What
is ASP?
ASP is a model that is providing businesses with an
IT cost-effective option. Global companies, small and
large, are taking this route for ease of implementation,
and across industry, many enterprises are starting to
embed the ASP-style of service provision into their
businesses, and seeing real advantages.
ags together with
their IT partner already has a portfolio of applications,
which it can offer to customers, or it can run applications
chosen by customers. They use established software techniques
(Citrix Metaframe) so that all the work runs on their
host computers, but customers can connect in to the
service from anywhere. They have developed their own
specialised software to manage differing speeds of connection.
The company has “server
farms” in Telford and Stoke and a fast link between
them so that they have an extremely high level of resilience
to failure. They use firewalls and military-strength
encryption to keep the operation secure. Loads are balanced
between servers, but this is invisible to customers
who get a secure and resilient black-box service.
IT
Maintenance
Another long-term
burden the customer avoids is hardware maintenance and
software upgrades. Quite apart from the cost, these
can be disruptive to business, and are often extremely
difficult exercises needing specialist skills. All these
activities live inside the black box and are looked
after by e-know. The company also fosters a sense of
community amongst its ASP customers, making help desk
information and known faults available to the users,
so problems can sometimes be solved more quickly by
users themselves rather than through customer support.
IT
Training
The type of technology
used by this ASP also makes it easier for dispersed
companies to run training sessions between sites, saving
time and cutting costs. It makes it easier to fit the
training to the people, rather than the other way around.
The ASP model is designed to take the non-productive
IT load away from customers and lodge it with a company
specialising in IT. ASPs should be judged on the basis
of business services that can be provided, balanced
against cost savings and the cost of doing it all in-house.
IT
Management
Whether you are a
growing organisation taking the first step on the technology
ladder or a mature business with significant IT infrastructures,
ASP can complement your level of IT maturity by providing
access to “best of breed” management solutions.
You will have fast access to the software you need with
the assurance of a secure environment for your sensitive
data 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
ASP brings you faster,
more accurate business information without the unnecessary
business disruption. There is no need for significant
capital outlay. For a simple fixed monthly rental, you
will have all the flexibility you may ever need gaining
access to a totally robust infrastructure that removes
the constant financial burden of software upgrades,
server upgrades, performance issues, costly disaster
recovery contingencies as well as compliance with the
latest industry statute.
For further information
on ASP contact ags on 01902 717175 or email accountants@ags.gb.com
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