What sets Aspen apart is that it uses a new approach to achieving scale that focuses on maximizing flexibility both in options available during application design and for run-time operation of the system in the field. The goal is for Aspen to serve as a common foundational component across a wide variety of applications to spread the maintenance burden and foster collaboration. Furthermore, its unique architecture is intentionally unlike that of existing systems and will allow distributed system designers to approach problems from new angles. The hope is that this system will naturally lend itself to some of the problems that are not well-suited to existing distributed data management technologies.