As a software developer, ShockWare is focused on becoming an Application Service Provider ("ASP"). An ASP provides applications to businesses without the requirement of the business purchasing additional hardware, software or having the continual administrative task of backing up vital data. As an ASP, ShockWare will be able to provide these resources via the Internet with the client's interface to the application being an Internet browser, this will allow access to the application from anywhere in the world. For over two years ShockWare has been developing the foundation of this side of our business based on open-source tools. Open Source is a foundation of programming tools or operating systems that have been developed by organizations made up of programmers from all parts of the world.

These organizations work with their development groups in creating tools based on realistic requirements of the industry as opposed to the many false perceptions found in the computer industry. An example of Open Source is Linux. These same tools are now beginning to be utilized by government organizations including NASA and the US federal government.
NASA switches from Oracle to MySQL 2001/01/04:

"In November a team at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center finished the transition of the NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS) from Oracle to MySQL." "The President's Information Technology Advisory Committee recommended in September that the federal government encourage open-source software as an alternative for software development for high-end computing."
http://www.mysql.com/news/article-51.html

ShockWare, over the past 10 years, has been creating and updating a full-scale law office management system. ShockWare intends to take the tools from this project and recreate them as an ASP application. This project is approximately one-third of the way towards completion.

Statistics Canada has shown that they expect a large increase in the ASP market place in Canada. ShockWare expects that this increase will be even larger than projected in this diagram:


Source: IDC Canada

ShockWare is also developing a basic e-commerce system that is approximately 80% complete. The e-commerce system will provide retailers with the ability to sell product over the Internet and to process Visa/MasterCard/Amex transactions through a ShockWare website. This website will help reduce the administrative time required by the retailer to monitor their own site and will provide the retailer the option to not have to operate a second merchant account, specifically for their e-commerce sales.

After these ASP tools are developed ShockWare will then be able to sell the open source of these tools to other technology companies in Canada. We will provide a complete training program and the source code required, allowing technology companies to customize products specific to their clients needs. There are many Canadian technology companies that require these tools and training but do not have the ability or the resources to get ahead. ShockWare wishes to help these companies gain access to these tools and resources to ensure them a strong future.