In the early 2000s, the internet began to shift from novelty to necessity. Businesses were keen to have websites to create a presence online, which caused the demand for reliable hosting solutions to rise steadily.
Yet, the industry was still in its infancy—fragmented, experimental, and wasn’t truly accessible to smaller players who couldn’t afford enterprise-grade services. It was a time when those with the right blend of curiosity, technical skill, and entrepreneurial spirit could carve out space in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Among those early pioneers was a young enthusiast with a passion for servers, coding, and connectivity. What began as a hobby—fueled by endless curiosity and a desire to understand the backbone of the web—soon became the foundation of a business. And that’s where Stefano Sordini‘s journey begins.
Stefano’s entrepreneurial trail into the data center and hosting industry was driven by a deep passion for technology and, in particular, servers. NetShop Internet Services (NetShop ISP) started as a small hosting company offering mIRC shell accounts in 2002. In 2004, he started onboarding a few clients (more like family acquaintances) who needed someone to develop a website for them.
Since Stefano was passionate about website development at the time, he quickly jumped on board in web design & development projects. While he was pursuing his studies, like any other college student, he appreciated earning some pocket money. Since the web design clients were one-time payments, he started offering them hosting services with recurring subscriptions.
As the volume of business grew, he had a few people who offered him a helping hand. He recalls, “None of us was on payroll; everyone, including myself, was paid according to the hours worked, on a monthly basis.” Over the years, Stefano worked across multiple areas of the company—from operations and client service to infrastructure development, gaining first-hand experience in every aspect of the business.
As the company grew, he transitioned into the CEO role, ensuring that the strategic direction aligned with both emerging market demands and the long-term vision. Stefano is obsessed with providing exceptional service to all his clients, and he wants his clients to receive the best support, regardless of the revenue they are generating.
With his deep technical roots, he shares, “Although I love being hands-on and working on developing solutions and troubleshooting issues, my duty as CEO is to lead all teams and ensure we are all working towards achieving our quarterly, annual and long-term goals.”
He comprehends the scenario that being a CEO in the hosting industry isn’t just about making high-level decisions—it’s about staying hands-on in key areas that drive the company forward. As a technical person, Stefano is interested in the technology behind NetShop ISP’s core products; hence, he works closely with all departments to pinpoint potential problems and areas of improvement and, of course, develop solutions that will stand as the key differentiators ahead of the competition.
To drive innovation, Stefano actively monitors industry trends, new technologies, and clients’ requirements. Cloud infrastructure, edge computing, and AI-driven optimizations are transforming the industry. As far as he is concerned, his role is to ensure that he doesn’t just follow these changes but anticipate them before they become mainstream. Once they have become mainstream, you become a follower.
Stefano’s strategic thinking matured over the years, shaped by both wins and missteps—expanding into new markets, optimizing its data centers, and ensuring that the services align with what businesses actually need, rather than just what’s trending in tech. Unlike any other human being, Stefano has made many mistakes, such as spending money penetrating regions that didn’t work out, insisting on developing tools that eventually didn’t pay off, and many more. Ironically, he’s grateful for those mistakes—they’ve been some of his most valuable lessons.
For Stefano, client satisfaction is the pinnacle of NetShop ISP’s success. Whilst others may measure client satisfaction by annual profits or trustpilot reviews, he shows real care for the client. As a leader who wants to lead NetShop ISP in becoming the world’s best hosting company, he ensures that everyone in the company treats each individual as if they were the company’s only client.
Opening the blinds to the bigger picture, Stefano shares, “We don’t just provide server hosting and connectivity. We provide backbone infrastructure so that a small business owner, a development studio or a large financial institution can reliably host their platforms without worrying about downtimes or managing the servers.”
The Zenith of Leadership
Stefano describes his leadership style as collaborative and vision-driven. Whilst he likes to maintain a hierarchy in the company, he offers autonomy to everyone to make decisions, and fosters an environment where ideas are encouraged, not restricted.
The hosting and data center industry is highly technical, and staying ahead requires a deep understanding of infrastructure, cybersecurity, and software development. That’s why Stefano believes in leading by example—he stays involved in key technological and operational discussions, ensuring that he is steering the company in the right direction.
He asserts, “I never called myself a leader, nor believe that I am in the modern sense of a business leader. I am just a guy with passion (maybe obsession) for servers, trying to compete with cloud giants. This is my goal, so anyone who shares the same passion as me and has adequate work ethics will contribute to achieving our mission.”
