ASPs remain big hope for thin client movement

Application service providers (ASPs) will fundamentally alter the client/server architecture, finally kickstarting thin client computing and creating unprecedented demands for bandwidth, according to guests on this week's Big Question programme.

Although only 23 per cent of internet software vendors know what an ASP is, according to a recent survey, many other sectors of the IT industry are gearing themselves up to take advantage of renting applications over the web.

Richard Benwell, director of ASP services at Riverstone Networks, said: "ASPs are going to blow the client/server architecture apart. You'll have a client running in the end user premises and the server running somewhere in a data centre across town. What the users need is bandwidth, so they don't realise if the server is running across town or across the world."

Networking specialist Telseon also sees huge opportunities in the ASP industry. Leslie Schroeder, marketing director at Telseon, said: "Metropolitan area networks are already crowded and ASPs will make the situation worse. To succeed, ASPs must deal with bandwidth at the same time they deal with their applications."

ASPs could also be the killer app that the thin client has been waiting for, according to Steve Bedford, head of products and services at European ASP, Pasporte. Bedford said: "There's no need for heavy desktop applications. The traditional client/server model that's developed over the last two to three years will disappear in favour of a pure, web-based, hosted application delivered to a very thin client."

The full Big Question programme is available in our Client/Server Channel (http://www.silicon.com/a38956 ).