A distributed multimedia data system is provided connected to a wide area network, the confidentiality and security of which are not controlled from end to end. The system has at least one customer server located at each one of a plurality of service suppliers, each customer server being connected to the wide area network also connected to a shared voice resources and/or video resources host server receiving particular service requests from customers also connected to the wide area network and initially responding to each received particular service request to determine the particular service supplier concerned as to the received particular service request, and to then direct each particular received service request to the at least one customer server located at the concerned particular service supplier for execution of particular service logic associated with the services provided by that service supplier.