsch, president of the AIHSP Founding Committee. “It is crucial that AIHSP be driven by its constituents, and that the energy and founding philosophy be widespread among the vast spectrum that is the Web hosting and Internet services industry.”
“The formation of AIHSP advisory subcommittees is critical in terms of getting quality feedback from service providers, and more importantly, is highly relevant in the process of organizational structuration,” said Tyrone Adams, Ph.D., director of the AIHSP Founding Committee and the Richard D'Aquin Professor of Journalism and Communications at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. “One of the most important missions of the AIHSP will be to continually generate panoramic snapshots of the industry in action, and build apparatus to address the problems and inefficiencies we find.”
All qualified industry professionals are strongly encouraged to nominate themselves to take part in a subcommittee. The AIHSP Founding Committee will announce the final selection of subcommittee members in early September after careful review of those interested in taking part. Self-nominations may be made at http://www.aihsp.org/About-AIHSP/Build-AIHSP.php.
The five key Advisory Subcommittees, as charged:
AIHSP Benefits and Professional Services Subcommittee
The AIHSP Benefits and Professional Services Subcommittee will collaborate to research viable sources for essential employee benefits (medical, dental, vision, life); research viable sources for essential small business services for AIHSP retainer on behalf of its members (accounting, tax preparation, legal, public relations); and compare and contrast providers in order to make recommendations to the founding committee.
AIHSP Standards and Ethics Subcommittee
The AIHSP Ethics, Standards and Certifications Subcommittee will collaborate to establish ethical standards of business operation; establish criteria for businesses to be considered in good standing; establish processes for updating ethical standards; establish grievance processes for businesses and consumers; and establish mediation guidelines and policies.
AIHSP Industry Representation and Advocacy Subcommittee
The AIHSP Industry Representation and Advocacy Subcommittee will collaborate to explore and determine key legislative objectives and priorities to ensure the sustained success and viability of the hosted services marketplace and fair competition within: research the viability and feasibility of implementing a direct lobbying campaign to influence existing and pending legislation; draft an initial series of communication goals and priorities for AIHSP as a representative body for business; and determine the scope, scale and objectives of an AIHSP media relations and crisis communications apparatus.
AIHSP Systems and Infrastructure Subcommittee
The AIHSP Systems and Infrastructure Subcommittee will collaborate to develop a project scope for the following systems: technical certification tracking system, grievance process tracking, research repository database, crisis communication system, intelligent business directory, employment portal and fraud database; determine most appropriate technologies for development of these systems; determine the hosting architecture best suited to these systems; research developers/firms for in-kind work and compensated work; make recommendations regarding custom development versus off-the-shelf application use; and research application security vendors for systems auditing.
AIHSP Research Investigatory Subcommittee
The AIHSP Research Investigatory Subcommittee will collaborate to determine the paramount research priorities and needs of its hosting and Internet service provider constituents; refine these compelling issues into a prioritized, ordered hierarchy for AIHSP advocacy and lobbying efforts; define which research data should be culled for in a members-only "State of the Industry" quarterly report for longitudinal tracking and archival purposes; and identify and maintain a database of emerging threats to the industry, whether political, economic, technological, or legislative.
Launched in July, 2008, the Association of Internet and Hosting Service Providers (AIHSP) is an innovative collaboration of businesses and professionals in the Web hosting and Internet services industry, working together to unify the industry, achieve meaningful representation, and secure a more prosperous marketplace for all.
To view a list of AIHSP goals, please visit http://aihsp.org/About-AIHSP/AIHSP-Goals.php. To nominate yourself to join an AIHSP Advisory Subcommittee, please visit http://www.aihsp.org/About-AIHSP/Build-AIHSP.php.
