But sufficient network security can come at a level of complexity that smaller Web hosts cannot accomodate, making the operating of a truly secure host a difficult proposition for a small company.

IT network security company Alert Logic (alertlogic.com), however, says its Network Protection On Demand provides Web hosts and other IT companies with an affordable, comprehensive security solution.

The company has partnered with at least a dozen Web hosts, announcing last week its highest profile hosting partnership yet. Alert Logic will offer Rackspace (rackspace.com) customers intrusion defense, compliance management and around the clock network threat monitoring, all delivered through the Web host's fully integrated and hosted solution.

Rackspace was previously using a security network appliance from a "very well-known network security appliance vendor," which the company managed itself.

"We displaced that solution," says Chris Smith, vice president of marketing at Alert Logic, "and were offering probably three times the capability, including 24/7 monitoring for the same price point [Rackspace] was applying for the applied solution."

Smith says one crucial aspect that helps differentiate Alert Logic from its network security appliance competitors is the way it approaches Web hosts.

"[Other network security providers] typically sell one appliance and say, 'here's an appliance - good luck figuring out how to wrap services around that,'" says Chris Smith, vice president of marketing at Alert Logic. "Our service approach is a natural compliment to the way our hosting partners offer their services.

We offer a completely seamless network security service that they can strap onto their existing services portfolios very seamlessly without any upfront capital expenditure and without adding any security staff."

Alert Logic is now offering the Multi-Tenant Edition of its Network Protection on Demand service. An extension of its solution set designed specifically for service providers, the new service enables partners to rapidly deploy the Alert Logic security solution across up to 50 client IT networks with a single appliance.

"This product," says Smith, "helps us deliver what I like to call the holy trinity: $100 a month price point to our partners, which no company has been able to approach, a private portal or user interface for the end user customer and 24/7 threat monitoring."

Built on Alert Logic's three-layered On Demand platform, the MTE technology provides rapid deployment, zero maintenance and no infrastructure costs. Becase the solution operates a virtual appliance, multiple client networks can be protected by a single physical device, enabling managed hosting, managed security service and network service providers to achieve higher rack densities and lower end-user price points.

Smith says hosting partners whose customer bases are on the lower end of the SMB market stand to benefit most from the MTE offering. Either way, Smith says that Alert Logic has realized its offerings are strongly applicable to Web hosts and that the company is making a conscious effort to cater to the industry's needs.

"We've had a lot of success [in the hosting industry]," says Smith, "and from what our customers are telling us, our solution is uniquely well-engineered for the needs of hosting companies. It allows them to offer network security to their clients more effectively than they've ever been able to offer it before."