Blue Central
Blue Central (operating as OzHosting.com) is an Australian cloud hosting and IT services provider founded in 1997, offering domain registration, web hosting, VPS, Microsoft 365 email, and cloud backup to more than 10,000 Australian small businesses via a self-serve e-commerce platform anchored in a Sydney government data centre.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Blue Central does
Blue Central (operating as OzHosting.com) is an Australian cloud hosting and IT services provider founded in 1997 and headquartered in Double Bay, Sydney. The company delivers a multi-product platform spanning domain registration, shared and VPS web hosting (Windows and Linux, with Plesk-enabled variants), hosted email (Zimbra and Microsoft 365), cloud backup (Acronis-powered), and file sharing (Rushfiles Pro). Its infrastructure is anchored in a Sydney-based Australian Government Data Centre, providing data residency as a core compliance and trust proposition for Australian small businesses.
The company serves more than 10,000 Australian small businesses through a self-serve e-commerce model via ozhosting.com.au, monetising entirely through recurring subscriptions across all product lines. Pricing is publicly disclosed only for domains (starting at A$27.45/year for .com/.net); hosting, email, and backup pricing is delivered through contact or control-panel access. Blue Central augments its platform through reseller and technology partnerships with Microsoft, Zimbra, Acronis, Dropsuite, Plesk, SiteLock, and Rushfiles. The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, no funding history, and a founder/management ownership structure consistent with a bootstrapped operator. The single recent inorganic action recorded is the 2016 acquisition of Virtual Consulting Professionals for an undisclosed sum.
Operating as a horizontal SMB hosting provider in a single-country market, Blue Central does not disclose revenue but operates with 101-250 employees and a customer base exceeding 10,000 accounts. The product portfolio is mature and stable, with no recent public product launches, AI capabilities, geographic expansion signals, or funding activity disclosed in the available input.
Blue Central firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blue Central
- Legal name
- OzHosting.com PTY LTD
- Website
- https://bluecentral.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Blue Central (operating as OzHosting.com) is an Australian cloud hosting and IT services provider founded in 1997, offering domain registration, web hosting, VPS, Microsoft 365 email, and cloud backup to more than 10,000 Australian small businesses via a self-serve e-commerce platform anchored in a Sydney government data centre.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blue Central industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cloud Hosting Services
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cloud Managed Services (M365/Azure/AWS/GCP) (BPAEABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cloud Management Platforms (CMP) & Single-Pane-of-Glass Control (HDABABAD), Data Security & Privacy Managed Services (DLP/Encryption) (BPAEADAL), Network Management (LAN/WAN/Wi‑Fi) Services (BPAEABAD)
Keywords
Where Blue Central is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blue Central business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Domain Registration: Domain name registration services including .com, .com.au, .net and other TLDs. Sold on annual or multi-year subscription basis.
- Web Hosting Services: Shared website hosting and cloud VPS (Windows and Linux) hosting services with optional Plesk management. Revenue from recurring monthly or annual subscriptions.
- Email & Collaboration Services: Zimbra Email & Collaboration, Microsoft 365 email hosting and business apps, including premium Microsoft 365 support. Recurring subscription revenue per seat or per mailbox.
- Backup & Security Services: Acronis Cloud Backup, Dropsuite Email Backup, Acronis Cyber Protect for Microsoft 365, SiteLock Security, and SSL Certificates. Add-on services sold as subscriptions.
- File Storage & Sharing: Rushfiles Pro file storage and sharing solution for team collaboration. Sold as a business tool add-on subscription.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Domain name registration starting at $27.45 AUD/year for .com and .net domains |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Blue Central product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blue Central, operating commercially through its OzHosting.com brand, delivers managed cloud hosting, business email, cloud backup, file-sync and domain services to Australian small and medium businesses. Services are bundled on a single Plesk-managed platform integrating Microsoft 365, Zimbra Collaboration, Acronis Cyber Protect, Dropsuite, SiteLock and Rushfiles, hosted in a Sydney Tier-3+ government-certified data centre. Pricing is subscription-based on monthly or annual contracts, with managed-service add-ons available for server administration and Microsoft 365 support.
