Before we start discussing Akeeba, we'd like to make you aware of the fact that Joomla released a brand new security patch this morning. No matter which version you're currently running, it is vital that you have your CMS updated and this new patch installed. There have been security vulnerabilities discovered, and without the patch you run the very high risk of having your entire website hacked and blacklisted. Please get in touch with us as soon as possible so we can discuss installing the patch with you before anything goes wrong. 

Moving onto a happier topic, let's discuss Akeeba! Akeeba Ltd are a software company who produce high quality extensions for the Joomla! content management system. They're one of the best developers out there because they go to great lengths to ensure that their open source extensions are as flexible as possible. And, at no extra charge, you can access the extremely thorough documentation for all of their extensions.

Most of their extensions are available in two versions - Core, which is available free of charge and is fully functional but missing a few higher end features, and Professional, which is fully comprehensive and available only to subscribers (type of subscription required varies depending on which extension you're looking at).

Here's a list of what they offer:

1. ADMIN TOOLS
   
• Allows one-click Joomla! updates.
• Emails you whenever a Joomla! update becomes available.
• Allows single-click site maintenance with things like database tables and temporary directories. 
• Includes a Web Application Firewall.
• Has the option of increasing security with features such as a randomising SuperUser ID and editing file permissions.
• Includes .htaccess Maker, which allows you to easily set directories per IP address and manage security.
• Notifies you of any changes in your site's PHP files, so you can know straight away if you might have been hacked.
• Makes redirecting easy.
• And most of this is fully automated!
2. BACKUP
• Allows one-click site backups; including database, files and the restoration script.
• Allows backups to be saved in multiple formats.
• Can automatically configure optimally for your server, using the Wizard. 
• Allows you to choose what's included and excluded from the backups.
• Makes migration and duplication of sites easy.
• Can automatically store a copy of your backup to the cloud.
• Includes four different automation options, meaning you can trust it to backup automatically while you get on with your day.
• Stops extension updates from ruining your site by including system restore technology that allows you to just roll back.
• This is the most popular Joomla! component, with over 4.7 million downloads!
3. SUBSCRIPTIONS
• Allows you to easily sell subscriptions to your site.
• Makes it easy to track activity by having all the core information displayed on the first page control panel.
• Is multilingual.
• Allows clients to keep any time remaining on their current subscription when they renew.
• Includes options for coupon codes, automatic discounts and chaining subscriptions.
• Has an integrated tax calculation feature (that's fully compatible with the EU VAT laws).
• The Core version integrates with ccInvoices, and the Professional version allows automatic integrated invoicing.
• Allows you to customise all of your emails.
• Has a variety of payment gateway integrations and has the option for further expansion through other third party extensions.
4. TICKET SYSTEM
• Available only to subscribers of of the Akeeba Tickets, Commerce and Deluxe subscriptions.
• Allows you to provide support services on your site in a variety of ways. 
• Compatible with BBcode and full HTML editing.
• Allows email replies and WYSIWYG email template editing.
• Includes multilingual support.
• Integrates with with Akeeba Subscriptions.
5. RELEASE SYSTEM
• Made specifically for software distribution. 
• High performance, made to handle dozens of thousands of daily downloads.
• Includes chameleon skinning, which means you no longer have to override CSS to make sure the extension matches the visual style of your template.
• Allows you to control who can download what.
• Includes extensive logs of every download attempt.
• Has built in support for Amazon S3, making it cloud compatible. 
• Creates update streams in multiple formats.
• Is available free of charge for everyone!
6. KICKSTART
• Allows you to extract your archives directly on the server, so restoring your site is simple.
• Works extremely quickly.
• Supports direct file writing and FTP upload, so it works on almost every server. 
• Once restoring is done it removes itself and the backup archive from the server.
• Stealth mode allows you to redirect visitors to a static HTML page while you work on restoring the site.
• Is available for free!
7. UNITE
• Available only to AkeebaDeluxe subscribers.
• Allows automatic creation and restoration of multiple sites.
• Doesn't require human intervention; simply create a small XML file with the necessary information.
• Allows multiple archive formats.
• Is easy to automate using CRON jobs.
8. EXTRACT WIZARD
• Allows you to extract your back ups without a web server.
• Runs on Linux, Windows and Mac OS X.
• Allows the extraction of only a few files at a time, followed by their reinstatement on the server.
• Automatically detects and skips unwritable files.
• Available free of charge!
9. SITEDIFF
• Allows you to monitor changes in files between backups.
• Detects added and deleted files.
• Quick and extensive extraction, comparison and result presentation.
• Does trustworthy file comparisons.
• Supports all backups produced by Akeeba BackUps.
• Allows you to filter and export the produced list.
• Available at no cost!
10.  LIVE UPDATE
• Is a one-click update library for Joomla! components. 
• Completely free of charge.

So there you have it! A run down of all the different components Akeeba offers for the Joomla! CMS and their functions. 
We use Akeeba Back Up the most, although all of their extensions are extremely useful and come highly recommended. 

If you have any questions, concerns or queries about Akeeba or anything at all, you  can get in touch with Rhye Media on Facebook, twitter and Google+ or our online help system - we'd love to hear from you!