ASP Pulse: What Value Do You Add

Not quite.

What if, for example, a customer comes to you without an existing Web site? Are you, as a hosting provider, prepared to help that customer build a site?

NaviSite, for example, buys the hardware, configures it, installs the database, operating system, server software and handles on-going site monitoring and problem resolution.

For Web site design and application development, NaviSite steers its customers to 196 alliance partners such as Deloitte & Touche and regional systems integrator Granitar.

The next logical value-add for NaviSite is something that every Web site needs: storage.

A study by Dataquest shows that the storage utility market will grow by more than $8 billion by 2003. At the same time, companies are increasingly choosing to outsource Web site management said the study.

Today, NaviSite introduced managed EMC and Compaq storage solutions. The price of the offerings has yet to be set, but customers are expected to be charged a monthly fee based on the amount of storage used on a per-Gbyte basis says Pierre Bouchard, director of product marketing at NaviSite.

The dedicated storage subsystems--meaning customers won't be sharing storage--is bought, configured, installed and managed by NaviSite.

"The data that drives the databases is really the heart of the business and reliable access to this data is a paramount issue for customers," Bouchard says.

The service is monitored around the clock and is backed by on-site EMC and Compaq engineers. Both offerings are due out by the end of this month.

ASP Pulse is a daily news source for providers of hosted services. If you have any news to share or just want to give us your take on the ASP market, drop me a line at (781) 839-1249 or send an e-mail to ctorode@cmp.com.