This module discussed how to assess the impact of change on a global level. We have seen how it is important to make design decisions
that consider
internal technical resources, company structure and culture, and the placement of the eBusiness unit as an internal or outsourced function. We have discussed the importance of buy-in from staff, management, partners, and customers,
and shown how a holistic approach to implementing your solution is an integral part of maintaining a successful eBusiness.
Finally, we discussed the importance of top-down implementation of new thinking about the business process, the customer, and the
competition. In particular, management should look beyond the traditional boundaries of internal process, consider their position within the
entire value chain, and employ strategies to prepare for this new position.
Now that you have completed this module, you should be able to:
- Outline the ways in which an organization may change to include eBusiness
- Describe the advantages and disadvantages of in-house development and hosting
- Describe the importance and sequence of training staff and users
- Identify the technology and market forces that may impact viability
- Identify the top-down eBusiness issues management should address
The following terms may be new to you:
- Application Service Provider: Application Service Providers are third-party entities that host (manage and distribute) software-based services and solutions to customers across a wide area network from a central data center. Do not confuse this acronym with Active Server Pages (ASP). ASP is a form of applications outsourcing.
- Hardware infrastructure: Servers, disk arrays and other storage devices, power supply and protection devices and physical communications devices.
- Bandwidth: The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For digital devices, the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second(bps) or bytes per second.
- Connectivity resources: Connectivity resources refer to the network infrastructure required to connect a computer and its contents to other computers. This includes physical devices like modems, switches, hubs, routers, bridges, cabling and satellite links as well as network protocols, operating systems and security systems.
- Throughput: The amount of data transferred from one place to another in a specified time period.
- MCommerce: Mobile Commerce is involves the use of mobile communication devices such as cellular phones and PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) with modems to facilitate eCommerce.
- Rich data: A simultaneous combination of different data types (e.g. combination of textual and/or audio/and/or image and/or video data).
- Telecommunication technologies: Telecommunications involves any type of electronic data communications. The technologies that support this include telephone, television, satellite, fiber optics etc.
- Fiber optic: A technology used for transmitting data by light. A fiber optic cable consists of thin strands of glass or plastic along which the light can travel.
- Narrowcasting: To send data to a specific list of recipients as opposed to broadcast which sends data to anyone and everyone.
- Value-chain: A value chain identifies activities, functions and business processes that are involved in the design, marketing, delivering and supporting of a product or service in an enterprise.
- Plug-in: A hardware or software module that adds a specific feature or service to a larger system. For example, there are number of plug-ins for the Netscape Navigator browser that enable it to display different types of audio or video messages.
- Co-location facility: Co-location facilities offer the customer a secure place to physically house their hardware and equipment as
opposed to locating it in their offices or warehouse where the potential for fire, theft or vandalism is much greater. Most co-location facilities offer high-security, including cameras, fire detection and extinguishing devices, multiple connection feeds,
filtered power, backup power generators and other items to ensure high-availability which is mandatory for all Web-based, virtual businesses.
- Denial-of-service attack: A type of attack that is designed to disable a computer or network by flooding it with useless traffic.
In the next module, we will discuss how to incorporate the eBusiness into existing business services.