LeeWare Development Makes the Move From VPS Provider to Dedicated Server Host

Former budget VPS provider LeeWare Development makes the transition from selling XEN-based Virtual Private Servers to a new product line that features dedicated servers Powered by CentOS and Ubuntu operating systems.

The move to dedicated servers was a logical one for the small Chicago based operator who built a service around a simple value proposition. Basically, I wanted to build a product that was a good value for the money, says Lee Evans Owner/Operator of LeeWare Development.

The VPS Products were sold under the LeeWare UVM brand. LeeWare Development was one of the first providers to offer unmetered XEN-Virtual Private Servers with generous resource allocations at a price point that was attractive to consumers. In addition to selling direct to consumers, LeeWare Development provided back-end services and wholesale VPS rentals to Universities and other technology based companies.

At the peak of the UVM services success, the service hosted over 500 XEN based Virtual Private Servers and had an average bandwidth utilization of 500Mbit/s.

According to Lee Evans, LeeWare Development was the fifth largest customer and largest colo customer at the Chicago data center where the service was hosted.

LeeWare Development discontinued the UVM service at the end of the second quarter of 2007. My upstream provider was changing its business model to compete in a different area. This new direction was incompatible with the UVM service. says Lee Evans. The situation presented an opportunity for me to move into a better position. A position that would allow me to continue my mission of offering value-based services. Lee Says.

LeeWare Development currently operates a series of Lights-Out-Facilities (LOFS) which are located in the Chicago Metro Area. Each facility holds a collection of servers that serve as a platform for hosting Internet Applications. I can keep my dedicated server service affordable by replicating some of the core ideas from my days as a VPS operator, such as; service-transparency, simplicity and reduced support. Therefore, LeeWare Development's target audience is the experienced Linux user. -- Lee Evans

A copy of this article appears in Linux+ Magazine VOL2 NO 4 ISSN 1896-8309