At the same time, Stefano ensures that an agile mindset is maintained. The tech industry moves fast, and being stuck in rigid structures or outdated strategies is a quick way to fall behind. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and open collaboration, he developed a team that’s capable of solving complex challenges and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in hosting and cloud services.
Stefano reveals, “This is sometimes misunderstood by new people who join the company. Seeing a company that is constantly in a fine-tuning-to-perfection mode makes them believe we are a startup. But we aren’t.” A successful company, regardless of the industry it operates in, if it gets complacent, then things will start falling apart. Even if they don’t fall apart, they will just stay behind and see the competition moving forward.
Overcoming the Adversities
In Stefano’s experience, one of the biggest challenges today is the increasing demand for ultra-low-latency, high-performance infrastructure, especially from industries like streaming, Forex, and iGaming. Businesses no longer just need “fast” hosting; they need infrastructure that can handle real-time transactions with near-zero delay.
Another major challenge he believes is the evolving cybersecurity landscape. With cyber-attacks becoming more sophisticated, ensuring data protection while maintaining performance is an ongoing battle. Moreover, nowadays you cannot ignore compliance requirements as we may have done in the past. This adds another layer of complexity to hosting providers operating globally.
Under Stefano’s adept leadership, NetShop ISP tackles these challenges by continuously upgrading its infrastructure, deploying strategically located data centers, and integrating advanced security measures.
Its presence in key locations like Equinix’s LD4, LD7, and SG5 data centers, as well as its large infrastructure in Amsterdam’s data centers, gives clients the network proximity they need for ultra-low latency. At the same time, its security-first approach ensures compliance with global regulations. “However, like in any other industry, we are also struggling in recruiting talents,” expresses Stefano.
Outpacing Industry Trends
Innovation in cloud and data center technology never stops, so staying ahead requires both proactive research and a willingness to invest in emerging technologies. As Stefano mentioned, NetShop ISP started as a web development company out of passion for web design and development. Halfway through its operations – around 2014 – the company hired web developers whose job was to develop and maintain NetShop’s website and client portal.
While the company no longer takes on external web development projects, its web developers, led by the CTO of the company, are doing magnificent work in developing all those tools (internal and external) which help both its operations and also compose its hosting products and cloud solutions.
Stefano outlines, “It would be impossible to stay ahead of the massive competition without having an in-house, dedicated team of developers. I’m really glad we’ve got people whom I consider world-class software developers.”
NetShop ISP continuously analyzes the advancing needs of its clients and aligns its infrastructure strategy accordingly. Stefano demonstrates, “For example, we’ve been early adopters of NVMe-based storage for VPS and dedicated servers, significantly improving I/O speeds for businesses that require high performance.”
The goal isn’t just to offer what’s available—the company aims to shape the industry by pioneering solutions that redefine what businesses should expect from hosting and cloud infrastructure. Of course, as Stefano repeatedly expressed, the company’s flagship product is its world-class support.
Cultivating Balance Between Work and Life
Stefano’s always been a guy who is not afraid of putting in hours. By “hours,” Stefano means lots of hours. Balancing the demands of running a global hosting company with personal time has certainly been a challenge. He wouldn’t claim to have mastered it yet, but he’s continuously working on it.
One area where Stefano has seen real improvement over the years is in work efficiency. He understands that building a successful business is never a one-person show. Developing a strong and capable leadership group—what he calls the Core Team—has made a huge difference. Their support allows him to focus on high-level strategic decisions, rather than being constantly consumed by day-to-day operations. While he’s not completely removed from the daily tasks, he’s made noticeable progress in stepping back when needed.
Setting boundaries has also become a priority. In an industry that runs around the clock, it’s easy to fall into the trap of being always “on.” But Stefano has learned the value of stepping away—even briefly—to recharge and return with a clearer, more energized perspective.
Through it all, he remains deeply passionate about his work. That passion is what keeps him going. When you truly love what you do, it rarely feels like work—and that’s what fuels his drive without burning him out.
Pace of Excellence
Each award NetShop ISP has received so far reflects the hard work and dedication of the entire team. While industry recognition is always an honor, what truly matters to Stefano is what these awards signify—the commitment to excellence and the trust clients place in the company.