Product overview
OzHosting.com PTY LTD is an Australian cloud hosting and productivity services provider founded in 1997, offering a multi-product portfolio built around four core pillars: domain registration, web hosting (shared and VPS), email and collaboration (Zimbra and Microsoft 365), and cloud backup. The platform operates as a multi-module offering where the core infrastructure products (Shared Hosting, Windows Cloud VPS, Linux Cloud VPS) serve as the foundational hosting layer, supplemented by server management add-ons and security/performance add-ons (SiteLock, Website Performance, SSL Certificates, Website Backup). Email services span two platforms — Zimbra Email & Collaboration and Microsoft 365 Email Hosting — with premium support, spam filtering, and mailbox backup (Dropsuite, Acronis M365 Backup) as add-on modules. Cloud backup is anchored by Acronis Cloud Backup (device-level) with dedicated email backup integrations. File collaboration is delivered through Rushfiles Pro. The product ecosystem is unified by local Australian hosting (Sydney Government Data Centre), integrated control panel access, and a shared support infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Website Shared Hosting Shared Linux web hosting with cPanel, free SSL, daily backups, email accounts and one-click installs for popular CMS and e-commerce platforms. Targeted at small businesses and individuals needing an entry-level Australian-hosted website.
- Linux Cloud VPS Scalable Linux virtual private server with dedicated resources, optional Plesk control panel, root access and SSD storage. Designed for SMBs running production websites, applications or development workloads that need Australian-hosted cloud infrastructure.
- Windows Cloud VPS Scalable Windows virtual private server with dedicated resources, optional Plesk control panel, remote desktop access and SSD storage. Targeted at SMBs running Windows-based applications such as Microsoft SQL Server, ASP.NET or remote desktop workloads on Australian infrastructure.
- Zimbra Email & Collaboration Hosted Zimbra Collaboration suite providing business email, shared calendars, contacts and document collaboration on Australian-hosted infrastructure. Positioned for SMBs that want an alternative to Microsoft 365 with full data sovereignty.
- Microsoft 365 Email Hosting Microsoft 365 plans (Business Basic, Standard and Premium) resold and provisioned by OzHosting on Australian-hosted infrastructure, bundling Exchange Online email, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive with local onboarding and migration support. Targeted at Australian SMBs adopting Microsoft 365.
- Server Management Fully managed administration of customer cloud servers covering patching, monitoring, security hardening, backups and proactive issue resolution. Targeted at SMBs that run infrastructure on OzHosting but lack dedicated in-house sysadmin capacity.
- Acronis Cloud Backup Acronis-based cloud backup for servers, virtual machines, workstations and Microsoft 365 mailboxes, with Australian data residency and configurable retention. Targeted at SMBs needing offsite disaster-recovery protection for business data.
- Rushfiles Pro Hosted Rushfiles enterprise file sync and share solution providing secure file storage, sharing and synchronisation across desktop and mobile devices. Positioned for SMBs needing a Dropbox-style collaboration tool with Australian data residency.
- Domain Name Services Domain name registration, transfer, renewal and DNS management across generic top-level and country-code domains, bundled with hosting and email services. Targeted at Australian SMBs consolidating their web presence with a single Australian vendor.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10,000+ Australian businesses use OzHosting services
Companies that use Blue Central
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Blue Central technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature3 records
Blue Central partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MicrosoftcoreOzHosting is a Microsoft partner offering Microsoft 365 Email Hosting, Microsoft Business Apps, Premium Microsoft 365 Support, and Acronis Cyber Protect for Microsoft 365 Backup. Services include OWA access and Office 365 portal integration.
- ZimbracoreOzHosting offers Zimbra Email & Collaboration platform as part of their email hosting solutions, providing businesses with email and collaborative workspace tools.
- AcroniscoreOzHosting provides Acronis Cloud Backup for device backup and Acronis Cyber Protect for Microsoft 365 backup, leveraging Acronis's backup and cyber protection technology.
