3/14/01 - According to TrendWatch, Only 2% of publishers have any interest in buying services from an application service provider (ASP). The biggest spike--such as it is--was to 5% among catalog publishers. And the ones who are either using or are interested in using--ASPs are doing so for file transmission, ignoring most of the touted benefits of these systems. Why should you care? Internet-based asset management, data backup, and production workflow management are nice ideas, but at this stage publishers would much rather operate on the old-fashioned KISS principle--Keep It Simple, Stupid. This doesn't mean ASPs or Internet-based print portals are doomed. Rather, this is a time for running lots of ideas and features up a lot of flagpoles and seeing what gets the most salutes. Those who can adapt quickly to what users do and don't want will be the ones who pass muster.