Precise
Usage Monitoring Software from activAeon Makes On-Demand
Hosting More Successful [August 23, 2004]
Boston, MA – August 23, 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.
activAeon is a division of Techtonik, headquartered
in Sunderland, England. www.activaeon.com
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