application service provider

computing

Also known as: ASP

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 19, 2026

Quick Summary

An application service provider (ASP) is a company that offers software accessible via the Internet. This means users can access applications like email or payroll accounting without needing to install them on their individual computers. This model, which emerged around 1989, allows for convenient access to software services over the web, rather than relying on local storage and installation. The abbreviation for application service provider is ASP.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

cloud computing
Early development
…a number of companies, called application service providers (ASPs), were founded to supply computer applications to companies over the Internet. Most of the early ASPs failed, but their model of supplying applications remotely became popular a decade later, when it was renamed cloud computing.
Read More
…a number of companies, called application service providers (ASPs), were founded to supply computer applications to companies over the Internet. Most of the early ASPs failed, but their model of supplying applications remotely became popular a decade later, when it was renamed cloud computing.
Read More