Nowadays, with many users flooding the Internet market, an increasing number of companies are introducing ASPs (Application Service Providers). However, there may be some people who do not understand the outline of ASP and are wondering in what cases they should introduce it.
Therefore, in this article, we will provide an overview of ASP and explain the differences between it and other services. We will also introduce the benefits of introducing ASP and specific examples, so please refer to them.
What is ASP (Application Service Provider)?
First, let’s start with an overview of ASP (Application Service Provider). ASP is a term that refers to services provided on the Internet and the businesses that provide those services.
The P in ASP stands for “Provider”, and in Japanese it refers to “provider”. However, in the current Internet industry, ASP mainly refers to the service itself in many cases.
Difference between ASP (Application Service Provider) and other services
So far, we have provided an overview of ASP (Application Service Provider). From here, I will explain the differences between ASP and other services.
- cloud service
- SasS
Let’s look at each in turn.
cloud service
A cloud service is a system for providing services over the Internet. In other words, ASP is provided using cloud services. A typical example of a cloud service is AWS (Amazon Web Services).
AWS is a cloud service provided by Amazon, a large company that everyone knows, and by using AWS, users can distribute content and build
server
environments. Although there are a wide variety of cloud services, it is sufficient to understand that ASP is provided through cloud services.
SaaS
SaaS (Software as a Service) is a service provided through the cloud service mentioned above. In other words, there is no big difference from ASP. However, service providers and development companies clearly differentiate between ASP and SaaS.
For example, ASP is a single tenant where one environment is prepared for one user, while SaaS is called multi-tenant where one environment is prepared for multiple people.
When using ASP with cloud services in the future, it may be a good idea to check how the operating company differentiates between ASP and SaaS.
Advantages of introducing ASP (Application Service Provider)
So far, we have explained the differences between ASP (Application Service Provider) and other services. Here we will explain the five benefits of implementing ASP.
- Can be used both inside and outside the company
- Can reduce costs
- Can be used even if you are not an engineer
- Easy to manage
- Easy to implement and improve
Let’s look at each in turn.
Can be used both inside and outside the company
ASP can be used both inside and outside the company as long as you have a web browser. Even when you are outside the office, you can access company information from your smartphone, etc., which improves work efficiency, such as entering information on the train on your way home from work.
Additionally, the fact that it can be used both inside and outside the company is very compatible with remote work. Companies that are considering implementing remote work in the future in light of recent measures against infectious diseases should actively consider using ASP.
Can reduce costs
If you use an ASP that has already been released as a service, there will be no development costs. If you were to create an ASP from scratch, you would need a development budget of at least 10 million yen, so this is a huge advantage.
There are many ASPs available for free, so it would be a good idea to introduce an ASP that fits your company’s budget.
Can be used even if you are not an engineer
In most cases, ASP can be used intuitively, even if you are not an engineer. For example, one type of ASP is “no-code,” which allows you to create websites without having to have any programming knowledge and without writing source code.
Traditionally, programming knowledge was required when creating a website or internet service. However, the advantage of ASP is that by using ASP, you can now create services even if you are not an engineer.
Easy to manage
Basically, the management company is responsible for all ASP management. Examples include maintenance, upkeep, and server administration. If you try to handle all of this yourself, there is no doubt that you will need a lot of labor costs. In that respect, you can leave the management to the management company while you focus solely on providing the service.
Easy to implement and improve
Depending on the ASP you use, you can launch your online shop in as little as 1 to 5 business days. In other words, since execution can be completed in a very short period of time, data can be accumulated quickly and improvements can be made easily.
Normally, when developing an e-commerce site or internet service from scratch, it takes about 3 to 6 months depending on the content. However, with ASP, you can release services without spending any of these time periods, so depending on the case, it is possible to generate large sales early.
Disadvantages of using ASP (Application Service Provider)
So far, we have explained the benefits of ASP (Application Service Provider). From here, I will explain the disadvantages of using ASP.
Poor scalability
Unless you develop your own ASP, you will be using the ASP provided by the operating company, so the disadvantage is that it is less scalable. This is because functions beyond those already developed by the operating company cannot be used.
On that point, although development costs are required, if you develop your own ASP, you can implement the functions that your company desires. Based on these, it is a good idea to first figure out what kind of functions you want from an ASP, and then choose an ASP that has as many of those functions as possible.
Internet environment required
ASP can be used as long as you have a web browser, but a stable internet environment is required. If your company’s internet environment is poor, operation may be slow. Additionally, if employees working remotely have a poor internet environment, there is a possibility that operations using ASP may become inefficient.
Example of ASP (Application Service Provider)
So far, we have explained the overview and advantages and disadvantages of ASP (Application Service Provider). From here, we will introduce three examples of ASP.
- BASE
- Gmail
- Wix
Let’s look at each in turn.
BASE
BASE
is an ASP service that allows even people with no programming knowledge to build an online shop. BASE also airs TV commercials and is a representative example of a widely known ASP service.
The development of traditional shopping and e-commerce sites required large amounts of development and operational costs due to the need to exchange money with customers. This is because, in the unlikely event that a mistake is made in the transaction of money, both the customer and the company will suffer huge losses.
However, with BASE, everything is managed by BASE, including the management system for monetary transactions. Therefore, the advantage is that companies can focus only on the services they provide while minimizing development costs.
Gmail
Gmail
is an email service provided by Google and is one of the ASPs. The good thing about Gmail is that if you have one Gmail account, you can automatically connect it to many services provided by Google. These are things that can only be achieved with ASP, and cannot be achieved in a local environment.
Wix
Wix
is an ASP service that allows people with no programming knowledge to intuitively create homepages. We support the creation of a variety of websites, including corporate sites, LPs (landing pages), and
owned media
. Wix also allows multiple people to create a single website.
Companies that want to easily create
a homepage
may consider using Wix to create their own homepage.
summary
In this article, we have explained about ASP (Application Service Provider). The advantage of implementing ASP is that you can provide Internet services even if you are not an engineer, and you can easily make improvements. However, it is difficult to permanently grow your business just by introducing it, so it is important to properly prepare the purpose and work flow before introducing it.
First of all, why not start by sorting out your company’s purpose for introducing ASP?