---------------------- Forwarded by Vince J Kaminski/HOU/ECT on 04/27/2000 
07:26 AM ---------------------------


"NW on Application Service Providers" <ApplicationService@bdcimail.com> on 
04/27/2000 03:30:09 AM
Please respond to "Application Service Providers Help" 
<NWReplies@bellevue.com>
To: <vkamins@enron.com>
cc:  
Subject: Get ready for virtual businesses


NETWORK WORLD FUSION FOCUS: MIKE JUDE and NANCY MEACHIM
on APPLICATION SERVICE PROVIDERS
Today's focus: Get ready for virtual businesses
04/26/00

Dear Wincenty Kaminski,

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Today's focus: Get ready for virtual businesses
---------------------------------------------
By Mike Jude and Nancy Meachim

The ASP model as it is currently formulated is not really viable in the
long run.

Though hosting applications has opened a world of possibilities and
cost savings for end users, application service providers who simply
host applications don,t have much to offer. They also have the problem
of being the customer contact. If the network fails and customers can,t
access an application, they blame their ASP, not the network provider.

For these reasons, many ASPs are expanding to offer more value, such as
delivering network services along with their applications. Enterprise
Management Associates advocates this approach - but looking to the
future, as analysts are supposed to do, we see a much longer value
chain. Providing other services along with applications is one step up,
but beyond that, we see a huge potential in the virtual space ASPs have
created.

We are already beginning to see pioneering companies exploring the
possibilities. For example, Minnesota company Agiliti is building an
online suite of applications with a consistent front end. This
coordinated suite of business applications is accessed through third-
party partners who provide customer care and support. The value that
Agiliti offers is the integration and maintenance for a complete,
business-enabling software infrastructure. In a sense, this is an
online corporate back office.

As ASPs evolve into full-service providers, more of them will offer
service and support combinations similar to Agiliti,s. But what about
the front end of the business, the product development side of things?
We,ve found one ASP that has evolved quickly to become a full-service,
front-end infrastructure provider, offering product development,
fabrication and prototyping.

Toolwire, a Silicon Valley start-up, provides a complete, integrated
tool set for electrical engineers. This tool set incorporates state-of-
the-art design and fabrication software, as well as online information
and training in the latest tools and support from various electronic
suppliers and fabricators. Toolwire,s vision is to provide a virtual
space where engineers worldwide can collaborate on the design of
advanced electronic devices. Through an extensive partner network,
Toolwire provides not only tools but also collaborative space,
processing power, training and supplier support. In a nutshell, the
company sells a virtual corporation to any entrepreneur with a good
idea. Ultimately, Toolwire expects to expand to incorporate the supply-
and-distribution chain through its site as well.

As e-commerce speeds up, a significant advantage is gained by reducing
the latency involved in delivering new products to market. In the area
of electronics, latency is often due to the acquisition of new tools to
facilitate the design process. Toolwire,s approach dramatically reduces
latency for start-ups by eliminating the need to invest in highly
volatile and very expensive design tool sets. Likewise, Agiliti reduces
latency by off-loading the IT infrastructure support from an enterprise.

Breaking new ground, of course, carries with it the problem of
definition. What do you call this new virtual workplace, which combines
all the necessary tools to design, produce, market and deliver a
product without the need for any physical infrastructure? (Agiliti and
Toolwire haven,t reached this goal yet, but it is within their sights.)
The label we,ve come up with is &virtual business service provider.8
This entity transcends the full-service ASP by not only providing
access to the services and applications a company needs but also
actually providing the entire company itself.

Companies like Agiliti and Toolwire are commodifying the enterprise.
The day is coming, very shortly, when an entrepreneur with a good idea
will be able to sit down at a terminal; design a product; ship the
specs to a fabricator; order components; plug into the appropriate
accounting, billing and inventory systems; line up distribution
channels, sales and marketing resources; and obtain financing. And the
entrepreneur will be able to do all that without touching anything more
physical than a keyboard.

Welcome to the business in a box!

To contact Mike Jude and Nancy Meachim:
---------------------------------------
Senior consultant Michael Jude and research director Nancy Meachim are
with Enterprise Management Associates in Boulder, Colo.,
(http://www.enterprisemanagement.com), a leading analyst and market
research firm focusing exclusively on all aspects of enterprise
management. Jude has over 18 years of experience in the
telecommunications industry, most recently with US West, where he was a
manager of public policy. Mike can be reached at
mailto:jude@enterprisemanagement.com. Meachim focuses on e-business
management. She is currently conducting a research study on ASP
management that is due to be released in April. Nancy's email address
is mailto:meachim@enterprisemanagement.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR RELATED LINKS -- Click here for Network World's home page:
http://www.nwfusion.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Agiliti:
http://www.agiliti.com/

Toolwire:
http://www.toolwire.com/

Agiliti turns to resellers for new ASP service, Network World, 03/24/00
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2000/0324agiliti.html

Archive of Network World Fusion Focus on ASPs newsletters:
http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/asp/


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