For the company, these awards serve as motivation to keep pushing boundaries, improving its services, and staying ahead in an increasingly competitive industry. It’s a reminder that the efforts are making a real impact, not just for the team, but for the businesses that rely on it every day.
Word to the Wise
The tech industry is fast-moving and full of opportunity, but success doesn’t happen overnight. One of the most important lessons Stefano has learned is to focus on solving real problems. Many startups build impressive products that ultimately fail because they don’t address a true need. NetShop ISP focuses on providing fully managed hosting, allowing the functioning of its clients’ business without the burden of server administration.
Stefano shares a piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: “Adaptability is another key to staying relevant. The hosting and cloud landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade and will continue to evolve. If you’re not willing to adapt, you’ll fall behind. It’s wise to observe your competitors—not to copy unthinkingly, but to identify gaps and opportunities where your business can make a meaningful impact.
People matter just as much as technology. Building the right team is essential, even though finding and retaining talent in 2025 is a real challenge. A business can’t grow without the right people around it. Collaboration fuels progress—two good brains are always better than one.”
He emphasizes, “Above all, client experience is everything. Most businesses today serve clients they never meet in person, but that doesn’t lessen the importance of personal service. Every client should feel special. That mindset can make all the difference.”
Thriving with Strategic Objectives
NetShop ISP’s strategic focus for the coming years centers on three core pillars: geographical expansion, innovation in product development, and a staunch commitment to clients’ experience.
In terms of geographical expansion, the company is actively assessing new data center locations to better meet the needs of its global client base. The objective is to deliver ultra-low-latency infrastructure in regions where demand is growing—particularly in sectors such as fintech, iGaming, and high-frequency trading.
Location has always been a key factor for clients choosing NetShop, and with each vertical requiring unique proximity considerations—streaming platforms needing high-speed connectivity, or forex brokers requiring closeness to financial hubs—this aspect of expansion is both complex and vital.
On the innovation front, NetShop is making significant investments in automation, AI-driven optimization, and multi-cloud environments. These advancements aim to boost scalability, security, and overall performance. While the company doesn’t position itself as a direct rival to cloud giants like AWS or Google Cloud, it strives to compete by offering superior support and developing in-house tools that elevate its service offering to enterprise standards.
Finally, service excellence remains at the heart of NetShop’s identity. Technology may drive the industry, but it’s exceptional support that earns lasting loyalty. Under the leadership of the Operations Manager and the Core team, NetShop continues to refine its processes and deliver highly personalized, hands-on assistance, ensuring every client is treated with utmost care and respect.
Imagining What’s Possible
Stefano believes the future of hosting is becoming increasingly distributed and performance-driven. With the rapid rise of cloud computing and the dominance of hyperscalers like AWS, GCP, and Azure, he initially assumed the market would become oversaturated, forcing many smaller providers to shut down. Fortunately, he was proven wrong. Today’s businesses demand more than just server space—they need a hosting partner that can deliver 24/7 support and the agility to offer tailored solutions to challenges no one had even imagined a few years ago.
Stefano and his team at NetShop ISP are in the lead position in this transformation. Their multi-cloud approach empowers clients to leverage the advantages of multiple cloud providers, combined with NetShop ISP’s high-performance data center infrastructure. The result is a seamless blend of flexibility, redundancy, and cost-efficiency.
NetShop ISP is also pioneering developments in edge computing, enabling faster data exchange by bringing computing closer to the source. This is especially crucial for industries such as finance and media streaming, where ultra-low latency can make all the difference.
But for Stefano, innovation goes beyond technology. He’s deeply committed to making high-performance infrastructure more accessible. A significant portion of NetShop ISP’s annual revenue is reinvested into R&D and cutting-edge hardware, ensuring that emerging technologies remain within reach for businesses of all sizes.
Reflecting on NetShop ISP’s journey, Stefano recalls how, in 2012, the company disrupted the hosting landscape in Cyprus. Despite the high costs of bandwidth and electricity on the island, NetShop ISP became the first to offer Virtual Servers at prices competitive with those in Germany and the Netherlands. Looking ahead, Stefano envisions NetShop ISP playing a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of cloud and data center solutions—not only across Europe but on a global scale.
As Stefano continues to lead NetShop ISP into its next era, one thing remains constant: his relentless passion for servers, innovation, and client satisfaction. For him, it’s not just about keeping up—it’s about setting the pace.
