Bespoke Software Solutions

Bespoke Software

Tag: Data Security

Best practices for protecting business-critical systems through secure hosting and coding.

  • Inside Tekate’s Hosting Stack: How We Built One of the Fastest WordPress Platforms in the UK

    Inside Tekate’s Hosting Stack: How We Built One of the Fastest WordPress Platforms in the UK

    Website speed is no longer a luxury. For many businesses, it’s the difference between a customer staying or bouncing, between ranking on the first page of Google or being buried out of sight.

    Yet time and again, we meet companies running their sites on generic shared hosting, or Apache setups that were never designed for today’s web. The results are predictable: sluggish load times, erratic performance at peak traffic, and frustrated users.

    At Tekate, we wanted something different. We needed hosting that could support not only brochure websites, but also complex workflow applications, high-traffic e-commerce stores, and WordPress sites with heavy plugin usage. We also wanted to do it sustainably, without wasting unnecessary electricity on the problem.

    The answer was to build a hosting stack from the ground up — tuned for speed, resilience, and efficiency.

    Why Traditional Hosting Falls Short

    For most businesses, hosting is invisible until it goes wrong. But underneath the surface, there are real limitations:

    • Shared hosting bottlenecks – multiple customers fighting for the same resources.
    • Apache overhead – powerful but bloated, consuming CPU cycles on tasks that OpenLiteSpeed handles more efficiently.
    • x86 inefficiency – older architecture that burns through power for the same workload an Ampere Arm server can handle at half the energy cost.
    • One-size-fits-all databases – single-instance MySQL setups that become a single point of failure.

    These setups can work for small sites. But when performance and reliability really matter, they start to crumble.

    Building Something Better

    Instead of accepting those limits, we designed a stack optimised for the workloads we actually see. Here’s what that looks like:

    1. OpenLiteSpeed Web Server

    We chose OpenLiteSpeed (OLS) over Apache or Nginx because it gives us:

    • Event-driven architecture – able to handle thousands of concurrent connections with lower memory usage.
    • Built-in caching – page caching at the server level, faster than most WordPress plugins.
    • HTTP/3 & QUIC support – out of the box, improving performance on mobile and poor connections.

    For WordPress in particular, OLS consistently benchmarks faster than Apache.

    2. Ampere AArch64 Machines

    Most hosts still rely on x86 CPUs. We didn’t. We deploy on Ampere Altra (Arm-based) processors running in Oracle’s London data centre. Why?

    • More performance per pound – higher core counts at lower cost.
    • Energy efficiency – less electricity per request, a win for both costs and sustainability.
    • Scalability – each VM can be tuned with flexible vCPU and memory allocations.

    It means we can offer high performance without charging enterprise-level hosting fees.

    3. Oracle Linux + MySQL Replication

    Our servers run on Oracle Linux for stability and long-term support. For databases, we use high-availability MySQL and MariaDB, always with replication across nodes. That ensures:

    • Failover resilience – one server can take over if another fails.
    • Better read performance – queries spread across replicas.
    • Safety for business-critical data.

    4. Cloudflare DNS & CDN

    On top of the server stack, we run all sites through Cloudflare. That adds:

    • Edge caching for global speed.
    • DDoS protection and security filtering.
    • Smart DNS with low-latency routing.

    Together, these layers ensure that content loads quickly, regardless of whether your customer is in London, Sydney, or New York.

    Real-World Performance

    Benchmarks are one thing — but what matters is how sites behave in practice. On our platform, we’ve seen:

    • WordPress sites load in under one second, even with heavy page builders like Divi or Elementor.
    • 40% faster response times compared to equivalent Apache setups.
    • Reduced server load by 30–40% under traffic spikes thanks to OLS caching.
    • Greater uptime with monitoring and replication — even during maintenance windows.

    One client migrated from a well-known UK shared hosting provider where their WooCommerce store struggled to handle traffic. After moving to Tekate’s stack, the same site handled Christmas sales with ease, loading faster while running more transactions.

    Why Speed Isn’t Just About Technology

    It’s tempting to think of hosting purely in technical terms — cores, memory, benchmarks. But speed is really about business outcomes:

    • SEO impact – Google rewards fast sites in its ranking.
    • Conversion rates – studies show every extra second of delay can reduce conversions by 7%.
    • User trust – slow sites feel unreliable, and that perception matters.
    • Energy efficiency – running on efficient Ampere servers reduces both costs and carbon footprint.

    Fast hosting isn’t vanity. It’s a competitive advantage.

    Lessons Learned Along the Way

    Building this stack wasn’t about picking the newest tools. It was about asking: what actually matters for our clients?

    • WordPress needs server-level caching, not another plugin.
    • Workflow apps need resilient databases, not single points of failure.
    • Modern hosting needs efficiency, not brute force.

    We didn’t just want to host sites. We wanted to host them well — in a way that makes them faster, safer, and more future-proof.

