C&W and Lynx enter into A-service partnership

Lynx Technology has been appointed as the first UK business partner for Cable & Wireless' new A-service application service provision model. A-service is to run in conjunction with Compaq, and will be based on Microsoft's .Net strategy.

Lynx Technology has been appointed as the first UK business partner for Cable & Wireless' (C&W's) new A-service application service provision (ASP) model. A-service is to run in conjunction with Compaq, and will be based on Microsoft's .Net strategy.

Graham Wallace, chief executive at C&W, said: "With A-services, UK small to medium sized enterprises can, for the first time, access an entire IT infrastructure."

According to C&W, businesses will benefit from the latest technology "without tying up capital in hardware or extra IT staff, and will be guaranteed extra security, plus the options of real-time software upgrades and 24-hour support".

Mark Howarth, hosting solutions business manager at ebusiness solution provider Lynx is confident that the ASP model is the way forward, and that by getting in on the act so early, Lynx can ensure success when the ASP boom happens.

"All the ASP hype portrayed in the IT industry has not happened as quickly as it was first believed, but if you are going to deliver ASP solutions you need a large amount of money and a good track record, and C&W, Microsoft and Compaq have that, which guarantees some level of success," he said.

The agreement is a "fantastic opportunity" which will enable Lynx to work with new clients, he added, saying that few firms will be able to survive without access to added applications.

Howarth explained that companies with between 50 and 1000 or more staff will be most suited to Lynx's service, which will be based on a flexible pricing model, offering firms the chance to pay monthly, quarterly or yearly.

"The whole model of office automation is changing radically, with everybody thinking about deploying IT. We want to be a part of it," he said.

There will always be "Luddites" who want to stick with the traditional model, he added, and Lynx will continue promoting both solutions. Howarth said that when ASP becomes more dominant, it will put Lynx in a powerful position.