I will admit right upfront that I am completely out of my depth when it comes to web hosting. I need help and I was told that y'all were the best (that is 98% truth and 2% flattery!).

I have started a business that has a significant dynamic online database (static databases in SGML are my forte - SQL and Oracle not so much). Here some of my general expectations over the next few months:

1. 200 customers who will need almost daily access to the website

2. Detailed profiles of each customer including pictures.

3. Email capabilities between customers and the company.

4. Credit card (or PayPal) payment abilities

I have thought through the site map (whew! it took me about 10 hours to transfer my vision to computer), I have a web architect, I am interviewing a few people for the design (can you believe that they want to charge me 6K for a design?) and I have a DBA.

That said, I have no clue about what web hosting services are out there. I would need a company who could manage the site, server capacity, minimize down time, etc.

I am very serious about this and have gleaned some information from public sources. My budget is about $500 per MONTH. Please tell me what kind of specs I should look for (e.g., I know that I need a service/host that supports SQL), what I should expect and please please recommend some books/sites that will help me come up-to-speed on this stuff.

Thanks a ton.