Event
Summary
On June 14, 2000, Harbinger Corporation, a supplier of business-to-business
(B2B) e-Commerce solutions, announced it has been selected by Sharp Microelectronics
of the Americas (SMA) as its Application Service Provider (ASP). Under
the multi-year contract, Harbinger will begin work to expand Sharp's e-Supplier
community and integrate e-Procurement transactions via a suite of applications
hosted for Sharp Microelectronics on Harbinger's e-Commerce Infrastructure,
harbinger.net.
The
Harbinger ASP solution enables Sharp to access e-Commerce business tools
on a subscription basis. The tools allow Sharp to integrate and track
e-Commerce transactions with a Web-based market site that will facilitate
electronic price forecasting and negotiation, just-in-time inventory management
and real-time shipment logistics. Further, Harbinger is providing Business
Community Integration services to broaden Sharp's reach into its supplier
base. By choosing Harbinger as its ASP, Sharp is assured its e-Commerce
program is technologically current, backed by 24/7 help desk support and
a highly trained staff.
Market
Impact
Harbinger's ASP business has gained momentum during the first half of
2000. The subscription-based model allows customers to access e-Commerce
technology and support services with minimal up-front investment pressure.
Multi-year ASP contracts typically range in size and requirements based
on the customer's technological needs, with values of between $100,000
and $2.5 million. In 1Q00 alone, Harbinger's ASP program added new contracts
with companies such as Bluelight.com, Edaflow, FactorWorks, Tektronix
and Webvan.
The
advent of improved bandwidth, a shortage of qualified IT professionals
and "web-ready" applications is fostering a rich environment for Application
Service Providers. With analysts predicting the ASP market to reach 20
- 40 billion by 2003, it is not difficult to see the trend continue. To
that end, many companies have architected web enabled offerings. Organizations
such as "aspindustry.org" witness their membership roster growing on a
weekly basis. Additionally, several ASP portals boast registries listing
hundreds of Application Service Providers. The wave of Application Service
Providers continues to grow.
User
Recommendations
Harbinger's contract with Sharp represents an interesting mix. The partnership
will help Harbinger refine its offerings and establish connectivity with
Sharp's supplier channel. While initially this may not benefit current
clients, it will help Harbinger build operational experience.
Users
considering Harbinger's solutions also benefit from Peregrine's recent
purchase of Harbinger. This offers customers the full scope of both companies
offerings. However, with many new Application Service Providers emerging,
prospective clients now have a variety of choices. We recommend evaluating
Harbinger's offerings with similar ASP's not only in regard to the applications,
but the hosting and implementation/support offerings too.