Managed Hosting

Managed Hosting or Dedicated Hosting is a form of web hosting where you choose to lease an entire server housed in an off-site data center that is dedicated to your usage only, and not shared with anyone else as in a shared hosting environment. Managed Hosting gives you complete control over the server and provides you with maximum usage of the hardware, processor speed and bandwidth capacity. Choices range from a basic server to a high performance, premium server depending on your online needs. You can also choose your preferred operating system, Windows or Linux, as well as optional managed services like security patching, upgrades, backups, and firewalls. Basic system administration is usually included with Managed Hosting.

I recommend: PEER 1 Dedicated Hosting

Self-Managed Hosting

Self-managed or Unmanaged Hosting is a form of web hosting where you choose to lease an entire server housed in an off-site data center that is dedicated to your usage only, and not shared with anyone else as in a shared hosting environment. In contrast to Managed Hosting, you must have technical know-how, and perform all system administration and management activities on the server from your remote desktop. This lets you choose a server with more powerful hardware for much less cost. As with Managed Hosting, you have complete control over the server and can choose your preferred operating system, Windows or Linux.

I recommend: ServerBeach.com

Co-location

Co-location is a form of web hosting where you lease a cabinet in an off-site, highly secured data center to house your own server hardware. The shared data center infrastructure, along with its redundant power, large bandwidth capacity, and direct connection to the Internet allows you to get cost-savings on greater safety, scalability, business continuity, and minimal network latency. In Co-location, the server hardware is entirely owned and operated by you and does not receive any system administration from the provider.

I recommend: PEER 1 Co-location