ISPs and ASPs

From the standpoint of LECs, the ISP is another service that provides dedicated services through host routers with access to Internet backbone routers. LECs consider these services as point-to-point, bypassing the PSTN-switched facilities. Usually, the analog dialup ISPs require trunks in a 10:1 user to port ratio, to keep the users/monthly charges ratio in the profitable range. Adding more trunks does not necessarily mean more bandwidth, but definitely means more charges. These lines are patched in a way to redirect the calls to access servers, which are routers with enough modem capacity. They are sometimes called terminal servers. The other connection from the router usually links to another major ISP, or directly to one of the core Internet routers. This core router is usually called a network access point (NAP). NAPs are common for the larger ISPs but rare for the small ISPs. The link is usually T1, or some other T1 hierarchy line, depending on the technical solution. This part of the network is relatively transparent for the end user. The other part of the ISP's network, such as web servers, mail servers, and news servers are located behind the firewall, and remote user access is restricted based on the contract between the two parties.

Over the last several years , there has been a tendency to change the way ISPs operate and to combine the typical LEC and IXC functions with ISP functions. In this case, the ISPs supply the Internet access straight to the local loops and trunks, and then onto leased trunks and lines of the ISP's POP.

NOTE

Can you see the terminology change? Earlier, POP referred to the presence of a long-distance feature, and now POP refers to the presence of Internet access. This is not the first terminology change, nor the last one. It is common to use legacy terms to explain new features in order to alleviate the complexity of the transformation process.

After 1994 and the World Wide Web's (WWW) technology boom, another service trend was Application Service Provider (ASP) and web hosting. Within an IT organization, there is a function to create, design, maintain, and support the IT infrastructure. In early 1997, some analysts showed that it is expensive to support an IT infrastructure because it is not created as a revenue-generating unit. The estimates demonstrated that most investments, including facilities, support groups, power supply, and even some of the design functions, can be outsourced to reduce the cost to the enterprise, according to some authors, by more than 50 percent. Thus, the choice to outsource IT versus supporting IT in-house became a valid alternative to existing solutions. Two of the main elements of this scenario are as follows :

• Availability of specific facilities (data centers) that provide not only ISP, but also ASP features. These services usually require a significant investment to build and support this infrastructure, which is generally only affordable by large companies such as AT&T and Sprint. Therefore, large web-hosting companies (Yahoo.com, for example) can rent private areas in these facilities and host server farms, and achieve high-availability, security, fast access, and other objectives without excessive spending.

  NOTE

  In 2001 alone, Sprint was planning to invest over $2 billion in expanding and improving its IP businesses for its 18 new Internet centers that are to be completed by the end of 2002.

  
  

• Availability of professional services organizations (EDS, IBM, Sprint) able to deliver complex projects for enterprises .

The latter group of services is beyond the scope of this book, but additional information on the services provided by data centers is documented in the next section.

NOTE

History shows that during the early days of computing, there was a tendency for concentrated, centralized computing power. The next generation of computing was driven by decentralized computer power systems. Now, the pendulum has swung back and computing power is once again becoming centralized (data centers, data farms); however, it still has aspects of a decentralized environment (multiple functions and dispersed geographically ). The challenge for you is to determine the next trend.