BCA Enters ASP Market
Jim Martin
Continuing a growing trend, Butler & Curless Associates (Raleigh, N.C) has become the latest AS/400 player to enter the application service provider (ASP) market.
Through an agreement with Internet service provider (ISP) InterLan Technologies (Cary, N.C.), BCA will now be able to host its software via the Internet as a managed wholesale distribution service (MWDS). In the ASP model, BCA manages the application and system hardware and provides dual high-speed connectivity from the business’ router and beyond.
“We decided to host our software in an ASP environment in direct response to requests from distributors who had little to no IT 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.”
In other news, BCA announced the availability of a new point-to-point e-commerce solution, ec21, which targets small and mid-sized distributors. By integrating a Web presence with a suite of warehousing and distribution software, ec21 enables distributors to receive and process orders electronically from the Web in real time.
ec21 will be available in an ASP model, with BCA managing the application and system hardware and providing high-speed connectivity from the business’ router and beyond.