㈠ 急求一篇有關ASP的5000字英文,好心人幫下忙

Application service provider

An application service provider (ASP) is a business that provides computer-based services to customers over a network. Software offered using an ASP model is also sometimes called On-demand software or software as a service (SaaS). The most limited sense of this business is that of providing access to a particular application program (such as customer relationship management) using a standard protocol such as HTTP.

The need for ASPs has evolved from the increasing costs of specialized software that have far exceeded the price range of small to medium sized businesses. As well, the growing complexities of software have led to huge costs in distributing the software to end-users. Through ASPs, the complexities and costs of such software can be cut down. In addition, the issues of upgrading have been eliminated from the end-firm by placing the onus on the ASP to maintain up-to-date services, 24 x 7 technical support, physical and electronic security and in-built support for business continuity and flexible working.

The importance of this marketplace is reflected by its size. As of early 2003[update], estimates of the United States market range from 1.5 to 4 billion dollars. Clients for ASP services include businesses, government organizations, non-profits, and membership organizations.

Provider types
There are several forms of ASP business. These are:

A specialist or functional ASP delivers a single application, such as credit card payment processing or timesheet services;
A vertical market ASP delivers a solution package for a specific customer type, such as a dental practice;
An enterprise ASP delivers broad spectrum solutions;
A local ASP delivers small business services within a limited area.
Some analysts identify a volume ASP as a fifth type. This is basically a specialist ASP that offers a low cost packaged solution via their own website. PayPal was an instance of this type, and their volume was one way to lower the unit cost of each transaction.

In addition to these types, some large multi-line companies (such as IBM), use ASP concepts as a particular business model that supports some specific customers.

[edit] The ASP model
The application software resides on the vendor's system and is accessed by users through a web browser using HTML or by special purpose client software provided by the vendor. Custom client software can also interface to these systems through XML APIs. These APIs can also be used where integration with in-house systems is required.

Common features associated with ASPs include:

ASP fully owns and operates the software application(s)
ASP owns, operates and maintains the servers that support the software
ASP makes information available to customers via the Internet or a "thin client"
ASP bills on a "per-use" basis or on a monthly/annual fee
The advantages to this approach include:

Software integration issues are eliminated from the client site
Software costs for the application are spread over a number of clients
Vendors can build more application experience than the in-house staff
Key software systems are kept up to date, available, and managed for performance by experts
Improved reliability, availability, scalability and security of internal IT systems
A provider's service level agreement guarantees a certain level of service
Access to proct and technology experts dedicated to available procts
Rection of internal IT costs to a predictable monthly fee.
Redeploying IT staff and tools to focus on strategic technology projects that impact the enterprise's bottom line
Some inherent disadvantages include:

The client must generally accept the application as provided since ASPs can only afford a customized solution for the largest clients
The client may rely on the provider to provide a critical business function, thus limiting their control of that function and instead relying on the provider
Changes in the ASP market may result in changes in the type or level of service available to clients
Integration with the client's non-ASP systems may be problematic
Evaluating an Application Service Provider security when moving to an ASP infrastructure can come at a high cost, as such a firm must assess the level of risk associated with the ASP itself. Failure to properly account for such risk can lead to:

Loss of control of corporate data
Loss of control of corporate image
Insufficient ASP security to counter risks
Exposure of corporate data to other ASP customers
Compromise of corporate data
Some other risks include failure to account for the financial future of the ASP in general, i.e. how stable a company is and if it has the resources to continue business into the foreseeable future. For these reasons Cisco Systems has developed a comprehensive evaluation guideline. This guideline includes evaluating the scope of the ASP's service, the security of the program and the ASP's maturity with regard to security awareness. Finally the guidelines indicate the importance of performing audits on the ASP with respect to:

Port/Network service
Application vulnerability
ASP Personnel
Physical visits to the ASP to assess the formality of the organization will provide invaluable insight into the awareness of the firm.

[edit] History
In terms of their common goal of enabling customers to outsource specific computer applications so they can focus on their core competencies, ASPs may be regarded as the indirect descendants of the service bureaus of the 1960s and 1970s. In turn, those bureaus were trying to fulfill the vision of computing as a utility, which was first proposed by John McCarthy in a speech at MIT in 1961.

