Alliance Provides Better Understanding of ASPs
With the application service provider (ASP) industry growing dramatically, 25 leading technology companies announced they have formed an international advocacy group dedicated to promoting greater understanding of and guidelines for the ASP industry.
Based in Massachusetts, the Application Service Provider Industry Consortium (ASP Industry Consortium) is expected to sponsor research, foster standards and work to articulate the measurable benefits of the evolving ASP delivery model.
Application service providers manage and deliver application capabilities to multiple entities from data centers across a wide area network. They also give customers an alternative to procuring and implementing complex systems themselves.
The 25 founding members include: AT&T; AristaSoft Corp.; Boundless Technologies Inc.; Cisco Systems Inc.; Citrix Systems Inc.; Compaq Computer Corp.; Cylex Systems Inc.; Ernst & Young LLP; Exodus Communications Inc.; FutureLink Distribution Corp.; GTE; Great Plains Software; IBM Corp.; Interpath Communications Inc.; JAWS Technologies Inc.; Marimba Inc.; Onyx Software Corp.; SaskTel; Sharp Electronics Corp.; Sun Microsystems Inc.; The Taylor group, Telecomputing ASA; UUNET; Verio Inc.; and Wyse Technology.
--J. Martin