R. Johnson and S. Kent (UK)
ASP, integration, SME, integrated ASP, electronic commerce
Since 2001 Application Service Providers (ASPs) have been aware of the need to integrate their offerings with the existing systems of their customers. At present, options for integrating ASP offerings involve considerable expense, time and a skilled workforce to achieve. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were originally attracted to ASPs because of their low start-up costs and quick time to market. Therefore, with SMEs in particular the problems with present options for ASP integration can introduce barriers to its adoption. What is not known is how the integration of an ASP offering is perceived by its potential customers and whether concerns held by SMEs reflect those of the more general population. This paper attempts to identify whether integrating ASP offerings is perceived as a worthwhile undertaking. In understanding the perceptions of SMEs and larger organizations the paper also tries to identify if and how the perception of an integrated ASP differs with company size. The results of a survey suggested that ASP integration is perceived positively by both SMEs and larger organizations. While there were many general concerns held by both, there were also issues that appeared to be of concern to only SMEs and not larger organizations, and vice-versaYour paper should be in the same format as this file.
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