Dear DustyDune,
I have written an answer that I hope you will find as informative as it is lengthy.
Introduction
============
Being the inveterate webhead that I am, I have in the past whiled away
many a midnight hour playing the comparison-shopping game between
myriad hosting providers. My own requirements, however, have been more
modest than yours. I am a do-it-yourself customer who is prepared to
administer his own operating system, whereas your specs imply that you
are looking for a fully managed solution where the host is responsible
for security measures, software upgrades, system maintenance, and
performance analysis
I have found, over the past day and night of intensive research, that
the discount hosting firms who constitute much of the marketplace are
generally unable to provide such a high level of service. Many
reputable firms can meet your hardware and bandwidth demands at
moderate cost, but comparatively few are also equipped to handle your
requirements for service and software support. Their pricing and
marketing, in consequence, are in a different league altogether. Among
the high-end hosting providers I consulted, none advertise a
ready-made package that meets every point of your specifications. Some
do not list fixed pricing for any service at all, insisting that they
must craft a tailor-made solution for each prospective customer.
The good news is that high-end hosts are eager to win your business
when the requirements are as resource-intensive as yours, and will
make an earnest effort to persuade you of the merits of their
offering. Almost every company from whom I solicited a quote replied
within one business day with a detailed proposal, and some sent
multi-page brochures that, although obviously generated by an
automated customer-response system and containing plenty of filler,
were also elaborately personalized. I should mention that I am
acquainted by reputation with all of these hosting providers, but I
have not myself had business dealings with any of them. After sifting
through their sales materials and customized service proposals, I have
culled a representative sampling and set out, below, the technical and
financial details that are germane to the specifications you supplied.
First, I will make some general observations on your specs. Although
every hosting firm matched the Windows 2003 Server and dual CPU
configuration you stipulate, some of them couldn't meet your
requirements down to the last detail. I did not feel that the
shortfalls were great enough to warrant excluding these proposals.
Furthermore, some firms exceeded the other software and hardware
requirements by significant margins. It is mostly the budget hosts who
offer such outsized packages, simply because their economies of scale
don't allow for fine-grained customization.
Almost none of the hosts I corresponded with was willing to address
your MySQL specification. Unix/Linux hosts do make a point of
advertising their MySQL offerings, but a Linux box is in a different
category from the kind of dedicated Windows server you're looking for.
Don't fret: this doesn't mean that you won't be able to use MySQL on
your server. I don't know if you're aware of this, but MySQL is not a
commercial software package. It is an open-source database that is
available for download and installation by the general public. Since
you will be leasing a dedicated Windows server that grants your tech
staff root access to the machine -- in other words, they'll have full
administrative privileges -- you will be free to install MySQL
whenever you please. If your people don't have the know-how to do so
themselves, then it is worth asking whether they are qualified to be
MySQL users at all. There is one host, namely Rackspace, that will go
so far as to have its technicians take any CD-ROM that you send them
and use it to manually install the software package of your choosing
on your dedicated server. This is probably unnecessary, however, since
your in-house sysadmins should be able to install any open-source
software online.
Now to the nitty-gritty. Here, in no particular order, are half a
dozen price quotes issued by hosting providers covering the spectrum
from budget to boutique.
Rackspace
==========
http://www.rackspace.com/products/win2k3/winserver2003.php
Rackspace is one of the leading lights in the Internet hosting
business. Their network reliability record is as close to perfect as
any other on the planet, and they have won many awards attesting to
the stellar quality of their customer service. They charge top dollar,
but if the press accolades are anything to go by, they'll make sure
you get what you paid for.
Their sales staff put together a proposal that satisfies all of your
specifications except for daily backup. Like every other plan I will
mention from here on, it features a dedicated machine running Windows
2003 Server with full administrative privileges for your authorized
staff. Like other firms, they break down their pricing into components
to give you a rough idea of where the money goes. All fees are
discounted for a 12-month contract.
hardware
--------
CPU: dual Intel Xeon 2.4 GHz processors
RAM: 1 GB DDR (double data rate)
disk: three 73 GB Ultra 160 SCSI drives
setup fee: $750
monthly fee: $935
network
-------
bandwidth: 150 GB per month
backup: 50 GB weekly backup, with retention for 2 weeks
setup fee: $0
monthly fee: $270
software
--------
database: MS SQL Server
setup fee: $150
monthly fee: $550
total
-----
setup: $900
monthly: $1755
The one item that isn't covered in this price breakdown is your
request for two IP addresses. The quoted price includes a single
static IP. For each additional static IP, you pay $2 a month, so that
jacks up the recurring fee to $1757.
My research shows that $1757 is a competitive monthly fee for
full-service managed hosting. Bear in mind that there is no limit on
the number of hours of customer support Rackspace is willing to
provide if you lease a server from them.
