Smaller IT hosting companies without the deep pockets of EDS, Hewlett-Packard, or IBM Global Services are increasingly turning to the Linux operating system, partitioned Intel servers, and automation software to more efficiently run their customers' IT operations.

X86 is the dominant platform for Linux right now, followed by Windows on x86, says Craig Oda, VP of business development for SWsoft Inc., a provider of hosting-automation and server-partitioning software. Demand for Unix is tapering off because of cost.

To help smaller service providers--those with annual revenue of less than $20 million--SWsoft this week introduced HSPcomplete 2.1, software that automates the management of a hosting service provider's servers and applications. HSPcomplete includes apps that automatically analyze and authenticate credit-card information, billing address, IP address, and system domains to provide fraud protection. The software also lets its service-provider customers partition servers running the Debian, Red Hat, and SuSE Linux operating systems. SWsoft plans to offer Windows-based partitioning software in June.

Hosting Network Inc., an Internet hosting provider with about 60,000 customers, has spent $1 million on SWsoft's Virtuozzo server-virtualization software and plans to move to HSPcomplete later this year.

Data-center automation and Intel partitioning software are getting the attention of large service providers as well. IBM in November agreed to integrate Virtuozzo 2.5 with its xSeries 300 line of servers to let customers partition these Intel boxes into multiple virtual servers. This move follows IBM's announcement a year ago that it would sell and support server-virtualization software from VMware Inc., an SWsoft competitor. Another competitor, CoroSoft Inc., last month introduced a suite of x86-based data-center automation software.