Petstore.com Taps NaviSite For Web Hosting Services

Petstore.com, an online provider of pet-care products andservices in Emeryville, Calif., will reveal this week that it has enlisted NaviSite Inc., an application service provider and Web-hosting company, to host, manage, and maintain its Web site.

By outsourcing the site's operations, Petstore.com VP of engineering Bryan Dunkeld says his company can concentrate on its core competency--providing pet products to consumers. "NaviSite is providing the same service to many customers, which makes me confident that they are experts in this field and can handle our site," Dunkeld says. NaviSite has moved all of Petstore.com's Web-site data to its hosting center in California. NaviSite's Oracle Database administrators will maintain the Web servers and E-commerce applications on an ongoing basis.

The companies wouldn't disclose terms of the agreement, but Dunkeld acknowledges the deal isn't expected to save Petstore.com money in the long run. "We did a cost analysis and found having NaviSite host our site was more cost effective right now," he says. Initially, Petstore.com will save money because it won't have to provide 24-by-7 support or hire additional technology professionals to handle the Web site. But, says Dunkeld, "Over time, it'll probably be a wash."