In a conversation with
Website Planet, Paalan Sood reveals how Barruko was born not from ambition, but necessity.
Frustrated by slow support and vague responses from traditional cloud providers, Sood set out to build a hosting service grounded in performance, transparency, and genuine human connection. By focusing on speed, security, and simplicity, Barruko delivers enterprise-grade infrastructure with a personal touch—treating every site like their own.
In this interview, Sood shares the philosophy behind Barruko’s client-first approach and how it’s already making a difference for organizations like the British Chambers of Commerce.
What motivated you to build Barruko around nurturing strong client relationships, rather than following typical hosting company models?
Barruko was built out of necessity.
At Sood (our agency), we’ve been designing and building websites for years. Hosting them naturally followed – but relying on traditional cloud providers was always painful. Support was slow. Issues were vague. Everything was hidden behind layers of middlemen, and honestly? Neither we nor our clients were getting the service we needed.
Speed matters in everything we do, especially SEO, and when our providers were slowing us down, it started affecting results. That’s when I knew we had to do better.
So, I worked with my IT supplier to create Barruko, a hosting solution that actually serves people. We built our own server environment with performance and transparency at its core. It’s lean, it’s fast, and we keep things personal. Even if we didn’t build your website, we can host and maintain it like it’s our own.
How do you ensure fast servers, maximum security, and minimal downtime for both small businesses and high-traffic sites?
We treat every site the same, no matter the size of the business.
Our infrastructure is built for high availability. We use clustered nodes, redundancy planning, and constant monitoring. If something goes down, we’re already working on it. The goal is to fix things before clients even notice.
On the security side, we’ve been through it all – from hacked sites to plugin issues. We’ve learned and hardened everything. We use
Imunify360, layered WordPress security tools, and file-change detection to stay alert. And we’re
Cyber Essentials Plus certified, which means our systems meet rigorous government-grade cybersecurity standards.
We don’t just protect your site, we keep you in the loop. And we share what we learn.
Can you describe a memorable client success story—like supporting the British Chambers of Commerce—that highlights your hosting performance under pressure?
The British Chambers of Commerce is a great example.
We originally built their site through the agency, but soon took over hosting and ongoing support. This is a big, high-traffic platform with a ton of content, and it needs to be live and fast
all the time.
We equipped it with dedicated resources, constant uptime monitoring, and a regular maintenance schedule. What makes me proud isn’t just that it runs smoothly; it’s that they now
own their site. They can make updates themselves, which they couldn’t do before.
Hosting a brand like BCC is a real privilege, and a reminder that what we’ve built can genuinely support organisations at every level.
How do you handle technical queries about domains, analytics, or migrations for clients who aren’t tech-savvy?
Honestly? I used to be that person.
When I started out, I wasn’t technical; I had to learn from scratch. That’s why I always talk to clients like they’re me six years ago. No jargon. Just clear, simple explanations.
My go-to analogy is: your website is like a car. You need to put oil in it, change the tyres, clean the windscreen, and tune the engine. Maintenance matters. Same with a site – you’ve got to update plugins, rotate passwords, check performance, and keep things secure. That’s what keeps it running.
Our maintenance reports are straight-talking. “Here’s what we found, here’s what we fixed.” Clients get peace of mind without the tech overwhelm.
What sets your tailored hosting packages apart in terms of avoiding unnecessary add‑ons and keeping costs affordable?
We keep it simple and honest.
No hidden fees for SSLs, privacy, or backups. Everything’s included. You pay one fair price, and you get what you need.
A lot of big hosting companies will lure you in with discounts, then charge a fortune when you renew – especially when you start adding the essentials. We don’t do that.
And because we maintain the sites we host, our clients get that extra layer of care. It’s not just storage on a server. It’s hosting with attention and heart.
As a newly established company (incorporated March 2023), how have you built trust and credibility in your first year?
The honest answer? Through the work.
Clients already trusted Sood with their websites, so when we launched Barruko, it made sense for them to host with us too. And when they did, they saw the difference.
We’ve migrated sites over, sped things up, solved problems fast, and shown up when it matters. That kind of consistency builds trust.
We don’t pretend we’re perfect; things can go wrong. But when they do, we own it, we fix it, and we keep clients informed. That’s our promise.
Find out more at:
www.barruko.co.uk
