CNet's Rafe Needleman writes "Most businesses need a physical footprint--a store, an office, a warehouse. Likewise, you can't really do business today without a Web site. Where and how you host your site can be just as important as where your storefront is. For example, for most small businesses, we recommend that you not run your own Web servers; park your site at a hosting company. We also strongly recommend Linux as a server platform, not Windows. We have more resources to help you get your head around these critical business decisions, as well as directories of the best hosts out there."
Best Practices: Choosing a Web host
Web hosting buying guide
CNET course: The right Web hosting solution for your business
CNET's Web hosting zone