UK ASP progress. (IT News).

Interliant, Inc. has announced the results of a research study that demonstrates that early adopters of the ASP model in the UK are experiencing significant benefits and few difficulties. A secondary finding of the study revealed that the ASP Market has yet to define itself with a majority of respondents indicating confusion over what an ASP actually does. Only eight percent of respondents felt there is a common understanding of what an ASP service encompasses.

Of the organisations surveyed, 27 percent were found to be "ASP-ready, indicating they already were using an ASP solution or were considering one. More than 75 percent of user responses indicated satisfaction with their ASP solution, citing such benefits as the ability to focus on their core business and strengths, cost/headcount saving, fast implementation, ability to overcame skills shortages, and good support. Results of the survey also showed that the early adopters, most of whom tested the ASP waters by signing on for a single application, have seen the proof of the concept, and many now are prepared to commit themselves further.

The ASP-ready sample identified key attributes an ASP should exhibit, including a demonstrable track record (82 percent) and broad expertise in a range of applications 78 percent). In addition, despite the global availability of the Internet, 89 percent of respondents cited local service is still a key differentiating factor for ASP selection. Robust security was the only factor considered to be more important than location, with 96 percent of respondents citing it as a crucial factor for their organisation's ASP choice. Other desirable features included scalability (85%), service level agreement (SLA) backed by financial guarantee (85%) and demonstrable reduced cost of ownership (81%).

While 100 percent of respondents recognised the term "ASP," all exhibited confusion about what the term actually means and who the ASPs are. More than 30 companies were named as examples of ASPS, whilst the majority of those identified actually are software vendors or traditional IT services companies. The research shows that there are significant benefits to companies that choose to adopt the ASP model for application service delivery. More than 60 percent of users are seeing valuable cost savings, and over 40 percent report better service levels. Clearly, the successes reported by early adopters of the ASP model should be a green light for enterprises currently evaluating the potential of an ASP solution.

www.interliant.co.uk