It sometimes seems there are more European ASPs than there are companies actually using ASP services.
ASPs have yet to sign their first customer.
Surprisingly, Netstore is considering licensing ASPCentral to other ASPs, even though Smith considers it core Netstore intellectual property. Another plank in Netstore's business is the provision of Microsoft Exchange 2000 services both to desktop machines and wireless devices. While Smith believes many ASPs will struggle to make money out of the provision of standard applications like Exchange, he says Netstore's experience with high volumes of users will give it an advantage. Knowing how to administer large numbers of users is fundamental. Netstore will be unaffected by Microsoft's bCentral ASP initiative, through which the Redmond-based company aims to offer Exchange 2000 directly to customers, because its target market of businesses with 20 employees or less is below Netstore's target market, Smith said.