Application Service Providers (ASPs)

Abstract

AbstractApplication outsourcing refers to the emerging trend of deploying applications over the Internet, rather than installing them in the local environment. Application outsourcing shifts the burden of installing, maintaining, and upgrading the application from the application user to the remote application service provider (ASP). The ASP takes over all server administration and application management tasks. This deployment model allows application software to be distributed on a highly differentiable basis. This model is in contrast to the traditional license‐based software distribution model, in which a customer receives “all‐or‐nothing” of the product and must manage the entire application on its own. This chapter explores different facets of the ASP model, compares it with traditional software distribution models, and discusses its implications.