I am the web developer for a fair-sized company, and they have tasked me with finding a new web host for their store. Their previous host was ValueWeb; they have proven unreliable. I've done web development before, but I've never set up an eCommerce solution. I'm a little nervous given that the online store is a large source of income for the company. I am, in a way, responsible for large sums of money in this transition.
I'm doing research to determine the best solution to our hosting problem. Our previous host handled eCommerce in a fairly abstract way--most of the technical stuff was hidden in awkward control panels. I'd prefer more low-level access that's still user friendly. I'm only somewhat familiar with PHP, but my programming background should allow me to learn quickly, if I need. The same is true of MySQL and similar technologies--I've worked with databases, just not MySQL specifically.
Honestly, though, I'm just not sure where to start. Should my eCommerce solution be separate from the general web hosting? Should I try building something myself? What do I need to know? Any help would be appreciated. I've been poking around Google and a few IT sites, but a little guidance will go a long way in focusing my research.