Essential Guide to Application Service Providers, The

Using Application Service Providers (ASPs), companies can save money, deploy new enterprise applications with unprecedented speed, and refocus their scarce resources on strategic opportunities rather than application management. By one estimate, the ASP market will grow from $2.3 to $22.7 billion in just three years. This is the first complete decision-maker's guide to ASPs. You'll take a close look at the ASP model, understand where ASP markets and technologies are headed, and discover how to use ASPs to maximum advantage. Leading technology consultant Jon William Toigo sets forth the ASP value proposition in concise, easy-to-understand language, illustrated by real-world case studies. Toigo shows ASPs at work in a broad range of applications, from payroll and accounts payable to storage and Web services -- demonstrating how ASPs can help companies alleviate labor shortages while driving down the cost of owning and managing e-business infrastructure. Understand the current limitations and challenges associated with the ASP model, and discover how today's best companies are managing and minimizing the risks of ASP relationships.