BCA to Host New EC21 Software as ASP
Jim Martin
Butler & Curless Associates (BCA, Raleigh, N.C) has added another component to its ec21 product family with the announcement of a new point-to-point e-commerce solution, ec21 MWDS, and another facet to its services with its entry into the ASP market.
Through an agreement with InterLan Technologies (Raleigh, N.C.), an Internet Service Provider (ISV), BCA has entered the application service provider (ASP) market. The agreement will enable BCA to host ec21 MWDS via the Internet as a managed wholesale distribution service(MWDS).
By developing an ASP model of ec21, BCA will now be able to meet the needs of potential customers who do not have the time and money to build an e-commerce suite. “We decided to host our software in an ASP environment in direct response to requests from distributors who had little to no information technology staff but needed an affordable, managed wholesale distribution service,” says John Butler, BCA co-founder. “Other requests came from enterprises that wanted to save the capital expense involved in replacing or upgrading their current system in order to participate in e-commerce.”
An application that integrates a Web presence with a powerful suite of warehousing and distribution software, ec21 enables distributors to receive and process order electronically, directly through the Web.
In the ASP model, BCA manages the application and system hardware and provides dual high-speed connectivity from the business router and beyond. Distributors who choose to lease BCA’s ec21 application through the Internet pay a monthly fee based on usage.