Choosing a scalable hosting program that can grow with your business should be a top priority. A scalable program will not only improve your service offerings, but will help you manage growth as well.

Selecting a highly scalable hosting platform is a top priority for all Web hosting resellers.

By choosing a hosting platform that can grow, resellers can ensure that their customers obtain the most suitable levels of service available, thereby ensuring their clientele's satisfaction and retention.

A scalable hosting platform allows resellers to escalate their service offerings. The platform also allows resellers to effectively manage growth.

A scalable platform should encompass a standardized, automated hosting system operated on standard hardware and a hardened operating system. By selecting such a platform, resellers are able to provision standardized hosting packages to their clientele on demand. The key advantage with such a platform is that resellers can offer their clientele highly responsive support and a myriad of hosting package options, all without having to worry about equipment, staffing and maintaining costly network operations and infrastructure.

First-tier Web hosts who maintain their own equipment will usually provide a scalable platform to resellers. Most resellers are second-tier hosting companies, Internet service providers, Web designers, publishers, domain registrars, or individuals who wish to capitalize on the expanding market for enterprise-class Internet services.

A scalable platform will usually assume the form of a dedicated server that is customized to provision virtual server or virtual private server accounts for your customers. Shared hosting will provide the most basic form of service to your clientele, allotting them with the simplest options that permit the establishment of a single Web site. A virtual private server on the other hand escalates your customer's level of service, so much so, that they can provision hosting services themselves.

While a shared hosting account is designed only to accommodate one site and provides limited functionality, a virtual dedicated server comes with the ability to create unlimited virtual sites, users, FTP and telnet accounts, and even e-mail addresses. The ability to offer both on one platform gives resellers a degree of scalability, since it allows them to ramp up services as their clients' business and expectations expand.

The result of providing solid hosting options that escalate is that resellers can increase their revenue flow by "up-selling" more expansive and customizable services to their customers. A scalable platform is also advantageous because of it responsiveness to increases in Web traffic due to the growth of a reseller's business.

The most important characteristics of a scalable platform are that they are i) modular and ii) ensure quality of service (QoS).

A scalable platform will permit a reseller to add and subtract application functionality, such as e-commerce shopping carts, and other Internet services at will.

A scalable platform will also permit a reseller to increase physical memory or request other hardware changes from the hosting vendor. Scalable platforms should also ensure quality of service (QoS), which guarantees that a high level of bandwidth is always available. QoS should be stipulated in a binding contract called a "service level agreement" (SLA).

Included in the SLA should be guarantees concerning uptime as well. The SLA should include remedies in the event that some level of service interruption occurs.

The selection of a scalable platform should be executed only after a tremendous amount of in-depth due diligence on candidate hosting service providers. The main challenge for resellers is to ensure that they are selecting a platform that can grow and evolve with their needs.