The Application Service Provider Market: A Guide for Navy Line Managers

This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A882483. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: This study explores the use of application service providers (ASP) as an alternative to the traditional practices of procuring, managing and maintaining software applications and the associated hardware infrastructure. The ASP model is a method of outsourcing that calls for an ASP to manage in one concise service the acquisition, and management of all hardware and software required to meet the end-user's needs. This includes all elements of support including configuration management and maintenance. The customer purchases this service on a subscription basis. The findings show that ASPs have the potential to be a viable and financially stable solution in meeting the Navy's and the federal government's need of reduce the complexity and cost of delivering software applications. However, a cost and benefit analysis should be performed to verify the final costs prior to any implementation. Further, the enabling thin client and server-based computing technologies all show they can provide benefits for an organization interested in centrally managing and maintaining applications.