Lesson 8

In this module, you learned in-depth information about the Web tools available for an ebusiness solution. More specifically, you learned to:

1. Describe the function of Web browsers
2. Define the issues to consider when choosing one browser over another
3. Describe the function of Web servers
4. Describe the importance of security in ebusiness
5. Identify the key considerations when choosing one security provider over another
6. Describe the function and features of search engines

If you would like to see which vendors sell the tools discussed in this module, go to the Vendors list on the Resources page. Vendors are categorized by product and by module.

Security in e-business is of paramount importance due to the inherent risks associated with conducting transactions and managing data over the internet. As an e-business solutions architect, ensuring the security of online operations is crucial for several reasons:

1. Data Protection: E-business involves the exchange and storage of sensitive information, such as customer personal data, financial transactions, and proprietary business details. Security measures are essential to protect this data from unauthorized access, theft, or exposure, thus ensuring confidentiality and privacy.
2. Trust and Reputation: Customers and business partners need to trust that their information and transactions are safe. A single security breach can significantly damage a company's reputation, leading to loss of customers, partners, and revenue. Implementing robust security practices helps in building and maintaining this trust.
3. Regulatory Compliance: Many regions and industries have strict regulations governing the handling and protection of data, such as GDPR in the European Union and HIPAA in the healthcare sector in the United States. Compliance with these regulations is not optional; it's a legal requirement. Failure to comply can result in hefty fines and legal consequences.
4. Business Continuity: Cyber threats like malware, ransomware, and DDoS attacks can disrupt business operations, leading to downtime and financial losses. Security measures help to mitigate these threats, ensuring that e-business platforms are resilient and can maintain continuity in the face of cyber attacks.
5. Competitive Advantage: In a market where consumers are increasingly aware of cyber risks, demonstrating strong security practices can be a differentiator for an e-business. Companies that prioritize security can leverage this commitment as a competitive advantage, attracting customers who value their data protection and privacy.
6. Innovation and Growth: Secure e-business environments enable companies to confidently explore and adopt new technologies and business models. Whether it's expanding into new markets, offering innovative services, or streamlining operations with cloud computing, security is the foundation that supports sustainable growth and innovation.

In essence, security is not just a technical necessity; it's a critical business strategy for e-businesses. It supports trust, compliance, continuity, and growth, all of which are essential for the success and sustainability of online business operations.

Here is a list of terms introduced in this module that may be new to you:

1. Biometrics: Generally, the study of measurable biological characteristics. In computer security biometrics refers to authentication techniques that rely on measurable physical characteristics that can be automatically checked. Examples include computer analysis of fingerprints or speech.
2. FTP: The protocol used for transferring files over the Internet.
3. GOPHER: A program that searches for file names and resources on the Internet and presents hierarchical menus to the user. As users select options, they are moved to different Gopher servers on the Internet. Where links have been established, Usenet news and other information can be read directly from Gopher. There are more than 7,000 Gopher servers on the Internet.
4. HTTP: The underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands.
5. Indexer: A program that reads the documents fetched by a search engine spider then indexes it according to the words used in the document.
6. ISAPI (Internet Server API: A programming interface on Internet Information Server (IIS), Microsoft\'s Web server. Using ISAPI function calls, Web pages can invoke programs that are written as DLLs on the server, typically to access data in a database. IIS comes with a DLL that allows embedded queries to access ODBC-compliant databases. ISAPI is an alternative to using CGI scripts on Microsoft Web servers. The counterpart to ISAPI on the client side is WinInet.
7. NSAPI (NetScape API): A programming interface on Netscape's Web Server. Using NSAPI function calls, Web pages can invoke programs on the server, typically to access data in a database. NSAPI is an alternative to using CGI scripts on Netscape Web servers.
8. Portals: A Web "supersite" that provides a variety of services including Web searching, news, white and yellow pages directories, free e-mail, discussion groups, online shopping and links to other sites. Web portals are the Web equivalent of the original online services such as CompuServe and AOL. Although the term was initially used to refer to general-purpose sites, it is increasingly being used to refer to vertical market sites that offer the same services, but only to a particular industry such as banking, insurance or computers.
9. Public-key encryption: A means to ensure user authorization. Public-key encryption has two keys: one to encrypt the material, the other to decrypt it.
10. Secret-key encryption: A means to ensure user authorization. Secret-key encryption uses a shared key for both the encryption and decryption of transmitted material.
11. Spider: A program that automatically fetches Web pages. Spiders are used to feed pages to search engines. Spiders are also called Web crawlers and PriceBots.
12. TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)A communications protocol developed under contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to internetwork dissimilar systems. Invented by Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn, this de facto UNIX standard is the protocol of the Internet and has become the global standard for communications. TCP provides transport functions, which ensures that the total amount of bytes sent is received correctly at the other end. IP provides the routing mechanism. TCP/IP is a routable protocol, which means that all messages contain not only the address of the destination station, but also the address of a destination network. This allows TCP/IP messages to be sent to multiple networks within an organization or around the world, hence its use in the Internet.
13. Wide Area Information Server: A database on the Internet that contains indexes to documents that reside on the Internet. Using the Z39.50 query language, text files can be searched based on keywords. Information resources on the Internet are called "sources." A directory of WAIS servers and sources is available from Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge, MA.

The next module explores integration strategies for eBusiness.

Click the Quiz link to review the concepts taught in this lesson.
Web Technology - Quiz