I read several "Web Worker" blogs, tech blogs, productivity blogs, etc... Almost all of them have touted the virtues of using something like Google Enterprise, GMail, Basecamp, etc... instead of hosting your own site or your own mail or whatever it is. I agree, that if you lack the skillset to easily manage those things on your own, then you should go with someone else. However, I love having full control over my own mail server and web server. If I want to use a specific RBL to deal with spam or change a mail routing filter I can do it easily. If I want to build my web site using html for some pages, PHP for some, RoR for some, and Java for another part, I can. If I want to integrate in applications like Jira or Hudson to a site I host, it's easy to whip up some proxy rules in Apache, tweak some css, and it's done.

And while running things myself, on a single server, does mean that I occasionally have issues or outages, it also means that I pretty much always can identify the cause of the issue and fix it.

Ironically one of these blogs has been throwing a Google 502 error page about 1/2 the time. I assume it's hosted on the Blogger platform, but I'm not certain. Some pages load up fine, other's generate the 502 with the image below, and sometimes they load up fine if I hit reload a few times. I'm sure Google will fix it at some point, but until then the blog author is stuck with a 1/2 broken blog, and no idea what the cause is, and no ability to fix it.

It may be a little more work and a little higher cost, but the piece of mind of being able to customize things to any degree I want combined with being able to diagnose and fix issues myself is well worth it.

Today I'm shilling for an amazing company, Spark::red. They provide unparalleled managed ATG application hosting. I know and trust the folks running it, and have been working with them for a while now. They have really been stellar to deal with and have turned things around in hours and days, whereas I'd gotten used to waiting weeks and month with the previous hosting situation.

If you, or anyone you know, uses ATG, you owe it to yourself to check Spark::red out.

Here is the press release:

In PDF Form

In Text Form:

Spark::red Expands ATG Hosting Offering

SEATTLE, WA- December 17, 2007 - Spark::red LLC announced today that it will launch general availability of their ATG-specialized hosting solutions.

Spark::red has been providing hosting and technology services to an exclusive group of clients, including a Fortune-500 company.

"We made certain that we could respond to our clients' individual needs with the personal attention and quality that allows us to distinguish ourselves," said Russell Moore, spokesperson for Spark::red. "We have proven our capability, and are ready to expand our client base. ATG customers now have a premier hosting option, one that takes pride in delivery to the customer above all else."

About Spark::red LLC
Spark::red, a managed ATG hosting provider, focuses on providing a specialized hosting solution for ATG applications. The staff of experienced ATG architects allows Spark::red to deliver production environments in days, instead of weeks or months.
With competitive pricing, a Tier 4 data center, and every staff member boasting over eight years of experience working with some of the largest ATG installations in the world, launching a new site or migrating an existing application will be quick, secure and painless. With Spark::red you will enjoy expert support, the fastest servers, and peace of mind. They invite you to contact them and discover the superiority of their ATG-specific hosting solution.

http://sparkred.com

Contacts:
Russell Moore
Spark::red LLC
russell@sparkred.com

Sales Inquiries
sales@sparkred.com