Databases require servers to host them and purchasing a new computer system can be costly, especially for start up companies. Fortunately, due to advances in communication, database server need not reside on a physical server in your company. It can be on remote site. This opens up the option of renting a remote system to house your database or website.
There are many possible options depending on your needs. At webhosting.uk.com, the options are varied enough to support any requirement of traffic or content size, which usually determines the size of the supporting database. For Windows VPS system requirements, they offer free use of Microsoft SQL 2005 Enterprise as bundled software with options to use MS SQL 2008 for an additional cost of a mere two (2) british pounds sterling. This roughly translates to four (4) to five (5) US Dollars per month. Other free use software includes MySQL and MS Access and this is just for the low end, Reseller Hosting option. The lowest service that they offer in this range is the Copper line which provides 10 GB of web space with a monthly bandwidth of 50 GB for a mere twenty (20) pounds sterling or roughly $40 to $45. For higher requirements, they also offer Cloud Hosting which offer increased bandwidth of 300 GB per month.