What Exactly Are Application Service Providers?ASP which is otherwise known as application service provider should not be confused with Microsoft's framework which is also known as Active Server Pages and is a server side scripting engine which is used to produce dynamic and interactive pages. Application service providers on the other hand provides computer based services over a network and provides businesses with a wide array of services using what's known as on demand software.
It has grown ever more popular over the years, both for clients and vendors because it has allowed businesses to effectively outsource various software applications to be managed by third parties and to give you an example, payment processing falls into the ASP category. Due to the demand of such remotely hosted applications this has given rise to many software companies developing a wider range of applications to meet the needs of businesses worldwide. Most secure server hosting companies provide managed server hosting packages and network support but also provide a range of ASP related services as well which are used to enhance system applications. Check out different secure server and hosting plan at www.serverspace.co.uk ASP isn't just limited to companies offering different forms of web services though as the application can be tailored to work with any business large or small. There are ASP solutions which provide services for niche related professions such as building and accountancy. Credit card processing as mentioned is an ASP which is used to provide services for a broad spectrum of businesses. To give you another example large businesses use ASP's for the human resources and financial management departments to ensure that everything runs efficiently. What are the alternativesIf you look at the alternative a company would have to install its own software application in-house which would usually entail hiring a company to create the software to go on the company's servers. This is very costly and ineffective compared with using an ASP where the software applications are stored on server hosting run by the vendor. Now this is just one application but in reality a large company would need several types of software applications to run the business effectively and they would also have all the technical issues associated with servers and software. Maintaining such applications takes a lot of manpower as well as money and just isn't viable for most businesses.
Businesses which use ASP's don't have to fork out any large sums as fees are usually calculated on a monthly basis. They also don't have to worry about any server hosting accounts as I mentioned which as all the maintenance of the software and servers is handled by the third party. This also includes any and all upgrades of software applications which is another reason why ASP's are so good. There is normally extensive customer support for all the vendor's clients so any issues are handled swiftly. New ASP's are added on a periodic basis to provide even more services at limited cost. ASP's can also be intergrated seemlessly with businesses that have adapted to ASP. So overall with the minimal costs, the support and maintenance and guaranteed level of service it's a no brainier to use application service providers to handle many of the processes that go into running an efficient business. By doing so this leave time for the company to concentrate on increasing market share and driving sales. |