You've probably noticed from all the posts here in the CoffeeCup Announcements area that we've been pretty busy lately. (Believe it or not, there are more big announcements on their way in the next few weeks, but we'll get to that later!)
For now, though, I am very excited to announce the new version of Website Access Manager! We put a lot of effort into the details of this program and have made it even easier to use. Many of our users password protect their sites using Website Access Manager, but did you know the program has a host of other uses? We expanded these useful features, making it even easier to keep people/spammers from certain domains or IP addresses from accessing your Website, redirect users to custom error pages, and enable additional security settings. With Website Access Manager, your Website has never been safer.
So, what exactly will you find in this new version? Where do I even begin?
1) To kick off the update, we decided we needed to really explain the process behind Website Access Manager. Sure, the program is easy to understand, but you'll get the most out of it if you have a grasp of the technology that powers it. But once you get into techy terminology like .htaccess and .htpasswd files, server roots, IP blocking, and all that other gobbledygook, your head will start to spin.
No worries! We have created what we think is the ultimate guide to protecting your Website using .htaccess files. We wrote it in plain English, using easy-to-understand metaphors and avoiding all that techy jargon. The book is available as a complimentary download for all Website Access Manager users, regardless of when you bought the software. You can download it from your Orders and Downloads page.
2) Okay, here's the biggie: We added the ability to protect files and web pages! The process is the same as protecting folders — just select the file you want to protect from the Website pane on the left, select the user from the User Permissions pane on the right, and grant them access. That's it!
3) Do you have a list of 3,000 or more users that you want to add to Website Access Manager? Not to worry — we pumped up the importing capabilities in the program. With just a little bit of planning, you can import a .csv file into Website Access Manager and immediately grant access to all your users. And as always, if you're already using CoffeeCup Password Wizard, you can import all your users directly into Website Access Manager. How cool is that?
4) We simplified the upload process. All you have to do now is click the Upload icon in the Toolbar and leave the rest to us.
5) Sometimes you want to add a bunch of users but don't want to upload your changes right away. With the new Scheduler tool, you can upload your changes automatically on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule.
6) Have you ever wanted to add users to your Website, but only for a limited time? You used to have to delete them manually, but now you can set an expiration date for some or all of your users. When you upload your changes, only the accounts that are active will have access to your Website. And of course, this new feature works seamlessly with the Scheduler.
7) As I mentioned earlier, Website Access Manager isn't just for password protecting your Website. It can also be used to provide general protection from the bad guys — spammers, robots, hackers, and the like. To help give you that extra protection, we added three new features:
Prevent Directory Listing: Prevents users from seeing your server directory.
Block Bad Robots: Blocks known spambots from accessing your Website.
Force SSL: Sets your Website to only be viewed over a secure connection (https://).
Plus, you can specify your time zone, which comes in handy if you are located in a different time zone than your server.
8) We added a new SMTP control, 'cause let's face it, the control we initially used kinda sucked
Now it's fully configurable to work with pretty much every provider out there. On top of that, we've also partnered with SMTP2Go, an awesome e-mail relay service that sends your outgoing mail if your hosting provider blocks the ability to send e-mail through their servers.
9) We made some behind-the-scenes tweaks. Sure, they might not be as glamorous as the other changes, but they'll help save you time when you're importing and adding users (in fact, the import .csv feature is now 500% faster!), searching your Website profiles, and uploading your work.
10) Last but not least, we added an option that allows you to back up your Website Access Manager profiles from inside the program. This makes it easier than ever to transfer them between computers or to store them in a safe location. You know what this means? Just in case 2012 really is the end of the world, your Website profiles will be safe for future generations
This update was a lot of fun for us, and we think it made the program even more intuitive and useful than ever. So, are you chomping at the bit to keep your Website safe? We thought so!
If you don't already own Website Access Manager, you can download the fully functional trial here.
Registered users can download the latest version and the .htaccess handbook from their Orders and Downloads page.
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Scott A. Swedorski
VP of Product Development
