Jackson Yap, founder of web-hosting company APC Hosting, is grabbing a position at the forefront of cloud computing.
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| CN PHOTO: Desmond Tan |
The Internet has seen vast changes and advancement since its inception in the late 1960s. Nowadays, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are everyday “necessities” that the forefathers of Internet could not have dreamed of.
What allows these websites to be accessible via the worldwide web are companies like APC Hosting, which provides services that allow individuals and organizations to make their websites accessible via the Internet, giving them their own web and email address.
APC Hosting had its humble beginnings in 2003 when its founder and managing director, the then-18-year-old Jackson Yap, began his web-hosting interests during his junior college years. In the last seven years, Yap has nurtured APC Hosting from a simple web hosting service provider using purchased hosting packages from another company into a premium and comprehensive web hosting company that uses cutting-edge cloud computing infrastructure.
“Recent developments in IT see a move toward cloud computing, like what Amazon is providing now, and also a move towards Software as a Service (SaaS) as well as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). APC Hosting has moved our hosting platform which was previously on a single server platform to cloud computing, for better scalability, performance control, as well as for greener computing due to a reduction in energy consumption from hardware,” says Yap, explaining this technological trend.
“Unlike some web-hosting companies, APC is totally responsible, that’s why we have been in business for more than seven years. We’ve heard of many orphaned customers whose web hosts just shut down suddenly, leaving their company or business websites stranded,” describes Yap. “We stand out by the quality of the support we provide. It is not just support, but truly caring about our customers and what they have.” The company’s tagline, hence, is “Your Success Is Our Business”.
“It means we care about whether all is going well for them or not,” explains Yap. “We are not just doing this for profit’s sake.”
Some of APC Hosting’s more prominent clientele now include the Ministry Of Education, Abacus Investment Holding Pte Ltd, and Lifeline Heart Centre. But things were not always this smooth sailing for Yap.
“One of the toughest times running the web-hosting service was during national service. As I was posted to a full combat unit, I was training most of the time. I could only pray for the hosting servers to encounter no problems so that hosting services would not be affected,” laughs Yap.
Business aside, this young man takes the time to focus on the spiritual aspects of his life as well. “Being a connect group coordinator, and a cell group leader in training, I do need to glorify God in my business, and also set time aside to sow into the lives of my members without affecting my business operations.”
Yap, a School Of Theology graduate, actively applies teachings of the Great Commandment, the Great Commission, and the Cultural Mandate to his business. “By obeying the Great Commandment, which is to love people, I treat customers and their company with respect and love,” says Yap. “To fulfill the Great Commission in our business, we try to bring our hosting and design services to as many companies and individuals as possible through our reach.”
He concludes, “To fulfill the Cultural Mandate, we’ve been actively involved in corporate social responsibility, providing web hosting sponsorship to non-profit organizations, schools, communities and projects which play a part in benefiting the society.”
Other problems that Yap faced in setting up his own business include having irregular income, no stable job, parental objection, lack of funds and on-the-job learning. Even with all these concerns, Yap still plans to forge ahead and make APC Hosting the leading web-hosting company in Singapore.
Says Yap. “Always seek God for wisdom and direction and lean not on your own understanding.”
On a practical note, Yap adds, “Prepare to work harder than you imagine, but stay passionate in all that you all doing.”
APC Hosting
www.apc.sg
