چارچوب تصمیم گیری برای مدیران فناوری اطلاعات (IT) در شرکت های کوچک و متوسط:عواملی به منظور ارزیابی برون سپاری برنامه های کاربردی داخلی به ارائه دهندگان خدمات کاربردی

Businesses have been seeking new ways to improve their Information Technology that will better fit the company's needs with limited investment or even cost cutting. In order to achieve this many businesses have been turning toward Application Service Providers (ASPs). There are a number of factors supporting ASPs. ASP's can provide one service that connects multiple applications through one access point. The technology is very simple, straightforward, and easy to use for various businesses. There are also factors that do not favor ASPs, including service reliability, customization, integration, upgrades, and security issues. This study examines the paradigm shift from the traditional software model to the ASP model, and explores the favorable and unfavorable trends in ASPs. While the on-demand model seems to be a promising model for companies, there are certainly many decisions for a business to consider before making commitments to an ASP. Hence, this study aims to help IT managers evaluate each factor very carefully before outsourcing their internal applications to ASPs. It develops and provides a methodology for better IT decision-making with regard to ASPs which could be provided to other IT decisions as well. As “cloud” technologies, exemplified by ASPs, transform the world we live-in, better decision-making tools for small businesses will impact their success in the 21st century business world where SMEs can effectively compete with large businesses leveraging these services.

In today's global market, most industries use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to provide valuable, timely, and accurate information in order to stay competitive and to make informed decisions. Moreover, businesses, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), have been discovering new ways to improve their IT that will better fit the company's needs with limited investment. In order to achieve this many SMEs have been turning toward Application Service Providers (ASPs). Over the past decade, various aspects of organizations have become automated, digitized, and integrated in systems. Furthermore, challenges in integrating systems across functional and physical units are met by the implementation of enterprise-wide applications such as supply chain management systems, customer relationship management systems, and knowledge management systems. Such large-scale applications are complex and hard to maintain, thus many firms are beginning to recognize the benefits of the ASP model over the traditional software model. Although IT departments would probably favor the traditional software model because of the higher level of control they can assert over the application itself, a business needs to make its decisions based on whether the application supports a core or context function of the business. Many industry leaders are in favor of the “insource the core and outsource the rest” [25] philosophy when it comes to deciding on which applications should be kept in-house and which may be outsourced to on-demand service providers. Numerous IT experts have been predicting that there are factors that favor ASPs. However, there are those who claim that there are unfavorable factors in using ASPs. This study examines the paradigm shift that has begun due to the change in delivery methods from the traditional software model to the ASP model, and explores the favorable and unfavorable factors in using services and applications offered by ASPs. Hence, the purpose of this study is to provide a framework for making decisions in terms of moving toward the ASP model through an analysis of the factors that are most important to likely adopters.

For the purpose of providing a useful framework for SME IT managers, this study explores various important factors for evaluating whether internal applications should be outsourced to ASPs, and proposes a model based on the TAM that can be employed by SME IT managers when making decisions about services and technologies offered by ASPs. While previous work has broadly investigated the general adoption of ASPs, this study employs TAM that can be used by SME IT managers when evaluating factors that would affect their adoption decision. There are some factors that favor ASPs. ASPs can provide one service that connects multiple applications through one access point, like an Internet portal. The technology is very simple, straightforward, and easy to use for various providers. ASPs can also provide a secure service where any of the data found in the information system cannot be manipulated by anyone who is not authorized to access it. ASPs can make information processing more cost effective and more efficient for a company because many ASP vendors have service contracts with many businesses where a company can choose a “pay as you go plan” that best suits the business. This gives the company the flexibility to control their finances. If a company selects a proper ASP that will suit their business needs, all of the favorable trends may greatly benefit the company in the short and long-term. There are also factors that make ASPs unfavorable, which includes service reliability, customization, integration, upgrade, and security issues. There may be some risk in allowing outside parties to maintain the organization's information systems. However, SMEs may want to research ASPs to see what services they provide, how much and how long a service agreement will be required, and how reliable their systems are. These companies need to make sure that in the event of a system failure with the ASP, they will not lose any of the information. The outsourcing of internal applications to ASPs may be beneficial for many SMEs as it frees up resources and allows organizations to focus on their core competencies. Additionally, it serves a way of reducing costs for many organizations that do not have the expertise in in-house or the funding to support in-house information systems. While the on-demand model seems to be a promising model for SMEs, IT managers should weigh each factor very carefully before outsourcing their internal applications to ASPs. As “cloud” technologies, exemplified by ASPs, transform the world we live-in, better decision-making tools for small businesses will impact their success in the 21st century business world where SMEs can effectively compete with large businesses leveraging these services.