It appears that one of the important skills necessary for ASPs is knowing how to design and deploy networks. Now maybe all those ASPs who believe they don't need to be involved in the network portion of service delivery will take their heads out of the sand. It's asking a lot from users to expect them to separate application delivery from the networks that deliver them. No, but it does mean that if success depends on a particular mode of transportation, then one ought to have some in-house expertise. It is analogous to using the mail to deliver sales brochures.
Systems contain and manage the applications that customers pay an ASP to use.
So, as ASPs struggle with understanding the kinds of skills they need to be successful, they are defining the profession. Just last week, a prospective ASP asked us if we knew of a pool of qualified ASP professionals. We answered that the ASP concept is so new that it would be premature to look for ASP professionals. It appears this opinion is somewhat out of date. It will be interesting to see how sites such as ASP Island begin to refine the notion of ASP professional.