ASPs to dump internet

ASPs that offer services over the public internet will face the boot from their customers, according to an application hosting company.

Hub offers application hosting over secure dedicated lines, and said that operators who rely on the overstretched infrastructure of the Net will be at the mercy of its resources and face security issues.

Andrew Knight, managing director of Hub, said that unless the backbone of the Net was strengthened, customers would quickly tire of downtime caused by bottlenecks.

"SMEs do not trust the Net. Renting services over it may be cheaper, but clients we've spoken to are not interested. It's OK for buying a pair of boots, but applications will become a core service," said Knight.

Christopher Cann, partner in Martin Kaye Solicitors, which has just signed up with Hub, said that the added security provided by dedicated lines was a key issue. "Like many firms working with sensitive information, we have a robust internal policy on such areas as internet usage and email. But no-one else has access to this network," said Cann.

He added that his practice had decided to buy-in applications hosting as a time-saving measure. "Upgrades and so forth can now be done behind the scenes. We've had a few teething problems, but they've been dealt with swiftly."

Hub's servers are based in the Midlands, and Knight said that what his company lost on providing dedicated lines to customers in remote areas, it would make up in cheaper costs incurred delivering to metropolitan areas, particularly in middle England. "It's swings and roundabouts in terms of cost for us," he said.

The company fully assimilates its customers' internal networks, leaving Hub responsible for everything from keyboards to applications. It claimed its service uptime is 99.5 per cent guaranteed, on a 24-hour basis.

Knight dismissed claims by some competitors that they could guarantee 100 per cent availability. "My background is in accountancy," he said. "I always take half a per cent off the top."

See also:

ASPs - the next big thing?

Everyone is talking about application service providers and how much money and staff resources they should be able to save customers. The new outsourcing model has yet to be taken up to any great extent, however. vnunet.comlooks at the phenomenon and tries to inject a note of reality into the hype.  30 Nov 2000

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