Extrasys hosts big-brand apps on the internet

A new entrant in the growing software-as-a-service sector is promising to pump new life into business applications.

Extrasys, a division of systems integrator Bailey Teswaine, will offer Microsoft Office, SAP, Oracle, Siebel, Sage and other software as a subscription service over the internet.

The firm said it has brokered agreements with the software vendors to offer access to programs via three UK datacentres.

“It doesn’t matter how legacy your application is, it can still be brought into the hosted environment,” said Jaydeep Korde, Extrasys business unit director.

Extrasys is pitching the service to firms with 50 to 500 staff and a requirement to reduce capital expenditure, provide remote access and better manage IT resources. Users gain access to full applications streamed from a Citrix MetaFrame environment and billing can be viewed through a portal.

The concept of applications available over internet connections was largely unsuccessful in the late 1990s when firms such as Corio and Netstore promoted it. However, Extrasys believes that improved network performance and resilience as well as better understanding of the model means that its time has come.