- Are You Comfortable with the ASP's Approach to Major Data Center Issues Such as Backup, Disaster-Proofing, and Data and Physical Security?
- Can the ASP Provide the Type of Secure Broadband Network that Best Suits Your Requirements?
- Is the ASP's IT Infrastructure Scalable Enough to Accommodate Your Company's Growth or Variations in Activity?
- Do You Prefer that an Outside Party Remotely Monitor All the ASP's Facilities (Such as Data Centers) and Security Equipment (Such as Firewalls)?
- Do You Require that the Application You Lease Be Extensively Customized?
- Do You Need Accelerated Deployment of the Hosted Application?
- Which, If Any, of these Hosted Enabling Technologies Do You Need, and Why?
- What Extent of Technical Support and Customer Service Do You Require?
- Which ASP Pricing Model Best Meets Your Company's Activity Patterns—Does the ASP Offer that Model?
- Does the ASP's Standard Service Level Agreement (SLA) Meet Your Needs? If Not, Will the ASP Change It, and How Much Does It Charge to Change It?
9. Which ASP Pricing Model Best Meets Your Company's Activity PatternsDoes the ASP Offer that Model?
There are four basic types of ASP pricing models, and some ASPs even combine types. "Flat/flat" rates are fixed prices for certain periods of time, regardless of usage, and are generally good for customers with lots of activity. "Flat/tiered" rates are prices charged per tier of usage; number of users; or number or amount of documents, images, and data manipulated. They are good for customers whose amount of activity varies a great deal. "Variable/tiered" rates are like "Flat/tiered" ones, but the price-per-tier drops as the customer increases activity (for instance, the rate for the first 500 users is $5,000/month, the rate for 1000 users is $7500, and so on). This works well for customers who want a lower price with increased use. "Per-click rates" are charges per instance of activity (such as a transaction completed), and are best for customers who want to pay only for exact usage.