Rackspace offers a 100% uptime guarantee. Check out their SLA (Service
Level Agreement) and MSA (Master Services Agreement) at the following
addresses.
http://www.rackspace.com/infrastructure/sla/sla.php
http://www.rackspace.com/msa.php
The network is solid: independent observers have verified that
Rackspace hosting has suffered no downtime of any duration over the
past two years. Another highlight of their proposal is that it offers
burstable bandwidth of up to 100 Mbps, which is ample for just about
any application.
Aplus
=====
http://servers.aplus.net/dedicated.html
Aplus is a discount host specializing in thrifty colocation for the
mass market, but they have lately begun to offer dedicated server
packages as well. Their staff are reputed to have good expertise, but
they will not necessarily provide quite as many hours of support as
you'd like.
The Aplus premium dedicated server, without any options, has a $199
setup fee and will run you $199 monthly if you purchase an annual
contract. This package includes only a bare server with no software.
With the addition of extra-cost features, Aplus will meet many -- but
not all -- of your requirements. They do not offer MS SQL Server as on
optional service: if you wish to use it, you must purchase a license
separately and install the software yourself. Backup is offered
monthly but not weekly.
basics
------
CPU: dual Intel Xeon 2.4 GHz processors
RAM: 1 GB
disk: 120 GB
bandwidth: 1000 GB
options
-------
OS: Windows Server 2003
setup fee: $75
monthly fee: $25
disk: upgraded to 200 GB
setup fee: $200
monthly fee: $20
backup: 40 GB backed up monthly
setup fee: $20
monthly fee: $410
IP addresses: 2 static IPs
setup fee: $8
monthly fee: $2
total
-----
setup: $199 + $75 + $200 + $410 + $8 = $892
monthly: $199 + $25 + $20 + $20 + $2 = $266
The price quoted by Aplus is tempting on its face. Of course, their
plan doesn't include weekly backup or an MS SQL Server license, which
means more in-house work for you. (Bear in mind that as an alternative
to the Microsoft database, you can install and use MySQL for free.)
The total price may be attractive even after taking account of
supplementary expenses, but you should be aware of the general
shortcomings of a discount host.
You cannot expect Aplus to answer the phone on the first ring at any
time of day or night, as Rackspace is famous for doing (my own
experience with their sales staff has only supported this claim).
Although Aplus promises 1000 GB of monthly aggregate bandwidth and I
have no reason to doubt that they will fail to deliver, it is unlikely
that they offer an enormous amount of burstable bandwidth. Aplus
probably wants you to share a single 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps line with
several other dedicated servers, which means that your bandwidth at
any one time is limited to some fraction of that line.
An independent observer reports Aplus uptime as 99.998% - 99.98%,
which is excellent but not absolutely top-notch.
Verio
=====
http://verio.com/hosting/powerplatform/hosting/
Verio was one of the first commercial hosting providers in the world
and for some time has been the biggest, with a panoply of services
ranging from the picayune (domain-name registration) to the colossal
(fiber-optic point-to-point lines).
Just because they're the biggest doesn't mean they're the best. Verio
does have a very responsive sales force, however, and they've quoted a
proposal that meets all of your specifications.
features
--------
OS: Windows 2003 Server
CPU: dual Intel Xeon 2.4 GHz processors
RAM: 1 GB
disk: three 72 GB SCSI drives
backup: daily incremental backup and weekly full backup of 36 GB
software: MS SQL Server
bandwidth: 150 GB monthly
IP addresses: 2 static IPs
pricing
-------
setup fee: $1820
monthly fee under a 12-month contract: $2170
monthly fee under a 24-month contract: $1895
monthly fee under a 36-month contract: $1710
If you're willing to lock your firm into a three-year contract, Verio
will provide hardware and software similar to that offered by
Rackspace at a comparable price. Like Rackspace, Verio is a
high-profile, full-service host with a large and highly redundant
network, and provides 100 Mbps burstable bandwidth.
According to an independent observer, Verio hosting has historically
experienced less than 99.98% uptime. Perhaps this explains why they
don't have the cult following that Rackspace enjoys. Verio does not
promise unlimited support hours, but they appear to have a large
customer-service corps for you to draw on.
You can read Verio's Service Legal Agreement, which the sales force
likes to describe as "aggressive". The gist of it is that they will
refund some portion of your contract value whenever you experience
downtime on their network.
http://www.verio.com/about/legal/sla/
All in all, I don't see that there's an advantage to choosing Verio
over Rackspace. Despite its smaller size, Rackspace may well have the
edge, considering that it is a specialized hosting provider as opposed
to the diversified service conglomerate that is Verio.
Hostway
=======
http://www.hostway.com/dedicatedserver/index.htm
Like Aplus, Hostway is a firm that has done well in virtual hosting
and colocation, and now seeks to broaden its horizons to the more
lucrative dedicated-server market.
