Content creation would be handled internally. On their Web sites, both of these magazines maintain directories of ISPs. Then, Richter evaluated the Web hosts by asking them questions. If there are three or four steps between your hosting service and the backbone, your Web site performance will be affected, Storm said. Market researcher Forrester Research Inc. recommends companies buy hosting services only from outsourcers with well documented engineering guideklines and tested disaster recovery plans.
Storm recommends a visit to the offices of candidate hosting companies.
He eventually chose BBN Planet, the hosting service of BBN Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., to run his Web site. Hosting services typically charge a start-up fee and a monthly service fee. Prices depend on storage and throughput required. As one of the largest national hosting services, BBN Planet offers many pricing plans. The service includes 60 megabytes of storage space.