How will application service providers (ASPs) alter the way companies approach enterprise resource planning (ERP)?
Kirchmer: The emergence of ASPs is a positive development for the business process of many companies. In the past, every company that purchased and installed an ERP system focused too strongly on the technology, neglecting the business process. Many of those implementations failed because people couldn’t use them in the context of the business process. Now, ASPs can take care of the technology involved. However, executives should make sure that the ASP solution fits the business process of their company.
