Harbinger Aspires to Become an ASP Player
By Jim Martin
Looking to take advantage of a market that is expected to explode during the next couple of years, Harbinger Corp. (Atlanta), a worldwide supplier of e-commerce products and services, announced the launch of its new e-Commerce Application Service Provider (ASP) line of business.
Harbinger pointed to a Sept. 30, 1999 report by GartnerGroup/Dataquest (Stamford, Conn.), as one of the reasons behind the launch of its new business. According to the report, the ASP market will hit $2.7 billion during 1999 and $22.7 billion by 2003, a five-year compound annual growth rate of 91 percent.
Harbinger will offer ASP service to companies of all sizes by providing and hosting e-commerce applications on a subscription basis. This model allows customers to access software, connectivity and support services without having to bear significant up front expenditures.
“By providing customers a means to tap into scalable e-commerce solutions without traditional startup costs, a huge barrier to entry is lifted for many companies,” says James M. Travers, president and COO for Harbinger. “E-commerce is moving in this direction and we believe that one day most companies, from the largest to the very smallest, will choose to go with ASPs. In a world where technology is universal and ever changing, ‘pay as you go’ and ‘continuous updates’ are very attractive options.”