    Looking Ahead

    The web will only get heavier — more scripts, more integrations, more demand for real-time features. That makes a fast, resilient hosting base more critical than ever.

    Our stack isn’t finished; it’s constantly evolving. We’re already testing:

    • Automated scaling for traffic spikes.
    • Edge AI integrations for image optimisation and personalisation.
    • Deeper observability tools to spot bottlenecks before users notice them.

    However, the principle remains the same: hosting should make applications faster, not hinder them.

    Final Reflection

    When we built our hosting stack, it wasn’t about chasing the latest trend. It was about solving the real-world frustrations we saw in our clients’ sites: slow load times, admin bottlenecks, and fragile databases.

    By combining OpenLiteSpeed, Ampere servers, Oracle Linux, MySQL replication, and Cloudflare, we created a platform that consistently delivers faster, more reliable WordPress and workflow applications.

    And in doing so, we proved a simple point: when hosting is done right, it becomes invisible. The only thing users notice is that everything just works — and it works fast.

  • Building GDPR-Compliant Systems by Design, Not Afterthought

    Building GDPR-Compliant Systems by Design, Not Afterthought

    For many businesses, security and compliance are treated as a box-ticking exercise. A policy is written, a plugin is added, and the subject is shelved until the next audit. But in practice, compliance and security are not things you can bolt onto a system at the end. They need to be built in from the start — woven into the design of workflows, hosting, and data management.

    At Tekate, we approach compliance as an enabler rather than a burden. When systems are secure and compliant by design, they not only reduce legal risk but also enhance overall security and operational efficiency. They build trust with clients, improve resilience, and make day-to-day operations more reliable.

    The Risks SMEs Face

    Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often underestimate their exposure to risk. Common issues include:

    • Fragmented systems – customer data spread across spreadsheets, SaaS tools, and email.
    • Inconsistent handling – different teams managing personal data in different ways.
    • Weak access controls – too many people with administrator privileges or shared logins.
    • Lack of audit trails – no clear record of who accessed what, and when.

    These gaps are not just theoretical risks. They can lead to data breaches, fines under the GDPR, and reputational damage that is far more difficult to repair.

    Compliance by Design

    Rather than retrofitting security, we embed compliance into every stage of system design. That includes:

    • Access control and permissions – ensuring users only see the data they need. Role-based access is a core part of every workflow application.
    • Audit trails – automatic logging of key actions, from client record updates to invoice approvals. These provide accountability and help with investigations.
    • Secure hosting – servers built on Oracle Linux, OpenLiteSpeed, and MySQL replication, with data backed up, monitored, and encrypted in transit.
    • Cookie consent and GDPR workflows – ensuring client-facing systems capture consent, honour subject access requests, and handle data deletion properly.
    • Integration safeguards – when linking to platforms like Xero, Shopify, or Google Workspace, connections are secured with tokens and monitored for unusual activity.

    The goal is not to make compliance visible at every turn, but to ensure it happens automatically in the background.

    Examples in Practice

    Consider an employment agency handling sensitive client details. A compliant system ensures that:

    • CVs and applications are stored securely with access limited to authorised staff.
    • Terms and conditions are digitally accepted and recorded as part of the audit trail.
    • Data retention rules automatically remove or anonymise records when they are no longer needed.

    In logistics, compliance takes a different shape:

    • Shipment tracking must be visible to clients without exposing other customers’ data.
    • Multi-currency transactions must meet financial reporting standards.
    • Integrations with shipping providers require careful management of personal delivery information.

    Across sectors, the principle remains the same: compliance must align with the real workflow, not sit alongside it as an afterthought.

    Common Pitfalls

    Businesses often fall into traps when tackling compliance:

    • Treating it as a one-off project – compliance is an ongoing process, not a task to complete and forget.
    • Overreliance on plugins – especially in WordPress, where a cookie banner plugin is sometimes seen as enough. True compliance requires deeper integration.
    • Ignoring staff training – even the best systems fail if staff don’t understand how to handle data securely.
    • Underestimating third-party risk – every integration, from email to e-commerce, is another potential vulnerability.

    Recognising these pitfalls early helps avoid costly mistakes later.

    Future Challenges

    The compliance landscape is evolving. AI adds new complexities around transparency and explainability. International data transfers face shifting legal requirements. Cyber threats continue to grow in sophistication.

    For SMEs, the challenge is staying ahead without dedicating entire teams to compliance. That’s why systems designed with security at their core are so valuable — they provide a strong foundation that can adapt as laws and risks change.

    Final Reflection

    Compliance is often framed as a legal necessity, but it is more than that. It is a foundation of trust, both with clients and within teams. When systems are secure and compliant by design, staff can work confidently, customers can share data without hesitation, and businesses can scale without fear of hidden vulnerabilities.

    For Tekate, this isn’t about adding layers of bureaucracy. It’s about building systems that are safe, reliable, and fit for the future — from the very beginning.