This volume focuses on the responsibilities of online service providers (OSPs) in contemporary societies. It examines the complexity and global dimensions of the rapidly evolving and serious challenges posed by the exponential development of Internet services and resources. It looks at the major actors – such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Yahoo! – and their significant influence on the informational environment and users’ interactions within it, as well as the responsibilities and liabilities such influence entails. It discusses the position of OSPs as information gatekeepers and how they have gone from offering connecting and information-sharing services to paying members to providing open, free infrastructure and applications that facilitate digital expression and the communication of information. The book seeks consensus on the principles that should shape OSPs’ responsibilities and practices, taking into account business ethics and policies. Finally, it discusses the rights of users and international regulations that are in place or currently lacking.

The success of service organizations ultimately depends on employees in customer service roles; their performance affects customer satisfaction and loyalty. Integrating theory and research, this book explores the factors that determine the performance of service providers, and points to important managerial implications.

A strategic guide to mastering service provider relationships Well-known business management consultant and Boston Globe columnist Mary Helen Gillespie helps business and IT managers navigate through the confusing technology-driven landscape of service providers. Offering insight into the points of view for both the service provider and client, Gillespie guides readers through available services, from Internet access and applications service providers, to wireless and networking services and IT management services. Readers will find business models, overviews of the enabling technologies, coverage of economic and management issues, and clear descriptions of service offerings within each provider type. Most importantly, decision makers will be able to choose the right service provider to meet their needs and develop strategic partnerships when outsourcing non-core business functions.

A guide to mastering one of the most strategically critical aspects of any telecommunications, ISP, or ASP business Operational Support Systems (OSS) refers to the technical infrastructure that enables telecommunications companies, ISPs, ASPs, and CLECs to provide services directly to customers. In this important book, author Kornel Terplan draws upon his 25 years of experience as a top global telecommunications consultant to provide telecom operations managers and developers with the expert information and guidance they need to make strategic decisions about OSS in their companies. He reviews protocols and technology for service support, explores best practices for service development and provisioning, and provides expert guidance on tools and human resources for the technical service provider. Throughout, Terplan's approach to teaching OSS principles and practices is to present a real business problem and then walk you through the best solution.

The eSourcing Capability Model for Service Providers (eSCM-SP) is the best practices model that supports sourcing organizations successfully manage and reduce their risks and improve their capabilities across the entire sourcing life-cycle. It addresses the critical issues related to IT-enabled sourcing (eSourcing) for both outsourced and in-sourced (shared services) agreements. Each of the Model's 84 Practice is distributed along three easy to follow dimensions: Sourcing Life-cycle, Capability Area, and Capability Level, and have been applied in IT, BPO, and KPO settings. The eSCM-SP has been designed to complement existing quality models so that service providers can capitalize on their previous improvement efforts. ITIL V3 suggests that ITIL be supplemented with eSCM when service management is performed in the context of a sourcing arrangement. A series of documents comparing the eSCM-SP with other models and standards has been developed. Developed by The IT Services Qualification Center (ITSqc) and endorsed by a number of organizations including IAOP (International Association of Outsourcing Professionals), this title represents a major step forward for professionals looking to implement Best Practice within the Industry.

This innovative Commentary boasts contributions from internationally renowned experts with extensive and diverse backgrounds, providing a comprehensive, critical, article-by-article and thematic analysis of the EU Regulation No 1503/2020 on European Crowdfunding Service Providers for Business (ECSPR). Chapters analyse Member States’ adaptation of their legal frameworks to the ECSPR, underlying similarities, divergences, additional problematic issues and residual regulatory fragmentation.

This book analyses the doctrinal structure and content of secondary liability rules that hold internet service providers liable for the conduct of others, including the safe harbours (or immunities) of which they may take advantage, and the range of remedies that can be secured against such providers. Many such claims involve intellectual property infringement, but the treatment extends beyond that field of law. Because there are few formal international standards which govern the question of secondary liability, comprehension of the international landscape requires treatment of a broad range of national approaches. This book thus canvasses numerous jurisdictions across several continents, but presents these comparative studies thematically to highlight evolving commonalities and trans-border commercial practices that exist despite the lack of hard international law. The analysis presented in this book allows exploration not only of contemporary debates about the appropriate policy levers through which to regulate intermediaries, but also about the conceptual character of secondary liability rules.

Learn how to use Application Service Providers to enhance the future of your business! Application Service Providers in Business is a comprehensive analysis of the present ASP model and its place in business today. Business success in today’s information-intensive marketplace depends on a company’s ability to acquire and fully use the latest advancements in business-critical applications. By having these applications delivered as services over the Internet, businesses can lessen the demands on company IT staff, and increase the ability to get complex software into use immediately. Within this context, a new outsourcing business model called ASP (Application Service Provider) has emerged that is transforming how businesses access and leverage software applications. The book explains the specific contingent ASP models, including business, enterprise, functional-focused, and vertical market ASPs, and ASP aggregators. It demonstrates how different ASP models have fulfilled diverse market/customer expectations and explores future scenarios for current ASP business models. Case studies, tables, and figures illustrate important concepts and make complex information easy to access and understand. Based on a thorough analysis of the ASP market environment, the book provides detailed Best Practices Guidelines that managers of ASPs can use to improve the chances of success of their respective ASPs. It outlines contingency factors such as application offerings, customer selection, operations, and strategic fit. The book also not only assists business managers in deciding on whether to use an ASP, but it presents ways to use ASPs to effectively support their business process. The ability to provide the workforce with access to data whenever and wherever is crucial for positively impacting a company’s profitability, and ASPs provide the software to make it possible. Topics included in Application Service Providers in Business are: Best Practices Guidelines strategic management management decision making and planning IT management and outsourcing future of the ASP market ASP business models and much more! Application Service Providers in Business is a comprehensive resource for executives, managers, professors, and business students in the US and worldwide. Using the information and guidelines provided, executives and managers can learn how to use ASPs to enhance their business, and managers of ASPs can learn how to increase their chance of success in the competitive ASP market. The material is also appropriate as a textbook for management and computer information/software development classes.

The IBM® Maximo® for Service Providers product is designed to support Service as a business. It helps lower total cost-of-ownership and increase profitability and customer satisfaction by managing clients' assets either through third-party outsourcing or internally shared services model. This IBM Redbooks® publication introduces IBM Maximo for Service Providers product and its components. We took a practical approach in this book, and presented the features and functions of the IBM Maximo for Service Providers product in the context of a number of real-life scenarios or usage patterns. These scenarios are commonly used at IBM customer sites to satisfy specific business requirements. For each scenario, we establish the business reason, benefits, and how to implement the scenario. There is also a section on initial product configuration that touches on several configuration points, such as creating the customers, security groups, and response plans. This book is a reference guide for IT Specialists and IT Architects implementing IBM Maximo for Service Providers.

An enterprising Computing series title that focuses on the power of ISD to increase productivity by defining scope of services and responsibilities throughout the IT Enterprise.