We’ve all been there: you send an important business email and later discover it landed in the recipient’s spam folder. It’s frustrating and disruptive. In fact, nearly half of all emails sent worldwide are identified as spam, meaning even legitimate messages can get lost in the shuffle. Often, the culprit is your sending IP address. If that IP has a bad reputation (due to past spam activity), even your clean emails can be mistaken for junk. That’s where a dedicated IP address for email comes in.

A dedicated IP is an internet address used exclusively by you (or your business), unlike a shared IP that’s used by many users or websites. In hosting terms, a dedicated IP is allocated to a single account or domain; in other words, only your site uses that address. By contrast, on a shared IP, your online services share an address with others.

Using a dedicated IP for email brings a few clear benefits:

• Better Sender Reputation: Email providers track the reputation of sender IPs closely. With a dedicated IP, only your sending behavior affects the IP’s reputation. On a shared IP, if another user gets that IP blacklisted for spam, it can hurt everyone’s deliverability.
• More Control: As the sole sender on your IP, any deliverability issues are easier to pinpoint and fix. You can build up a positive sending history without worrying about someone else suddenly spamming and damaging your reputation.
• Stable Deliverability: Once your dedicated IP develops a good track record, you’ll see more consistent results, no surprise blocks due to a “noisy neighbor.” This means your business emails are much more likely to reach the inbox.

In short, a dedicated IP isolates your email “neighborhood.” You’re not sharing space with strangers who might get your IP in trouble.

Why It Matters for Plesk Users

If you host websites and email on a Plesk server, you might be using one shared IP address for all your domains by default. That means every domain on your server is tied to the same sender reputation. If one site on that server sends spam and the IP gets blacklisted, everyone’s emails on that IP could start going to spam.

Using a dedicated IP in Plesk breaks this cycle. When your domain has its own IP, Plesk will send your mail from that address, keeping your reputation separate. No one else’s activities can impact your deliverability. If email is crucial to your business, a dedicated IP on Plesk is a smart way to protect it.

How Host.al Helps

So, how do you get a dedicated IP and put it to work for better email results? Host.al makes it easy, especially for Plesk users in Albania and the region. Here’s how Host.al’s service helps:

• Clean, Dedicated IPs: Host.al provides an exclusive IPv4 address just for you, and it’s “clean,” not blacklisted or previously abused. You start with a good sender reputation from day one. Since the IP is Albanian-based, it aligns well with local ISPs and recipients.
• Easy Plesk Setup: Host.al uses the Plesk control panel, so configuring your dedicated IP is straightforward. Their team will assign the IP to your domain and help adjust your Plesk mail settings to use it. You don’t need technical know-how, just a few clicks, and your emails will be coming from your new IP. Host.al’s support is there to assist if needed.
• Local Infrastructure Advantage: Host.al’s servers are in Albania and connected to the local internet exchange. This means emails to Albanian recipients travel faster and more directly, without detours through far-off servers. Fewer hops and local routing also translate to greater reliability and stability in delivery. Your emails have a smooth ride to local inboxes.

By choosing Host.al, you get the benefit of local expertise and infrastructure combined with the power of a dedicated IP. Their clean IPs and optimized network give you a strong foundation for reliable email delivery, without you having to become an email sending expert.

Final Thoughts

Is using a dedicated IP for email in Plesk worth it? It can be the difference between your important emails reaching the inbox versus getting lost in spam. With a dedicated IP, you gain control over your sender reputation, enjoy more consistent performance, and reduce the risk of delivery issues. And with a host like Host.al handling the setup and providing quality IPs, it’s an easy win. If you’re ready to boost your email deliverability or have questions, reach out to Host.al at support@host.al. Their team will help you get set up with a dedicated IP so you can email confidently.

At Host.al, we’re proud to do more than just provide top-tier domain registration and hosting services – we’re actively shaping the future of Albania’s internet. As a core participant in ANIX (Albanian Neutral Internet Exchange) – the only Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in Albania – Host.al ensures that our infrastructure is not only fast and reliable, but also locally optimized in ways that directly benefit our clients.

What Is ANIX, and why does it matter?

An Internet Exchange Point (IXP) is a physical and technical infrastructure that allows internet networks — ISPs, hosting providers, content delivery networks, and others — to exchange traffic directly, rather than through expensive and longer international routes.

ANIX is Albania’s only IXP, and it represents a critical step toward digital sovereignty, speed, and efficiency. As a neutral and local exchange, ANIX keeps Albanian internet traffic within the country, reducing latency and improving overall performance.

The Host.al advantage: Why our clients benefit from ANIX

Being part of ANIX isn’t just a technical detail — it’s a strategic choice that delivers concrete benefits to all Host.al customers:

1. Faster website load times

By exchanging traffic locally within ANIX, your website content hosted at Host.al is delivered to Albanian visitors without detours through Frankfurt, Milan, or Amsterdam. This translates into lower latency and faster page load times, especially for visitors in Albania and the surrounding region.

2. Higher reliability and stability

International links can suffer from congestion, outages, or packet loss. With local peering via ANIX, Host.al reduces dependency on upstream transit providers, offering greater network resilience and more stable uptime – critical for business websites, e-commerce stores, and SaaS platforms.

3. Better security and data sovereignty

Local traffic routing also improves security. Your data remains within Albania’s borders, minimizing exposure to third-party international infrastructure. For businesses concerned with data protection, this is a crucial advantage.

4. Support for the Albanian Internet Ecosystem

By supporting ANIX, Host.al helps create a stronger, more self-reliant internet for Albania. That means fewer international bottlenecks, better support for local services, and a more competitive digital environment — which benefits everyone.

