And now hosting companies offer more than fat bandwidth, robust power, and hardware farms. Both established and newer vendors are adding data storage, security consulting, procurement of hardware and software, and other related services. When traditional businesses lease commercial space, construct a factory, or rent storage space, they rely on well-established building codes, zoning laws, familiar contract provisions, and expert advisors to guide their progress. Similarly, companies are increasingly outsourcing their Internet operations to third-party service firms. Colocation, managed hosting, and similar Web services are offered by a confusing array of new vendors.
Good planning is critical.
Below are practical tips to help you do your deal right and tight. No smart CEO would let just one manager choose, design, budget, and oversee a company's new facility without ongoing involvement by other departments. She or he would deploy a multidisciplinary team to find the ideal Web host for the company. This applies even if the team leader is the company's e-commerce executive, CIO, or Webmaster. When you need office space, you hire a specialist broker.