As beneficial as ASSPs can be for users, they may cause data and network management problems for the IS organization. Unusual configurations, components, tuning and integration with application software all make ASSPs both unique and more problematic to diagnose and maintain than more generic servers. Thus, effective implementation, integration and management of ASSPs are problems that must be overcome by the IS organization. Business unit ASSPs fit the needs of the user department best, but they should be forced, whenever possible, to depend on a base level of commonality, or islands of automation will appear once more. Greater commonality is now possible between servers because of fewer Unix variants, consolidation of server vendors, greater use of common protocols and the strength of Intel as a common semiconductor architecture across many suppliers.
Business units are support-intensive in comparison to the IS organization.
Therefore, minimizing support costs is essential when implementing an ASSP outside the IS organization's control. Likewise, IS skills are limited within business units. Within the IS organization, the breadth and flexibility of skills enable IS employees to adapt quickly to new platforms, components and applications, but business unit employees cannot adapt as easily. The ASSP, if adopted with suitable caution, offers a further evolution in the architecture.