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ASP What does it mean? ASP stands
for Application Service Provider. They "rent" access to their
software applications over the Internet or private network. If contracting
with an ASP, you organization can use the software without having to purchase,
install, support or upgrade. Common software application provided by ASP
typically include calendar/scheduling, conferencing, e-commerce, discussion
groups, file storage/exchange, databases, group collaboration suites,
and virtual classrooms software. ASPs that specially serve nonprofits
are a growing trend in the nonprofit sector as indicated by this list
of Dot Org ASPs below. Source: How Stuff Works Why is it important? Signing up with an ASP eliminates the hassles and expenses of supporting and maintaining the software. It enables the nonprofit organization to focus on what it does best: mission-driven programs, rather than software glitches. ASP pricing makes access to specialized software more affordable for smaller nonprofit organizations that will simply never be able to afford the upfront boxes and wires investment. While an
ASP might seem like a miracle solution, there are some important considerations.
If your organization does not have high-speed Internet access or is using
older equipment, you will most definitely need to upgrade. There are other
indirect costs involved such as the ongoing phone/leased line, maintenance
charges, and training. Perhaps the most important issues for some are
accessibility and control. If you stop paying the monthly fee, you won't
have access to the software and your data. And, the data itself is physically
outside of your office. In selecting an ASP, you must be an informed consumer. Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions to evaluate the reliability of their service and be sure to check their references. Remember, you will be trusting them your mission-critical data and you want to make they won't go out of business and they have fail-safe back up system. Resources Non-Profit
Quarterly: Application
Service Providers: The Next Horizon in Software Dot.Org List
of 23 Application Service Providers for Nonprofits TechSoup: Introduction to Application Service Providers Reflections Is using
an ASP the right choice for your organization? Why or why not?
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