- PleskcoreOzHosting offers Plesk-enabled Windows Cloud VPS and Linux Cloud VPS hosting, providing customers with the Plesk control panel for easier server and website management.
- RushfilescoreOzHosting offers Rushfiles Pro as their file storage and sharing solution for business teams, enabling secure collaboration and file exchange.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Blue Central competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SiteGround: Globally distributed managed hosting provider with Australian data centre presence, offering shared hosting, VPS, and email to SMBs with a similar bundled product philosophy.
- GoDaddy: Global domain registration and hosting giant with significant Australian SMB presence; overlaps directly with OzHosting's domains, hosting, email, and SSL products, but operates at vastly larger scale with broader portfolio.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS): Global hyperscale cloud platform with Australian regions (Sydney, Melbourne) offering compute, storage, and email-adjacent services that increasingly compete with OzHosting's VPS and hosting offerings for upper SMB and mid-market customers.
- Microsoft (Azure / Microsoft 365): Provides Microsoft 365 and Azure infrastructure directly and through CSPs; sets the price floor for hosted email and cloud infrastructure that OzHosting resells, and is both a key partner and competitive threat.
Direct peers
- Netregistry (Melbourne IT): Long-standing Australian domain and hosting provider serving SMBs with shared hosting, email, and website services; comparable legacy Australian SMB positioning and product suite.
- Digital Pacific: Australian SMB-focused web hosting, domain, email, and cloud services provider with a comparable product portfolio and self-serve model targeting the same Australian small business segment.
- VentraIP Australia: One of Australia's largest independent hosting providers offering domain registration, shared hosting, VPS, and email hosting to Australian SMBs with similar self-serve e-commerce model and local data centre focus.
- Crazy Domains: Australian domain registrar and hosting provider offering shared hosting, VPS, email, and website builder products to SMBs through a self-serve channel — closely overlapping with OzHosting's offering.
- HostGator Australia: Australian arm of global shared hosting brand offering domain registration, shared hosting, VPS, and email services to Australian SMBs with similar self-serve positioning.
Regional players
- Anchor Hosting / WGMicro / ITWorx (AU regional MSPs): Other Australian regional managed IT and cloud service providers serving SMB customers with hosting, Microsoft 365 management, and backup — comparable in scale and customer profile, though often without the integrated e-commerce storefront model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Blue Central social profiles
Digital presenceBlue Central financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blue Central leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Blue Central funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blue Central M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blue Central
What does Blue Central do?
Blue Central, operating commercially through its OzHosting.com brand, delivers managed cloud hosting, business email, cloud backup, file-sync and domain services to Australian small and medium businesses. Services are bundled on a single Plesk-managed platform integrating Microsoft 365, Zimbra Collaboration, Acronis Cyber Protect, Dropsuite, SiteLock and Rushfiles, hosted in a Sydney Tier-3+ government-certified data centre. Pricing is subscription-based on monthly or annual contracts, with managed-service add-ons available for server administration and Microsoft 365 support.
Is Blue Central a public or private company?
Blue Central is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Blue Central founded?
Blue Central was founded in 1997. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Blue Central based?
Blue Central is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Blue Central make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Domain Registration is the primary driver. The others are web Hosting Services, email & Collaboration Services, backup & Security Services and file Storage & Sharing.
Who are Blue Central's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SiteGround, GoDaddy, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft (Azure / Microsoft 365). Direct peers are Netregistry (Melbourne IT), Digital Pacific, VentraIP Australia, Crazy Domains and HostGator Australia. Anchor Hosting / WGMicro / ITWorx (AU regional MSPs) is listed as a regional player.
Does Blue Central have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blue Central.
What industry is Blue Central in?
Blue Central's product category is Cloud Hosting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEABAE, Cloud Managed Services (M365/Azure/AWS/GCP), with a secondary code of HDABABAD, Cloud Management Platforms (CMP) & Single-Pane-of-Glass Control. Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7370.