A theory of application service provider (ASP) use from a client perspective

Since the late 1990s, "application service providers" (ASPs) have offered telecommunication-based application services. ASP use can be considered a type of IS outsourcing as well as the creation of an inter-organizational system, such as is created for electronic data interchange (EDI). We developed a theory of ASP adoption and use from the client's perspective based on analysis of primary and secondary data on ASP use and analysis of literature on IS outsourcing and EDI. We present a model and highlight similarities and differences between conventional IS outsourcing, ASP use, and EDI. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.