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ASP Services

This document summarizes the advantages offered by UNIMATICA’s ASP system (Application Service Provisioning) compared to the traditional approach, which consists of purchasing ICT solutions and “ in house” management solutions. The SAP solution is also weighed against the classic technological outsourcing approach, which we became accustomed to towards the end of the 90's and in the first years of 2000. There is a significant difference between ASP and Outsourcing. With Outsourcing, the IT Application is either still owned by the client or it used to be, therefore the supplier does not feel involved in the strategic development of the application and of the service and therefore limit themselves to the role of “application manager”. With ASP, instead, the supplier owns the application and is not only responsible for its correct management and maintenance, but also and especially for its strategic growth and development, in line with the BPO logic "business process automation". The ASP user can benefit from a service that is technically and legally updated on a regular basis as well as taking advantage of a service, whose functionalities, performance and continuity improve constantly.

UNIMATICA ‘s ASP offer includes the supply of ICT services through UNIMATICA’s applications and Server Farm/Data Center, regulated by appropriate SLA (Service Level Agreement) that define and guarantee levels of service, safety, business-continuity and disaster recovery. All this is included in a contract, which is often valid for several years and clearly regulates all the aspects covered by the service. The advantages of the UNIMATICA’s ASP offer can be summarized as follows.

No initial hardware or software investment.

It is not necessary to purchase and install specific software on each workstation and, therefore there will be no need to manage all computers installed, with all technical, logistic and administrative complications this entails.

It is not necessary to purchase and manage highly complex and sophisticated system servers and data centers (such as those required by modern web applications) and to search for specialized and expensive technical staff and keep them updated.

Ongoing and automatic update of software and hardware.
The cost is noticeably lower than that of the traditional purchase solution (in-sourcing) and of outsourcing.
Guaranteed and regulated levels of service.
Guaranteed and variable costs based on the actual use of the service (for transactions, traffic, documents, users, etc.)
No hidden charges (of organizational nature), arising from the use of the company’s technical structures and internal resources.
It is not necessary to employ, train and update internal technical staff (the cost of this is often underestimated and is medium to long-term, involving difficulties in keeping up to date with technical and legal progress).
It prevents the company from distracting human resources and the management team from the core business.
It can be accessed remotely and from any workstation that is connected to the Web.
Fast implementation and Start-Up.
Option to start a period of trial immediately while still using the traditional management method.
No software conflicts with existing computer programs.
It can be easily integrated with “legacy” systems and other web applications.
Reasonable and appropriate service costs, reducing the ROI to the minimum.
Option to move on to a further stage for the “insourcing” of systems and services if included in the contract.

In the specific case of UNIMATICA’s services, which are based on digital signature and dematerialization, the ASP solution offers further advantages, such as:

the tutoring by a partner that has in-depth and proven knowledge in the subject and in regulations relating to the service .
Availability of a complete and tested regulatory framework with all necessary documents (appointments, authorizations, manuals, etc.).
Ability to use widespread solutions that have been largely tested and have a high number of users, while maintaining highly specialized and customized procedures, able to meet the requirements of any company.
Measuring service costs based on transactions and on electronic and digital documents that are managed effectively.
Overcoming the company’s internal difficulties by identifying, appointing and remunerating new positions and roles required by the digital administration code legislation.

In order to manage and guarantee to its clients all the ASP service benefits listed above, UNIMATICA uses its own Server Farm and Data Center, which fully complies with CNIPA regulations for services supplied to Public Administration, to the Revenue Agency with respect to the dematerialization of administrative documents and to the Bank of Italy for business continuity and disaster recovery in relation to ASP services supplied to banks. UNIMATICA applications used for ASP services can also be installed at the Server Farm and Data Centers of the user company as well as at third party remote structures.