June 20, 2007 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – Web hosting provider 1&1 Internet and SWsoft have made progress in establishing a standard for Software-as-a-Service, it was announced recently. 1&1 has helped SWsoft design requirements for the Application Packaging Standard (APS), a standard that allows software vendors to integrate applications into hosting environments and deliver software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. 1&1 has become the first company to implement the APS.
The standard defines a packaging format that provides software vendors with a specification to create “pluggable” applications that require no additional integration by service providers utilizing an APS-compliant control panel, such as 1&1 Click-n-Build, SWsoft Plesk and SWsoft PEM. The standard will help hosting providers take advantage of SaaS and offer customers a greater variety of services. It will also help open the hosting channel for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) by allowing them to deliver hosted applications to more end users.
SWsoft also announced an APS certification program and will soon be announcing a certification program for hosting providers. By advancing a certification program and an APS-compliant hosting platform, SWsoft and 1&1 hope to grow the emerging market for hosted SaaS applications. Industry analyst IDC predicts SaaS software revenues will is estimated to reach $10.7 billion by 2009.
“APS will provide a sizeable new business opportunity for 1&1 and for the entire web hosting and software industries worldwide,” explained the Chairman of the Board of 1&1 Internet Inc., Andreas Gauger. “The standard is open to everyone and will provide exciting new sales channels for hosting providers as well as other Internet service providers (ISPs). Our customers and ISVs will benefit from the expected growth of new APS-compliant applications.”
“Hosting providers are an ideal delivery channel for SaaS with ISVs as another essential ingredient," added SWsoft’s CEO, Serguei Beloussov. “We developed an open, flexible, easy to implement standard to help advance the adoption of SaaS solutions for the benefit of end users.”
