That is actually just a starting point for what it could cost your company, according to Andy Fox, chairman of iConverse, a Waltham, Mass.-based mobile platform provider. WASPs rent rather than sell software. WASPs host the rented or leased applications offsite. This is done through their own secure servers. Theoretically this means that customers save money on internal IT staffing and other resources, says Pyramid Research analyst Joseph Braude.
WASPs also offer predictable costs.
Plus guaranteed service quality and quick time to market, adds Kulasekaran. Because of its upside, the ASP model has been a popular one in recent years. It's no surprise, then, that resourceful software companies large and small are leaping into the wireless arena using the ASP model as a parachute for a soft landing. In fact, so many WASPs are vying for the chance to take your company mobile that analysts can't keep track of them. But, as many in the wired world discovered as their ASP partners joined the dot-com body count, the best time to evaluate your potential service provider is before you sign on the dotted line.