MediaClay is an ASP-based (Application Service Provider-based) solution. This approach makes the total cost of a MediaClay content management solution significantly less than either a licensed or custom-built solution.

An ASP eliminates the time and cost associated with installing, administrating, and supporting applications. Since the application is hosted remotely and supported by Comspec, there will never be any hardware or software to purchase, update or maintain -- now or ever. Nor will you have to maintain databases or install upgrades as they become available. The total maintenance of your application is handled round-the-clock by Comspec for a remarkably low monthly cost.

An ASP solution to content management also frees up your scarce and valuable technical personnel for other tasks. In some small-business scenarios, an ASP model may even allow you to avoid hiring additional IT personnel altogether.

Not only is the technical side of maintaining your CMS handled by your service provider, but so is the support side -- helpdesk and support costs are therefore cut significantly. And with every user on the same version of the application, costs related to supporting outdated versions are entirely done away with.

Overall, the total cost of software provided through an ASP is typically around 40% of comparable installed solutions. Depending on your establishment's demands, the overall savings may be even more dramatic. MediaClay gives small to mid-size firms access to all the functionality of a sophisticated, high-end application, and does so at a price they can actually afford.

The following table lists the costs that should be considered when evaluating alternative CMS models.