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Event Summary
On
March 1, 2000, SCO (NASDAQ:SCOC) announced Tarantella ASP Edition, a web-enabling
software solution that delivers applications from any server to any user
with a browser.
Tarantella
ASP Edition introduces a utility-style, "pay-as-you-go" licensing and
pricing model that provides ASPs a cost-effective way to manage dynamic
environments which can vary by hundreds or thousands of users per day.
The product also features usage monitoring and billing capabilities, developed
specifically to allow ASPs to monitor, analyze, and report application
usage to their customers.
The ASP Edition combines Tarantella's web-enabling software with a set
of product training, support, automatic maintenance upgrades, and other
services. It is designed to ensure ASPs are up-to-date with the most current
features to centrally manage and deploy applications over the web.
Members
from SCO's Professional Services team are available to help ASPs perform
a needs analysis, and offer advice on datacenter design and optimization
plus application integration and customization. These services allow SCO
to offer a Tarantella solution for ASPs, and help service providers create
offerings for their customers.
SCO
also unveiled Tarantella ASP Connect, a resource program to help OEMs,
ASPs, ISVs, and resellers become successful in the Application Service
Provider (ASP) market. Members of the Tarantella ASP Connect program have
access to password-protected web pages, can attend events, seminars and
other activities designed to help them use the ASP business model to increase
the value and content of their product offering.
Market
Impact
With
analyst estimates forecasting the Application Service Provider market
reaching 22 billion by 2003, vendors large and small are partnering to
provide value added solutions. Infrastructure and hosting companies like
AT&T, Usinternetworking' and Qwest are developing sophisticated offerings.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Resource Management (CRM)
companies are partnering with ASP companies to offer remotely hosted solutions.
As
a result of this activity, the market is witnessing the emergence of a
new set of tools. Much like Webmethods or Partnet's offerings in the XML
mapping and transaction arena, SCO's Tarantella and Citrix's MetaFrame
solutions provide applications designed to support an ASP business model.
We expect this trend to continue as the Application Service Provider market
continues to evolve.
User
Recommendations
Are you an Independent Software Provider or an ASP challenged by the unique
customer needs an ASP model represents? SCO's solutions may be worth exploring.
That is, if you've done your homework first. Are your customers willing
to accept your product over the internet? What kind of investment will
it take from you? How will you support an initiative once it's web ready?
The challenge is to clear the hype and understand what the true factors
are. After evaluating the options, products like SCO's are worth looking
at, as they may offer improved efficiencies and faster time to market
for ASP's.