Septic shock is a condition of acute organ dysfunction due to severe infection, with a mortality of up to 50%. Current efforts to improve care are limited by little practical evidence regarding the interventions in and timing of sepsis therapies. ProCESS is a prospective, randomized, three-arm parallel-group trial of alternative resuscitation strategies for early septic shock. The study objective is to improve the management of septic shock by exploring the clinical, biological, and economic aspects of alternative resuscitation strategies. This will be done by comparing two alternative resuscitation strategies to usual care in subjects with septic shock.