Research Firm Validates The Planet's Hosting Infrastructure Can Reduce IT Costs for SMBs by More Than 75 Percent.

Increased Control, Flexibility, Reduced Risk and Competitive Improvements Cited as Key Benefits

HOUSTON -- The Planet, now the world's largest privately held dedicated hosting company, today announced a recent report prepared by Frost & Sullivan's Stratecast shows The Planet's carrier-grade IT hosting infrastructure can reduce costs by more than 75 percent for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) over a three-year period.

The Stratecast white paper, "SMBs Can Cut IT Costs by More Than 75 Percent by Subscribing to Hosted Infrastructure Services," weighs in-house IT infrastructure costs, over the course of a three-year period, versus subscribing to an on demand IT infrastructure service from The Planet. The study evaluates the total cost of ownership based on Web and database servers, security, lease premiums, dedicated Internet access, utilities and in-house administration. Initial results show SMB customers spend approximately $24,100 with The Planet's on demand IT infrastructure, while a self-operating approach could total upwards of $104,600.

"As today's technology costs have become more manageable, SMBs can now compete head-to-head with larger competitors," said The Planet's Vice President of Marketing Steve Kahan. "The Planet offers an on demand IT infrastructure for SMB customers, leveraging our world-class data centers, high-performance network and extensive managed services. The Stratecast research validates the value we provide customers, delivering reduced IT management costs and increased flexibility to allow our customers to remain focused on their core business. The Planet is the great equalizer that allows SMBs strategic business advantages."

Stratecast White Paper Highlights

According to Stratecast, the financial investment required to purchase, operate and internally maintain an IT infrastructure can be overwhelming for SMB customers. Enlisting a provider like The Planet offers costs savings and increased performance. The research also concludes:

* Hosted IT infrastructure delivers IT reliability to SMBs, as subscribers typically receive enterprise-level SLAs from their hosting provider.

* SMBs gain technical expertise, and increased flexibility and scalability, with an on demand IT infrastructure that allows customers to easily fluctuate and downsize equipment needs on a month-by-month basis.

* Reduced IT and business risk by enlisting the expertise of an on demand IT infrastructure provider, SMBs can focus on their strategic business goals.

To download the complete Stratecast white paper, please visit: http://www.theplanet.com/forms/register.asp?utm_source= BPHOWPRA11507&type=CITC_WP (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

About Stratecast

Frost & Sullivan's Stratecast practice directly assists clients in achieving their strategic objectives by providing critical and objective insights. Stratecast's industry analysts and market experts provide the communications industry with market consulting and tactical strategic forecasting. This market information and industry research helps senior executives make critical business, technology, product, partnership, and tactical strategy decisions. Our custom consulting, analyst availability, and market subscriptions provides your firm with winning business growth strategies.

About The Planet

The Planet is the leading provider of On Demand IT Infrastructure solutions, hosting more than 22,000 small- and medium-size businesses and 2.8 million Web sites worldwide. By offering the best choice of servers, software tools and world-class support, backed by state-of-the-art facilities and unmatched network connectivity, The Planet helps turn information technology into a powerful competitive advantage that enables customers to successfully grow their businesses. For additional information, visit www.theplanet.com.