virtual IP Application Solution Provider

Program

from

Information Exchange Group, Inc.

Program Summary:

The virtual IP Application Solution Provider (ASP) program is designed to stimulate the production of LDA based business solutions, which will be deployed over the Internet using web browsers. Using Unisys’ LDA and IEG’s Information Builder (IB) and IE-WEBS products, LINC developers worldwide will now be able to create small entrepreneurial businesses with the ability to provide web enabled business solutions to businesses desiring to provide web access to some functions of their business.

Audience:

All existing LINC developers world wide.

Goals:

Build and deploy small niche applications (10 – 20 ISPECS) on the web using LDA Development and Run Time, IB, and IE-WEBS.

Objectives:

Become a vIP application developer developing niche application solutions for family, friends, and business contacts.

Become a vAP hosting site for the IEG application connector and the application.

Become a vIP monitor hosting site for the IEG application monitor.

Hardware/Software Requirements:

Pentium Processor, 128MB memory, internet connectivity, enough disk to support the application
Windows 95, Windows 98, NT, Windows 2000 (LDA will determine what OS is required)
LDA from Unisys Corporation
Interface Builder from IEG
IE-WEBS (Monitor and Connector) from IEG
IIS or PWS if hosting the IE-WEBS Monitor from IEG
Internet Connectivity from a local ISP.

The entrepreneur will be responsible for the licensing of software from the respective supplier, PCs, connectivity, web page hosting costs, etc.

Investment:

The entrepreneur will be responsible for the licensing of LDA from Unisys Corporation.
The vIP ASP package (Interface Builder and IE-WEBS ) is available to the vIP participant at no charge*.

The vIP ASP package will enable the entrepreneur to develop an LDA application and test that application by accessing it over the Internet. The application will be owned and supported by the entrepreneur. There are additional fees associated with the implementation of any Web Enabled LDA application to the end client. The client cost for the installed application will consist of: the cost of the application as determined by the entrepreneur, an annual fee for the connector/monitor.

* Annual fees will be paid to IEG when an application is installed and implemented for a client. These fees will cover the generation of application web forms and the usage of IE-WEBS Connector or Monitor for each application.

Fees:

The entrepreneur will determine the market value of the developed application. There are various options available for the implementation of the application. The entrepreneur can expand and offer what ever level of vIP service, they wish to invest in.

The clients can host the application on their own PCs.
The entrepreneur can host the application on their equipment.
The client or entrepreneur can manage the IIS/PWS environment and host the IE-WEBS Monitor.
The client or entrepreneur can connect to a vIP Monitor Provider already in existence.

The entrepreneur will determine the appropriate costs to the client for the application, hardware, other software, hosting fees, Internet fees and implementation services. IEG will be paid annual fees to cover the generated DHTML forms and based on the usage of Connector and Monitor. The entrepreneur will be responsible for paying IEG these annual usage fees from the revenue they generate from the installed application.

Certification:

IEG will have a certification program, which will instruct the entrepreneur in how to select target applications and how to create a web enabled application. The majority of LINC developers are experienced in mainframe development and large mission critical applications. Part of the focus in the instruction will be on development of PC based, web enabled, standalone applications.

Advertising:

IEG will advertise the ability to develop web based applications quickly and at a low cost and will include information about niche applications created by program participants. Program participant application users will be used as references. IEG will do Advertising campaigns benefiting vIP program participants.

Benefits:

Provide supplemental or primary income for entrepreneur based on existing LINC knowledge.

Build an application base and plant seedlings, which may grow into large LINC sites.

Approach:

Small applications, which a business desires to make accessible via the web, are selected. Those applications are then developed using LDA. The LDA Graphical Painter will allow the user to design screens which are suitable for web deployment. Keep in mind that this mechanism is significantly different from the "dumb" terminal environment most often associated with mainframe LINC systems of the past. Once the graphical screens are painted, the IEG Information Builder product is used to create the DHTML pages representing the web oriented screens. The system is then deployed on the web using LDA Run Time and IEG’s IE-WEBS Connector. The IE-WEBS Connector will connect to a vIP Monitor hosting site to publish the application.

Using these tools it is possible to literally create a very simple system and have it published on the web in a matter of a few hours. The applications expected to be most common in this type of implementation are systems consisting of less than 20 ISPECs. While it is entirely possible to implement even very large systems in this fashion, the completely untapped market is the small application systems for small businesses wishing to have a functional web presence.