EV1 Servers provides low-cost dedicated servers for adult Webmasters
EV1Servers (EV1Servers.net), known until recently as RackShack, is not a hosting firm focused expressly on serving adult sites, says Robert Marsh, the company's "head surfer." But that has not proven to be a barrier to success in the adult market for EV1Servers, one of the companies leading the movement toward lower-priced dedicated hosting offerings.
The nature of the company's product offering, a set of customer-managed dedicated hosting products that helped to bring down the cost of dedicated hosting across the industry, have made EV1Servers a hit with a certain type of customer, adult or otherwise.
"Our mission is to be the best dedicated server provider possible," says Marsh. "I think we would be an excellent match for any user who has the ability to use our products either on his own, or with the assistance of a third party server administrator. In some ways, leasing a server is not unlike leasing a car. Our job is to ensure our product's performance, while the customer is responsible for the actual driving."
The company offers Windows- and Linux-based servers for prices as low as $89 per month, a model that, combined with the company's rapid setup, reliable network and responsive customer service, has allowed EV1Servers to build up rapidly from its launch in 2000 to one of the leading companies in the dedicated hosting space. According to Marsh, after growth of more than 200 percent in the past 12 months, EV1Servers now hosts more than 18,000 Windows and Linux dedicated servers, supporting approximately 500,000 Web sites between them.
EV1Servers operates a 65,000 square foot data center in Houston, Texas, backed by 24/7 on-site security guards, fire protection, UPS and generators, and connected to the Internet through 13 Gigabit Ethernet links from Verio, Time Warner, Allegiance Telecom, Williams, MFN and Cogent. As of August 2003, says Marsh, two percent of Worldwide Internet traffic traveled through the company's network.
That kind of scale can be one of the significant advantages of dealing with a major mainstream service provider rather than a smaller, more specialized adult host, says Marsh.
"One benefit a 'mainstream' Web host offers is economy of scale," he says. "EV1Servers is able to operate a carrier-class data center, maintain 13 Gigabit Ethernet links and offer 24/7 toll-free tech support because the associated costs are distributed across 18,000+ servers. As a result, each customer enjoys faster connectivity and better service at a lower price."
And, while Marsh is certainly prepared to outline the benefits EV1Servers can offer to an adult hosting customer, he is just as ready to recognize the important role adult Web site operators play in the company's business.
"Adult customers represent a significant proportion of EV1Servers' user base," he says. "I can't give you exact stats, because we don't review and rate content hosted on our network. But I can tell you that adult users are highly valued members of our community."
