Growing appeal of outsourced systems

SO-CALLED "thin client" solutions for medium-size restaurant and fast food chains were a big talking point at Hostec 2001. The odd-sounding jargon refers, basically, to the practice of outsourcing or contracting out central information processing - ie daily sales and stock usage and related data - to specialist companies known as ASPs or Application Service Providers. With considerable help from Internet technology, these provide catering companies with an alternative to running their own in-house IT department.

With thin client systems at restaurants or fast food chains, the till system at each chain outlet is linked to the central server computers of the ASP by a low bandwidth standard telephone connection.

Data transmitted back and forth includes information like menu price changes. The thin client route, which has now been adopted by such chains as Aroma and Chez Gerard, offers three basic attractions:

n because the ASP works for a large number of clients (all kept quite separate from each other) it gains economies of scale in developing and refining systems

n the restaurant company saves the cost of employing IT specialist personnel and has greater reassurance of operating industry-standard systems

n Internet access means that chain executives can readily check on central data from any location where there is a PC (including their own homes or when travelling).