TRENDS

May 13, 2003

Another ASP infrastructure pioneer slips out of our enabler listing this month, to be replaced by a more established name with a growing Web services capability as well as a long association with the ASP industry.

The new entry to the Enabler Top 30 is our only change this month, and the Provider Top 20 remains unchanged.

Jamcracker Moves Off the List
The departing service enabler is Jamcracker, which when it launched in February 2000 (see Star startups host apps) billed itself as the world's first ASP aggregator. Its mission then was to provide a hosted management environment that provided access to a portfolio of online applications from third-party partners. The proposition proved to be premature, with complex technology challenges to overcome and few customers prepared to make the leap to hosted services.

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Jamcracker has since repackaged its capabilities as a hosted application management platform as well as continues to offer remote systems management services, but hasn't yet managed to set the world alight in the way its founders originally intended. The company continues to serve its customers today, but no longer commands an industry standing that justifies a continued listing in the Enablers Top 30.

Netegrity Follows Jamcracker's Lead
Always active in promoting industry standards, one of Jamcracker's most important legacies is its contribution to the development of the single sign-on standard SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language), which allows a user's identity and access rights to be passed on from one online application to another, instead of forcing the user to sign in separately to each one. Managing access to online services is also a topic of primary concern to Netegrity, the newcomer that takes Jamcracker's place in the Enablers Top 30 this month.

Netegrity is a security software vendor specilizing in managing user identity profiles and their access to enterprise information and applications. Although it's not the largest security software maker — Entrust and RSA are both bigger names — it is the one most purely focused on what has come to be known as digital identity,recognized as one of the most crucial elements in enabling secure, reliable web services.

Netegrity has worked closely with hosting companies and ASPs throughout its history, with its SiteMinder and TransactionMinder security solutions both popular among service providers.

A strong commitment to partnership, a track record of innovation as well as various contributions to industry standards, and a healthy growth profile all contribute to winning Netegrity its place in the Enablers Top 30.

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