The other day, I was searching the web and came across a WordPress blog post about code refactoring. Nothing newsworthy there, but something jumped off the page and caught my attention, maybe because the iThemes-SolidWP rebrand has dominated my thoughts for nearly a year: proper justification and clear rationale.

Proper justification and clear rationale,1 one of the sniff tests that code refactoring must pass to be considered a valuable use of resources. 

That’s what I want to share with you: The justification and rationale behind the SolidWP product enhancements and our decision to focus on products that form a solid foundation for every WordPress website you build. Plugin development that doesn’t have user needs central to its vision ultimately serves no one. iThemes, now SolidWP, built its brand on being user-centric. The rebranding and re-engineering of our core products is no different. 

We’re most excited about the integration of Patchstack into Solid Security Pro. This means you don’t need to jump on every vulnerability the second you learn about it — we do it for you. And, you don’t need to worry about vulnerabilities for which the developer has issued no patch — we patch it for you. 

We call it always-on security and it’s a game changer for site builders, developers, solopreneurs, and really anyone who takes security seriously but can’t be everywhere all at once all the time. 

This is a significant change in our product and one that is centered solely on you, the user. Check out our awesome demo for Solid Security with developer Timothy Jacobs. 

Cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated every day. It’s challenging for WordPress site builders and developers to stay ahead of them. Adding a safety net like Patchstack is our way of saying, “We’ve got your back.” 

Other enhancements to Solid Security – both Basic and Pro – we think you’ll benefit from are: 

• New and improved UI/UX
• Dedicated User Security Screen
• New vulnerabilities screen
• Improved site scanner

Proper justification and clear rationale for improvements are at the heart of our work on Solid Backups (formerly iThemes Backup Buddy). 

With Solid Backups we bring you increased stability and improved usability. Reliability, peace of mind, and ease of use are central to any backup solution. We check the box in each of these areas with Solid Backups. 

Watch the video detailing our work on the file restore process to see how we’ve simplified the process from start to finish. 

One piece of customer feedback we took great care to act on was the impact on server load during the backup process. Our activation scheduler calculates what your server can handle when batching file move jobs. We also have automated verification that the files you selected to restore were successfully restored! 

Users will also benefit from: 

• Improved compatibility with Dropbox, G Drive, S3, & more
• User-pleasing design and UI/UX refresh
• Major code refactor

Ease of use and improved visibility into important site functions are at the heart of our work on Solid Central (formerly iThemes Sync). 

The health and performance of the websites you manage aren’t important only when you’re sitting at your desk. You need visibility when you’re on the go as well, which is why we improved mobile styling and ensured that you can view all actions from your dashboard on a mobile device. Click here to see our demo. 

You’ll also appreciate: 

• A redesigned reporting section where you can see everything you need upfront in a clean, sleek way. 
• Revamped UI 
• Better integration with Solid Security and Solid Backups 
• Bulk actions like plugin and theme updates save you tons of time

Our SolidWP Customer Experience Team 

This isn’t something we discussed in our rebrand communications, but it’s an important brand enhancement that will make a difference in the customer experience. 

Our customer experience team is committed to ensuring your success with all our products. Our knowledgeable customer success team members strive to respond to every request in 2 to 4 hours (Monday to Friday during regular business hours). 

You’ll get actionable feedback and insight into your SolidWP technical problems and a resolution in hours, not days. 

Find out more about our support commitments to you here.

What’s Next?

We are committed to providing you with a solid foundation for every WordPress website you build; that’s our focus today and moving forward. How do we help you build a solid foundation for your business? How do we contribute to your success?

As we continue to innovate, every decision we make will be able to answer this question: What is the proper justification and clear rationale for this decision based on what our customers need?  

Thanks for being part of this journey. 

Notes

Keep reading the article at Blog – SolidWP. The article was originally written by Matt Cromwell on 2023-10-09 14:03:26.

The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.

iThemes is one of the oldest and most respected brands in WordPress. iThemes has been known for themes and site builders, website tools, design tools, and even eCommerce at one time!

In recent years, iThemes has solidified its role as a reliable leader in WordPress security, backups, site maintenance, and training. With that in mind, iThemes is becoming SolidWP to signify our focus on providing a solid foundation for every WordPress website.

If you’ve been following our Rebrand in Public communications, you may already know our SolidWP product names. If you haven’t followed our Rebrand communications, it’s not too late to start!

• Solid Security (formerly iThemes Security Pro)
• Solid Backups (formerly BackupBuddy)
• Solid Central (formerly iThemes Sync)
• Solid Academy (formerly iThemes Training)

iThemes started in 2008 and has amassed a large audience. iThemes Security’s free plugin has just under one million active installs. iThemes Training has been hosting weekly webinars and office hours with Nathan Ingram for over 10 years. The iThemes blog has over 1100 articles and dozens of eBooks and tutorials. Needless to say, the website migration process alone is a massive effort.

Rebranding in Public

We have opted to “rebrand in public” so that we can bring you all along for the ride. We believe that trust is at the core of our customer relationships — something that can only be earned through transparency.

Matt Cromwell, Senior Director of Ops and Marketing at StellarWP, and Devin Walker, General Manager at Liquid Web, are publishing a series of deep-dive videos about the reasons behind the rebrand. They will also explore the pain points our customers have faced and the changes you will see in Themes products.

This series is available now on YouTube.

We’re excited to share this journey with you. To learn more, read our announcement on solidwp.com.

FAQs

What motivated the rebrand effort?

iThemes is known today for security, backups, and site maintenance – none of which are well-represented in the name “iThemes.” Additionally, the brand evokes the early 2000s Apple era of technology, and we want to look toward the future. Lastly, the name “SolidWP” is intended to convey the idea of firm foundations. When you are building your WordPress website on our products, that is what you are getting: a sound, well-founded, reliable base backed by a great team.

What is happening to the iThemes product line?

Currently, on ithemes.com, you’ll find a lot of products that are either part of a bundle or sold on other websites in a variety of ways. Some products will continue to thrive on their own, and others will be retired. Check the iThemes Product Sunset Plan for more information.

What is the plan for iThemes Training?

iThemes Training will be rebranded to Solid Academy. Nathan Ingram will continue to host Solid Academy but in a new, more public-facing format on YouTube. How Solid Academy will evolve is a topic of discussion in the SolidWP Rebrand video, iThemes Training is Becoming Solid Academy.

How will the Solid products be priced?

We are not planning for price increases at this time. Pricing should stay relatively in line with the current pricing of these products as they are today. That said, as always, we reserve the right to adjust pricing as needed.

What happens to customers who have purchased products in the past and still have access to Pro support?

We pride ourselves on our top-notch customer support. We will continue to support any and all who land in our support queue with our best efforts and service. The official end-of-life for the products being sunset will be discussed with the community and decided on before the full launch of our new brand. That date is yet to be determined, but for a high-level timeline, be sure to follow along on our Rebranding in Public series.

Keep reading the article at WordPress News | iThemes Blog. The article was originally written by iThemes Editorial Team on 2023-08-25 09:56:28.

The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.