Business Views

ASTA SOLUTIONS FOR MULTI-TIER, THIN CLIENT NETWORKS 

ASTA BUSINESS VIEW
ASTA’s technology was created to enable software applications, particularly business applications doing real work, to operate dependably and inexpensively over any network (including the Internet) with superior performance. ASTA works outside the limitations of browser based technology. If it can be done with a regular application, it can be done in ASTA. Significant advantages and cost savings will result from using ASTA.

Development Advantages
Developers using ASTA are able to produce multi-tier applications with their existing skills. Instead of investing weeks of time attempting to master new technology, ASTA developers are ready to do real work from the start. ASTA component sets handle the underlying threading and socket complexities. ASTA abstracts the database application development process so that any database components can be used on ASTA servers. With ASTA doing all the hard and tedious work, developers are free to build applications focused on performance and usability. ASTA provides a complete messaging layer that allows real-time messaging. This type of technology is widely sold by others as a product in itself for much more then a full ASTA license!

Licensing Costs—System Hardware Needs
ASTA is licensed based on server deployment. Each server license is $299.00, whether there are 10 users or 200 users. Measure this cost against a license that is based on the client, or user side. $200 per user  is a common fee (other costs also apply).   ASTA licensing is structured to allow easy entry and upgrade as well as Packages for large deployment needs. How many users will a server support? As with any multi-tier design, many factors determine support capacity, including application complexity, user connectivity levels, server power, and application architecture. In most any scenario, ASTA will be more cost efficient, particularly if the Real Network Cost, that is all the relative expenses, are factored in.If system upgrades and hardware investments are of concern, consider and compare ASTA to other solutions. ASTA is true “Thin Client,” meaning on the client or individual user side of the multi-tier design, much less horsepower is required. Speed, memory, and storage requirements are radically reduced for the user PC. Light 486 era PCs are working flawlessly in ASTA networks. ASTA servers provide optimum resource usage and can reallocate client connections automatically without need of support. Moderately powered single processor machines supporting surprisingly large client groups work as servers in ASTA multi-tier systems. 

Deployment Advantages
ASTA is embedded in the application, not bolted on. When you launch the application, ASTA is automatically deployed instantaneously – there is no visible evidence that anything other than a typical application opening has taken place. There are no runtime costs and no supplemental applications to understand or maintain. In addition, ASTA servers have the ability to automatically update clients with the latest version, avoiding the pain and expense of system-wide user upgrades. 

Scalability—ASTA is Expandable and Sees the Future
You won’t sacrifice initial investment as needs change. ASTA servers efficiently & automatically allocate connectivity as more clients log on the network. Additional servers can be easily added as the network grows. ASTA Anchor Servers and Fall-over features are built in. ASTA Enabled systems have supported 3000 client users.PDA and Handhelds will soon become indispensable in the business work place. ASTA is ready with support that will enable system integration, adding another line to the concept of “Scalability.” 

Security Issues Covered
For the vast majority of users, ASTA’s built in security features are more than sufficient. ASTA provides a fully configurable login sequence between clients and server, which gives the developer full control over login attempts. Developers can also plug in their own encryption and compression routines.For users that require a higher security level, WinInet is available plus ASTA Secure Sockets, delivering SSL-like security. 
 
Please peruse Developer Central for a more technical overview and look through ASTA White Papers (ASTA Vision). There is a massive amount of information and support on the site, and it continues to grow. ASTA online support is legendary and a cornerstone of our success (see Testamonials).