Affordable apps for all

Small companies will be able to afford the benefits of a fully-fledged messaging server under a scheme launched by UK web pioneer, Netstore.

It plans to offer Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange via the internet on a pay-per-use basis by the end of the year. Netstore is best known for offering secure remote backup over the internet, but offers a range of other services.

Netstore was the first European vendor to join the Application Service Provider (ASP) Industry Consortium, formed in the US last month. Other members include Microsoft, Lucent and Sun Microsystems.

Rent-an-app services are seen by many as an emerging growth area. IBM has launched an online enterprise resource-planning (ERP) service, which is said to give smaller companies the advantages of scale without multi-million dollar investments.

Internal company networks are also employing application servers, a trend which provides the cornerstone of the next-generation IT infrastructures, according to a report from industry analyst, Ovum.

The initial adoption will be driven by the 'webification' of existing applications. It will prove popular with users, vendors and IT departments alike, according to Ovum's Gary Barnett, co-author of the report Application Servers: Creating the Web-enabled Enterprise.

www.netstore.com; www.ovum.com.