The company also said that its Windows Server 2003 hosting plans were now backed by a 99.9 percent service level agreement (SLA), making it "one of the first Windows Server 2003 shared hosting providers to offer this aggressive SLA," according to the firm.

"Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 is the ideal option for the small and medium customer segment served by Verio SME Hosting and its viaVerio shared hosting business partners," said Pascal Martin, general manager for Microsoft's Communications and Mobile Solutions Group. "This new operating system will help to lay the groundwork for the adoption of Web hosting offerings that will play a critical role in the implementation of Web services by small and medium businesses.

Verio said it also planned to offer regional training seminars on Microsoft's .NET framework, as Windows Server 2003 includes the .NET framework 1.1 and XML Web services support.

"Momentum is quickly growing for Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 and .NET-connected technologies, and Verio believes it is crucial to keep its customers and channel offerings current with industry standards," said Doug Schneider, president of Verio's SME Hosting business unit. "By offering products such as Web hosting on Windows Server 2003, Verio is reinforcing its commitment to the small and medium customer segment and aims to help these customers, as well as viaVerio partners, grow their businesses."

According to Verio, all new SME hosting clients will be provisioned on Windows Server 2003 hosting plans.

Verio is a wholly owned subsidiary of telecom giant NTT Communications Corporation.