ASPs (Application Service Providers) are the latest wrinkle in web services. Although the acronym "ASP" is new the concept has been around for quite some time. In the past we called this type of service "Time Sharing." Like the Time Sharing services of the past an ASP hosts software on their computer and charges a company for the privilege to use this combination of hardware, software, service, and support. In the past, this model was used for sharing of expensive resources such as accounting applications that ran on IBM mainframes.
Corporate applications like e-mail management tools, web page customization, eLearning course delivery, and online marketplaces are available via ASPs.
- End user applications like spread sheets, word processing, and presentations are available via ASPs.
