DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
E-BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
The Opportunity
The web presents an opportunity for almost every organisation, not just the 'dot com' or those involved in IT or related high-tech disciplines. It is a tool like any other (although far more powerful than most) and should therefore be exploited to your full advantage.
Approach & Methodology
The first step is to consider pragmatically how selective use of Internet based technologies can improve the efficiency of your business or even generate new business opportunity. By scrutinising the business processes that involve flow of information across the boundaries of the organisation it becomes clear where significant return on investment can be achieved.
Application
Many organisations consider their web site as simply an electronic brochure; however, it could be enriched to become the outside world's portal to your organisation. This portal could provide one or more vital services including E-Commerce, Service and Support, Customer Services, Knowledge Base, Extranet, Complaint Management or Business Intelligence.
Infrastructure
To host an ebusiness solution, certain infrastructure is required to support the application. As a minimum, this will usually be comprised of a web server (or servers), a firewall and a fixed connection to the Internet. A fixed connection to the Internet is 'always up' and there are associated ongoing fees involved, although these are steadily decreasing over time and with the advent of new technologies.
Security
Security is an important consideration when planning eBusiness functionality and there are a number of issues such as firewall and virus protection that must be considered. It is recommended that web-based infrastructure is located in a DMZ (De-Militarised Zone), which is essentially isolated from the LAN (Local Area Network).
Hosting
Depending on the requirement and integration required, the infrastructure and application can be located at an ISP (Internet Service Provider) specialising in the secure hosting of applications. This option can prove more effective if, for instance, there is a lack of IT knowledge within the customer's organisation.
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