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Application service provider: a definition
An application service provider (ASP) is a company supplying remote (and often free) software that can be accessed through a web browser. Averting the need for you to download or install several megabytes (MB) of software onto your hard drive, ASP software stores this information elsewhere on the web. Seen from this viewpoint, ASP software is never really your property, but can be used limitlessly. This may sound abstract, but web-based applications are no doubt very familiar to you already.
Popular ASP software
Without even realising it, you’ve probably used ASP software numerous times. Webmail is the most common form of ASP software, and so if you have a Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail e-mail account, you have already utilised a free form of web-based application. All sorts of other services, from online currency converters to Google Maps, all come under the ASP banner.
How application service provider software works
ASP software is simply accessed and used through your web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox). If configured with the right plug-ins, your experience should be trouble free. What this means is that if you try to use certain ASP software with less common browsers, you may have trouble accessing it. All of the most popular browsers (Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc) should not encounter problems though. Fast Internet (preferably broadband) is desirable for some web-based applications, and all of the work that you do can be saved directly to the ASP server, while all of your daily tasks are simply carried out in your web browser. Apart from printing your work, everything is done through your web browser.
Other ASP services
With the growth of broadband, more and more businesses are utilising ASP applications to save time and resources by way of “centralised processing”. Google has challenged Microsoft in recent years by launching its free Google Spreadsheets and Google Docs software. Not only can these perform the same tasks that Microsoft Office software can, but they can also be accessed from anywhere, by members of the same team, who can alter them freely.
The above-mentioned products are free, but many firms, especially with geographically diverse workforces, are starting to use more sophisticated ASP software to run projects. Examples of these include daptiv.com (for project managers), cognos.com (for surveys), and Central Desktop (where teams can keep spreadsheets updated, access documents, hold conversations in forums and generally do a bulk of the admin work required by a small company). Prices for these services vary, but companies are usually charged a set rate for a certain period of time, such as several thousand dollars for an annual subscription.
Pros of web-based applications
- Can save thousands or even millions in software costs for companies who can lease instead of buying
- Easier to install and maintain
- Support is cheaper than paying for IT staff to carry it out
- Easier to leave one ASP for another provider than if you’ve invested in owning your own software
- Fewer crashes for user as software already installed on a computer will not or cannot conflict.
Cons of web-based applications
- Requires not only fast but reliable Internet
- Does not work with all web browsers
- Program window can be very slow and thus frustrating compared to having the software installed on your own machine.
ASP software is clearly a genuine alternative to software based on local computers, especially if many different people need to access documents from varying locations. Working like a database, ASPs remove some of the restrictions of locally-installed software, avoiding issues such as a computer being unable to access a document due to a lack of software (with every Internet-enabled terminal automatically having access). With the Internet affecting most areas of life, ASPs could increasingly have a greater influence over the way we work and communicate in the future.
