In a field as new as ASPs, though, Lubin said he believes that working directly with the provider managing the applications is essential for ensuring reliable service and support. The ASP's commitment is not to you, so the person providing the service has no loyalty to you but to your aggregator. Lubin knows first that reliability problems with ASPs are not uncommon. Lubin ended up going back to an internal e-mail system. Aggregators counter that, rather than adding an unnecessary administrative layer between end users and ASPs, they offer extra protection for users.
Aggregators also develop and track the service-level agreements among application providers.
By working through a channel of resellers, Agiliti and ePanacea are betting that small and midsize businesses will feel more comfortable dealing with their existing service providers, such as systems integrators and ISPs, rather than handing mission-critical applications over to a new provider. For companies such as Aventail Corp., which is looking to ASPs for the first time, aggregators make a lot of sense. Aventail is considering using Jamcracker to access hosted e-mail, data backup and human resources applications. It's like having a project manager here working on that relationship. 2000 ZD Inc. All rights reserved.