The proliferation of the public Internet and secure private networks means that your company can use software and equipment from locations outside your support center instead of installing new products in-house.

Hosting is more of a delivery mechanism than it is a technology. Vendors provide access to their software from secure portions of their Web sites. Although multimedia routing and CRM software are the categories of products that vendors most commonly host, the jury is still out on which types of software are best for hosting.

Through the wonders of technology, vendors connect components or entire servers to your network based on, for example, how many ports of an off-site IVR system or trunks of an off-site phone switch you want to use.

Software developers typically charge monthly per-server and per-seat fees to use their products. If you're paying a vendor to host equipment or a combination of software and equipment, expect to pay fees based on the total number of calls and on-line transactions your center receives each month.

More service bureaus are hosting software, in addition to communicating with customers on their clients' behalf. The advantage for you is that if you out-source some, but not all, customer support, the reps you employ at your center can use the same software as the reps who work for the service bureau.

That's a big plus, given that service bureaus typically operate on a scale that enables them to purchase software that's more costly and powerful...