BOSTON -- Aug. 24, 2004 -- As the popularity of Application Service Providers (ASPs) and Web hosters grows, providers must strive to offer a rich product suite and value added services, such as on-demand billing, where only the application being used is paid for.
On-demand hosting is witnessing increased growth. IDC predicts that 34% of software will be subscription based by 2008, as customers and hosters alike are realizing the value of on-demand as an easier and fairer solution. Employing the services of a hoster gives end users access to up to date applications and added security with backup handled by secure data centers.
activAeon XA helps hosters provide value added services by precisely monitoring license usage and generating real-time reports. The reports can be run over multiple domains and geographically separate locations, enabling providers to further improve client reporting granularity and to accurately profile clients.
Providers can benefit from adopting Microsoft's Service Provider License Agreement, an on-demand licensing program. Traditional licensing bands users into groups, for example, less than 50 users, 50 to 100, or 100 to 500 users, forcing companies to guess how many licenses they will actually use and meaning they end up paying for more users than needed. With on-demand, companies pay for the precise amount of licenses used, resulting in improved ROI and hosters are able to boost customer satisfaction by offering increased customization.
"As a business grows it becomes increasingly difficult to monitor license usage accurately," said Steve Dunton, CTO of activAeon. "With activAeon XA, usage is compiled automatically and providers don't have to worry about compliance or reporting issues; allowing them to focus on more crucial business functions and growing their business," he added.
Microsoft Exchange is a popular hosted product offering since it gives providers the opportunity to up sell and generate increased revenues. Business class email services are available including shared contact lists and group calendaring which are unavailable through standard POP3 services.
activAeon XA has the functionality to accurately report different levels of users within Hosted Exchange from basic email to messaging and collaboration tool users; this information can be used to profile end users for billing purposes and make on-demand Hosted Exchange viable.
activAeon will be offering a world exclusive preview of activAeon XA version 2.0 at the Microsoft Australia-New Zealand Partner Conference August 23-25. Workshops will be provided for selected companies on the SPLA program from the hosting arena.
"activAeon provides us with the proper monitoring tools to make the on-demand model successful, which is what our customers want as well," said Jason Serda, Joint Managing Director of BlueFire Corp. "We count on activAeon XA for accurate reporting and can focus our efforts on more pressing business matters." BlueFire recently signed a 12-month contract for activAeon XA and will be speaking at the Microsoft Australia-New Zealand Partner Conference along with activAeon.
About activAeon
activAeon XA is an analytical tool that allows organizations governed by Microsoft's Service Provider Licensing Agreement (SPLA) program to automate and streamline reporting on actual software usage. It provides freedom from unpredictable licensing costs and ensures compliance with Microsoft reporting requirements, enabling providers to achieve regular rebates. activAeon XA automates the real-time collection of actual software usage, increasing efficiency and productivity, and enabling service providers to make an informed choice on the most cost effective method of licensing.
