A Control Panel is a tool used to handle the content of a website hosting account. This includes, but is not limited to, files, e-mails, databases, stats as well as other operations executed with them. The Control Panel provides a web-based interface to manage all these things and anything else related to the hosting service through different sections where you can access features through menus and/or buttons. The easier to use a CP is, the simpler it'll be for you to handle your online presence in its entirety. In the standard scenario, the CP is the Internet hosting account’s back office, while a separate billing account is employed to manage payments and domain registrations - if the company offers that particular service. Trouble tickets could be addressed via the billing account or by using a different system.