Application Service Providers (ASP) are represented by a growing number of IT businesses delivering computer services from a central datacenter.  ASP solutions are very effective at reducing and in some cases eliminating the need for complex computer systems at the customers’ site.  A well run ASP service caters to businesses with niche computing needs or streamlined industry computer practices. 

The costs for an ASP service may seem high at first until factoring in the total cost of ownership associated with building and managing a complex computer system onsite.  Many businesses shy away from not “owning” their computer system and look unfavourably on ASP’s.  This will change in the future as computer systems become more centralized and monthly computer services become the accepted norm.  It is typically not in the best interest for businesses that do not specialize in IT to be responsible for an IT solution.  It doesn’t make sense to have an IT guy diagnose and illness, so why should a doctors be responsible for the health of their computer systems.

ASP’s are becoming more prevalent, however there are still many questions that must be asked before jumping on the ASP bandwagon.  A complete ASP solution will only require “dumb” terminals at the customers’ site, which begs the question what if there are other needs like accounting, email, pictures, peripherals, etc. not supported by the ASP.  Maybe there is equipment onsite like x-ray or manufacturing machines that need to communicate with a “smart” terminal or server.  I would say the most prevalent concerns one should have with an ASP is stability, security and disaster recovery.   ASP solutions rely completely on the quality of the Internet connection at the customer and service providers’ site.  Your service will only be as good as quality and security of computer infrastructure provided by the ASP.  And most importantly all your eggs are in one basket, so you must be absolutely confident that the ASP has a comprehensive disaster avoidance, disaster response and disaster recovery solution in place.

When considering an ASP, make sure you get a rock solid Service Level Agreement (SLA).  Ensure the ASP is backed by a proven disaster recovery solution and has taken every possible security precaution.  Consult with an IT professional who understands the ins and outs of ASP services to see if it is right for you in both the short and long term.

Don’t be too quick to assume that ASP’s are the one-stop miracle IT solution you’ve always dreamed about.   Be aware and proceed with caution.

BOOM!!

Well maybe not BOOM, but if our firewall crash last month could have made a sound, it definitely would have been as resounding BOOM.  It’s a gut wrenching feeling as a IT service provider when one of your primary datacenter firewalls crashes without warning.  Fortunately, thanks to our monitoring systems and excellent tech team, we minimized the impact of the failed device and put a temporary solution in place till we get the right replacement.

Since the crash last week we’ve been working our butts off trying to pick the best replacement for our core firewall infrastructure at the Toggle Datacenter.  We met with numerous trusted IT professionals and companies around town and found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a Juniper vs. Cisco debate. 

Cisco’s better…No, Juniper is better…No, Cisco because…  You get the idea.  Everyone has an opinion and most seem to biased and backed by not knowing all the facts.  As typical in most technology debates, there is more emotion than fact.  Fortunately one of our service delivery partners had extensive experience with both Cisco and Juniper and really had no preference.  For the first time we were able to assess each company’s products and support objectively.

I won’t bore you with the details, but after a tremendous amount of research and discussion we have chosen to go with 2 redundant Juniper SSG 350M firewalls.  That’s not to say that Cisco is bad and Juniper is good.  The Juniper SSG 300/500 series out-classed the Cisco’s ASA 5500 series for us on performance and price making Juniper the obvious choice.   Plus their support and replacement plans are first class…even though Cisco diehards would have you think otherwise.  It’s like comparing BMW to Merc…never mind, one topic at a time.

I think the real decision maker for us was learning that most of the world’s service providers choose Juniper over Cisco for security and routing solutions.  Heck, even our datacenter providers infrastructure is powered by Juniper, and they are the largest in the world!

In the end, both are excellent solutions and neither can be faulted.  You might just end up making your decision by flipping a coin or going with whichever looks sexier.  I can’t wait to show off the stylish Junipers to the next person I take on a datacenter tour.  I guess emotion did play a part after all

Drop me a line if you every want to see them in action…or to get the full scoop on why we chose Juniper.