5. Priority access to local services and partners

Our presence in ANIX enables low-latency peering with other Albanian networks and service providers — including banks, government services, and media platforms. That ensures that any interaction between your hosted services and local third parties is as seamless as possible.

A long-lerm commitment to Albania’s Digital Future

As Albania’s largest .AL domain registrar and a trusted hosting provider, Host.al is proud to invest in the country’s digital backbone. Our participation in ANIX is just one of many initiatives we’ve embraced to ensure that our infrastructure is not only robust but aligned with the needs of our customers and the local ecosystem.

Whether you’re launching a business, building a community platform, or hosting digital services, choosing Host.al means you’re connecting through Albania’s most advanced and locally optimized network.

If you have questions about how ANIX or our infrastructure benefits your specific use case, we’d love to talk — reach out to our team anytime.

Albania is under cyberattack! For several months, groups linked to geopolitical commitments have placed Albania at the center of their target. Although nothing can be 100% protected from cyberattacks, some work practices can help increase the protection of sensitive data of Albanian citizens.

Më poshtë disa praktika që mund të ndihmojnë në rritjen e sigurisë së faqeve qeveritare në Shqipëri:

Everything behind using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)​

In at least two of the recent incidents reported in Albania, the problems with penetration into the servers of Albanian public institutions occurred through the exploitation of a security point in Microsoft Exchange where the security update (patch) was not applied in a timely manner. See: Microsoft investigates Iranian attacks against the Albanian government

A key strategy in increasing security is implementing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to protect interfaces that should only be opened to authorized employees. A VPN serves as a secure tunnel for transmitting data over the internet, encrypting the data during transmission. For government offices, this means that all communications between digital system interfaces are protected from unauthorized access. This encryption is especially important considering the sensitive nature of government data, which often includes personal information, financial records, and national security details. By routing all customer interactions through a VPN, government offices can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches and cyber espionage, ensuring that sensitive information remains confidential and secure.

Dynamic website: The special part of the database

Most websites built today are based on dynamic solutions, offering the ability to update news and any component of the website with a few clicks. These websites often require a scripting engine, or a powerful platform that supports advanced communication languages. Often, especially for small agencies on websites, 90% of the content of the website remains unchanged until the moment the headline and the website page are changed. However, these websites are programmed as if every element of them can be changed at any moment.

Regarding security, before building a site, ask the webmaster if it is possible to create a platform where editing information is done in an area protected by a VPN, while publishing the site is a compiled HTML page, which does not need to exchange information with a database. A webserver created only to provide a page in HTML, without having to connect to a database (where other information and databases are often stored) is much more secure than a webserver that needs to connect to a database. You are trying to generate a simple page in HTML. If you are wondering, the page you are visiting is created only with HTML and has no connection to a database.

Hosting on dedicated or shared servers?​

Shared Hosting is very cheap, but it comes with the risk of being in an environment with other sites, and often, the webmasters of these sites themselves do not know where they got the scripts they are loading on the site. For security reasons, always look for hosting only on dedicated servers or VPS, which is a more economical version.

Përditësimet e sigurisë​

Maintaining the security and efficiency of a server is a key aspect of managing any online service or website. The process of installing and regularly updating your server is essential to protect against vulnerabilities, malware, and other cyber threats. Whether you should do the server upgrade yourself or hire an agency depends on various factors including your level of expertise, resource availability, and the complexity of your server environment. Let’s examine the benefits and disadvantages of both approaches.

Server update​

Përfitimet:

• Cost-effective: Doing it yourself can save money that would otherwise go to an agency. For small businesses or startups, this can be an important factor.
• Direct Control: You have direct control over the update process, including when and how updates are applied. This can be essential for custom configurations or specific compatibility requirements.
• Zhvillimi i Aftësive: Menaxhimi i sigurisë së serverit tuaj mund t’ju ndihmojë ju ose ekipin tuaj të zhvillojë aftësi teknike të vlefshme.

Disavantazhet:

• Time: Staying up to date with the latest vulnerabilities and updates can be time-consuming, especially for businesses without a dedicated IT department.
• Risk of Errors: Without the proper expertise, there is a higher risk of errors during the update process, which could lead to outages or security breaches.
• Resource Allocation: The time and effort spent on updating could be better invested in your core business activities.

Punësimi i një Agjencie​

Përfitimet:

• Ekspertiza: Agjencitë janë të specializuara në menaxhimin dhe sigurinë e serverit, duke sjellë një nivel ekspertize që mund të ulë ndjeshëm rrezikun e kërcënimeve kibernetike.
• Time Saving: Leasing server maintenance allows you to focus on your business instead of the technicalities of server management.
• Comprehensive services: Many agencies offer a range of services, including monitoring, backup, and recovery, providing a comprehensive server maintenance solution.

Disavantazhet:

• Kostoja: Punësimi i një agjencie është më i shtrenjtë se të bërit vetë, që mund të mos jetë e realizueshme për të gjitha bizneset.
• Less control: Leasing can result in less direct control over the update process and server configurations, which can be a concern for businesses with specific compliance or operational needs.
• Varësia: Mbështetja në një agjenci të jashtme për mirëmbajtjen e serverit mund të krijojë një varësi, që mund të shkaktojë probleme nëse niveli i shërbimit nuk përmbush pritshmëritë ose nëse disponueshmëria e agjencisë ndryshon.

Përfundim​

The decision to update your server yourself or hire an agency should be based on a careful assessment of your specific business needs, resources, and risk tolerance. For businesses with the technical skills and resources, self-updating can be a cost-effective way to keep your server secure. However, for organizations without dedicated IT staff or those who prefer to focus on their core operations, hiring an agency can provide flexibility, expertise, and more time to focus on growing your business. Ultimately, it is essential that your server is regularly updated and kept secure, regardless of the method you choose.