"Microsoft’s work to ensure that PHP apps work well on Windows has made my job easier.” Seth Sobotka, Owner, Practically Dutch
Practically Dutch is a web design and development agency that serves small businesses. When customers asked about building sites on the WordPress blogging and website application, Practically Dutch took advantage of Microsoft support for PHP-based applications like WordPress to use the best tools available for creating innovative websites—and to host WordPress sites on the Windows platform.
Business Needs
Practically Dutch is a web design and development agency that has a loyal base of small-business customers around the United States. It creates compelling, graphically rich sites for businesses as diverse as specialty food retailers, marketing agencies, and pet care product manufacturers. It also provides services such as search engine optimization, project management, and consultations with small businesses on the effective use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
The owner of Practically Dutch, Seth Sobotka, says a key to success in his market is to stay as flexible as possible when using design and development tools. The goal is to have as many tools as possible to quickly meet the needs of a specific jobs and clients, while keeping costs under control.
In the past few years, Sobotka says, customers have periodically requested the use of the WordPress blogging and website application. WordPress is an open-source application originating from “LAMP” technologies—Linux, Apache web server, MySQL database, and the PHP scripting language.
“I grew up as a developer using Microsoft products,” he says. “The Windows platform is the foundation for work that I continue doing today because I trust the tools and the security that are found in the Windows environment. When I got requests for WordPress sites, I wanted to be sure that I could continue using my Windows skills, and not be forced into using UNIX and Linux tools for designing and hosting sites for my customers.”
Solution
Microsoft has created solutions that make it easy to use PHP-based applications on the Windows platform. The Microsoft offerings include the Windows Cache Extension (WinCache) for PHP, an accelerator that increases the speed of PHP-based applications; the URL Rewriter, a free extension for Internet Information Services—the web server component of Windows Server—that enables easy-to-understand and easily searchable web addresses; and WebMatrix, a set of Windows technologies that lets web agencies and web hosting providers code, test, and deploy both ASP.NET and PHP applications side by side.
The additional tools from Microsoft allow Sobotka to continue using his expertise on the Windows platform while building sites with software such as WordPress.
Equally important for Sobotka was a partnership with Applied Innovations, a Florida-based web hosting company that runs its operations on the Windows platform and supports the deployment of WordPress websites using Microsoft products and technologies.
A test of this web development model—mixing a PHP application like WordPress with Microsoft tools—came during consultations with 2Jane.com, a long-time Practically Dutch customer and online retailer that supplies home decorating products and supplies.
“2Jane wanted a facelift, and I thought WordPress would help them achieve a new look for their site,” Sobotka says. “However, they had an ecommerce shopping cart that was created using .NET. We did not want to recreate the ecommerce software, which would have entailed time and expense. But we also did not want to have the shopping cart and website running on separate web servers. That would have been a real headache for deployment and ongoing administration.”
Working with Applied Innovations, Practically Dutch integrated 2Jane’s existing ecommerce system with a new WordPress website—and deployed the seamlessly integrated solution on a single Windows-based web server.
Benefits
With the Microsoft developments around PHP-based software, and by working with Applied Innovations, Practically Dutch can take advantage of its Windows expertise and tools while responding to customer requests involving WordPress. By staying on the Windows platform, Sobotka can continue to use efficient tools for daily administration of customer websites. This flexibility allows him to do routine tasks quickly and effectively. The result is that Sobotka can create his customers’ sites quickly and get them to market rapidly in response to fast-changing market conditions.
Cross-platform Flexibility
Sobotka says the flexible, powerful tools in the Windows environment help him provide outstanding service to his customers. “I’ve standardized on the Windows toolbox, and am benefitting from the fact that Microsoft is constantly improving and updating its support for PHP applications on the Windows platform,” he says. “If I was working solely on Linux, I could only run PHP applications and could not take advantage of the great ASP.NET code that is out there. For me, it’s all about being able to select among best-of-breed tools so I can respond to my customers’ needs in the fastest, most cost-efficient manner possible. Microsoft’s work to ensure that PHP apps work well on Windows has made my job easier.”
Rich Administration Tools
Along with a rich tool set, Sobotka says the Windows platform can offer advantages in the daily administration of websites. “There are two databases on the 2Jane.com site—one powering the WordPress site, and the other is a SQL Server database used for ecommerce,” Sobotka says. “I find the SQL Server administration tools to be better and easier to use than those for the PHP database. Another benefit is that it’s easy to use Microsoft Access as a frontend for SQL Server databases. That helps my customers because Access has the same familiarity as Microsoft Office programs like Excel. They can learn it quickly and use Access to manage their data inside a SQL Server database.”
Fast Deployments
The Windows platform and the delivery of tools and development enhancements from Microsoft lead to even greater responsiveness for Practically Dutch customers. “I’ve been able to respond to requests to use WordPress as a website tool. Knowing that I can dive into a project while still being able to use the Windows tools and hosting technology that I’m familiar with means that I can work faster and get my customers’ sites up and running more quickly,” Sobotka says. “That allows me to provide better service and to quickly adapt to trends in online commerce.”
For more information about using WordPress on Windows, please visit: www.microsoft.com/web/wordpress
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