ASP的意涵與特性
ASP( Application Service Provider,應用軟體租賃服務提供者 )即是指「透過網路以租賃方式提供應用軟體服務的業者」,即是指業者以應用軟體為主體,透過網路一對多地傳遞服務,這種以服務為主的交易模式促使企業可藉由租賃的方式,以更符合成本效益的方式擁有軟體的使用權,並且亦能因為業者集中式的管理而大幅降低企業維護的成本.
基本上,ASP即具有「軟體服務化,服務網路化」,「資訊委外服務與網路結合」與「產品通路化,通路產品化」等三大特性,其甚至可以被視為是ISP（Internet Service Provider）與ITS（Information Technology Service）的結合.
根據流行的觀點，ASP有如下五個核心內涵：
a. ASP著重應用為中心，提供對於應用方面的訪問和管理。
b. ASP服務可以為用戶提供沒有在伺服器、人員、系統和系統授權等前期資源投入情況下就可以在「定製」的全新應用系統環境進行訪問的服務，如ISP，而這樣的服務一般按月份ASP收取服務費。
c. ASP採用集中管理的方式---ASP一般都有一個管理中心，所有的客戶通過INTERNET來進行遠程訪問，獲得技術支持和咨詢服務。
d. 一對多的服務，也就是講，ASP提供的是標准化的產品包，產品都是最低程度的自定義或者沒有實現客戶定製化，對於行業用戶來講已經達到實用方便的標准。
e. 按照合同交付，在ASP客戶的眼中，ASP是一家根據客戶協議內容提供相關服務，保證應用服務系統服務可以得到確實履行的機構。
2. ASP為什麼會火？
從大的方面來講，困擾國內企業生存、發展的核心問題是管理問題。隨著互聯網絡的普及和應用的深入，企業用戶可以隨時隨地直接租用ASP的伺服器和軟體系統來進行自己的業務管理，這樣做的好處在於；第一，企業可以節省大筆用於IT建設方面的資金，大幅度降低企業管理信息化的成本。第二，ASP的用戶可以採用各種方式獲得應用和服務，軟體類服務產品完全可以通過網路在非常短的時間內組成一個完善的、高效的、先進的企業管理系統，迅速獲得企業一體化的運營管理方案。
網路經濟發展突飛猛進，電子商務一日千里，網路和網站從門戶到內容、從注意力到垂直性，目前逐漸轉向熱衷ASP也是一個主要的原因。
筆者資料中，國內最早對ASP觸電的是網友「飛鳥」，在1998年6月自發組織了研究、交流和探討ASP技術的「飛鳥之家」，現在已經發展成為chinaasp.com，成為國內最早的ASP應用技術服務提供商網站。上海的互易網路有限公司結合國內實際情況，推出了為國內企業服務的ASP平台互易網，向企業提供以電子商務為核心的，企業內、外部網路設施和應用的遠程構架和託管服務，創造虛擬企業門戶（EP）直接將ASP應用到商業增殖環節中去。
此外，ISP也全面轉向ASP的懷抱，成為ISP進一步發展的產物。軟體商對於ASP更是情有獨鍾。業界最新的消息是，中國第三電信「網通」已經制定ASP發展戰略，國內最大的管理咨詢公司「漢普」將把旗下八個子公司定位在企業內部資源計劃管理（ERP）領域的ASP中，北京「聯成互動」瞄準客戶關系管理（CRM）領域的ASP，北京「數碼方舟」定位在網路辦公的ASP，HP正在和中國建設銀行討論共建金融領域的ASP。
ASP正在IT經濟大潮中顯山露水，其發展前景不可估量。
3. ASP的發展階段和面臨的問題
以網路服務商、軟體廠商和ISP為主力的各種IT角色，正在根據自己的優勢條件出發對ASP領域進行多種方面的嘗試。就目前階段來講，ASP提供的服務不計其數五花八門，沒有標准化和量化的概念，硬體廠商向ASP的「土壤」和勢力方向靠攏，軟體廠商和ISP則直接參與到ASP業務的第一線。
筆者估計，經過一段時間的試探和發展，ASP將向服務集成方面發展，產品和服務初步的標准化將很快建立起來，接著進入到市場細化和標准制定、ASP產品成熟時期，ASP的穩步增長，最終將成為IT行業商務模式的核心！
目前在ASP發展的道路上，主要面臨的問題是觀念的轉變方面：用租賃代替購買，服務集成代替產品經銷商、服務經濟代替產品經濟等等。具體到實際方面來講，安全和服務的質量是ASP和客戶共同關心的頭等大事，要實現ASP提出的「租賃高科技」的口號，ASP任重而道遠！