ACCPAC last week joined the ASP trail with the announcement of ACCPAC Online, an application service provision (ASP)-based service that offers users full access to ACCPAC products online.
The service, launched together with partners UUNet, IBM, Microsoft and Korbi.net, also includes access to Microsoft office applications as well as ACCPAC's customer relationship management tool, e-CRM.
Jeremy Waterman, MD of ACCPAC Africa, says that while the service is "particularly relevant to start-up companies not wanting to go through the pain of investing in complex IT products, and the skills needed to keep such solutions running, ACCPAC Online is also proving attractive to small to medium-sized businesses wanting to rationalise IT expenditure".
Waterman says that for companies to remain competitive, they need to deploy the latest technology, yet many are unable to afford the capital outlay required for these technologies. He explains that ACCPAC Online gives customers access to a full range of technologies without the start-up costs, allowing them to "concentrate on their core competencies".
Users who subscribe to the service are given immediate access to the software without requiring any installation.
The service is managed by Korbi.net and is hosted on the UUNet backbone. Wolf Laudien, MD of Korbi.net, says "customers connect directly to the UUNet backbone for access to applications such as Word, Excel, ACCPAC or full Microsoft Exchange e-mail functionality". Korbi.net manages the take-on and removal of users as well as managing licensing requirements and system performance.
Waterman says the advantage for ACCPAC resellers is that they will not be required to make an up-front investment and they will be able to sell the solution on a per-solution basis.
A deal concluded with Microsoft means that users will also have access to a full suite of Microsoft Office applications as well as Microsoft back office applications including SQL Server and Exchange.
"Now through ACCPAC Online, it is possible to deal with IT spending on the same basis as any other expense - as a regular cost on the monthly income statement," notes Waterman.
Despite the criticism that has been levelled at the ASP model over the past few years, he believes "the technology and the delivery mechanisms have now matured to such an extent that it offers a viable alternative" to traditional delivery methods.
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