Hostway's package is similar in most respects to that quoted by Aplus,
with the important difference that MS SQL Server is an included
service. They offer 250 GB of monthly aggregate bandwidth, but make no
mention of the burstable bandwidth. Pricing is based on an annual
contract.
Their backup service is an interesting proposition. For the first year
of service, they will include daily incremental and weekly full backup
at no charge. After the first year, they charge $75 for the same
service.
features
--------
OS: Windows 2003 Server
CPU: dual Intel Xeon 2.4 GHz processors
RAM: 1 GB
disk: three 72 GB SCSI drives
software: MS SQL Server
bandwidth: 250 GB monthly
IP addresses: 2 static IPs
pricing
-------
setup fee: $2900
monthly fee: $511
The question of whether Hostway offers a better deal than Aplus comes
down, I would say, to your choice of database solution. If you insist
on MS SQL Server, then Hostway has the better price, given that the
license alone is worth hundreds per month. If you are content with
MySQL, as many others are, then Aplus is the cheaper solution.
Apart from the purely financial considerations, Hostway is bound to
suffer from the drawbacks inherent in any discount hosting provider.
Its customers simply aren't paying enough to get the kind of burstable
bandwidth and user support that a premium host will offer.
Interland
=========
http://www.interland.com/dedicated/
Interland is a curious hybrid of discount host and top-tier provider,
selling everything from bare-bones Linux boxes to fully featured
Windows servers.
Their Service Level Agreement guarantees only 99.9% uptime, but
independent observers report 100% uptime in 2003 so far. Backup is
provided weekly but not daily. Pricing is discounted for a 12-month
contract. There are no setup fees for any component of the proposal.
basics
------
OS: Windows Server 2003
CPU: dual Intel Xeon 2.67 GHz processors
RAM: 1 GB DDR
disk: four 73 GB Ultra 160 SCSI drives
bandwidth: 300 GB per month
IP addresses: 2 static IPs
monthly fee: $1287.00
options
-------
software: MS SQL Server
monthly fee: $430.40
backup: 40 GB backed up weekly
monthly fee: $155.96
total
-----
monthly fee: $1873.36
In the balance, Interland's price falls somewhere between those quoted
by Rackspace and Verio. Their hardware package is slightly better than
anyone else's, and they offer the same 100 Mbps burstable bandwidth as
the big-name providers.
Dellhost
========
http://dellhost.com/dhproduct/segment.aspx?segment=dedicated
My final quote isn't truly a quote, since the Dellhost representative
wouldn't deign to respond within one business day. Maybe they'll
deliver a customized proposal yet. In the meantime, I surfed through
and around their convoluted website until I could deduce with
reasonable precision the cost of a package that meets your
specifications.
The company needs little by way of introduction. It is an offshoot of
the top PC manufacturer, and it uses the same server hardware as most
other large hosting providers. (Yes, the big hosts tend to use Dell,
although Interland, for one, deploys IBM servers.)
Network connectivity is provided directly by Sprint, which promises
low point-to-point latency across the continent. Dellhost won't
divulge its burstable bandwidth, but I would be surprised if it were
any less than 10 Mbps.
Pricing is based on a twelve-month contract, and incorporates all
rebates and discounts currently offered by Dellhost.
basics
------
OS: Windows Server 2003
CPU: dual Intel Xeon 2.4 GHz processors
RAM: 2 GB
disk: four 73 GB SCSI drives
backup: daily incremental and weekly full backup, not including databases
IP addresses: 2 static IPs
setup fee: $899
monthly fee: $1479
options
-------
software: MS SQL Server
setup fee: $99.50
monthly fee: $469
backup: daily incremental and weekly full backup of MS SQL databases
setup fee: $100
monthly fee: $75
bandwidth: 160 GB per month
monthly fee: $220
total
-----
setup fee: $1098.50
monthly fee: $2243
It's not clear to me that the Dellhost package, while technologically
more than adequate, can justify such a high monthly fee.
Conclusion
==========
All of the above are reputable hosting providers, their prices varying
more or less in proportion with the amount of personal attention they
will lavish on you. I believe that each of these firms is a competent
host. Nonetheless, some have simply decided to allocate more time --
and consequently greater expense -- to user support than others. It is
up to you and your purchasing staff to strike an appropriate balance
between cost and level of service.
Although I cannot make the final choice for you, I hope the inquiries
I made on your behalf and the analysis I have subsequently prepared
will act as useful guidelines in your decision-making process.
There are many hosting providers around, of course, in addition to the
representative sample I have discussed. A good starting point for
looking at other reliable hosts is the CNet uptime ranking.
http://webservices.cnet.com/html/aisles/Host_Performance_List.asp
If you feel that my answer is incomplete or inaccurate in any way,
please let me know so that I have a chance to meet your needs before
you assign a rating.
Regards,
leapinglizard |
