Conducting e-Business - Essay Example

Background Briefing Delivery options for a data centric web presence for start up businesses desiring to use the Internet as its core medium of operation Conducting e-Business Essential for today’s globalised economy and fast paced world. Provides opportunities for reducing costs, quicker marketing, increasing efficiency, and expanding opportunities. Provides timely and accurate information - Offers existing and potential customers and suppliers easier access to product/service information Allows more effective management of existing and potential customers and suppliers within a single system of reduced complexity. Basic Challenges Challenges faced by start up businesses wanting to make the best use of the Internet are firstly to know why they should take up the e-business route, to know what options are available, and then to know in more detail how to go about the whole process of setting up and running the system. All companies under the capitalist system seek competitive advantage over their competition. Therefore, minimizing costs and maximising profits are the higher priorities. Greater challenges Greater challenges faced by those start up businesses wanting to use the Internet as its core medium of operation through the deployment of a data centric service or product: Effective integration of business processes so that the e-business solution is capable of delivering reliable and accurate product/service information online in real time. Company should be able to react quickly to take on new opportunities, and reduce costs and time to market their products/services. Additional modules of the e-business system should be flexible, meet industry standards, and allow new implementations to be added easily and quickly, and with minimal disruption. The system must be able to handle the different computing systems across all the company’s offices and departments. Security issues dealing with authorization and access to the system both internally and on the Internet. Seamless integration of internal database with Internet system. Implementation of feedback loops to tailor service based on individual decisions and requirements. This requires faster data analysis tools and greater integration. Effective handling of the sheer amount of data generated. Business goals must be clearly defined and made known so that web marketing is conducted appropriately and responsibly. The Three-Tier System Operating System + Server/Client Side Programming Languages + Backend Database(s) These environments inevitably include the operating system of the servers, the server side and client side programming languages and the backend database(s) that may be deployed. These three-tier systems have become very common in the past several years and they now deliver a wide range of services effectively. Extra tiers relate to the software, tools, API’s and the methodologies used. Example Companies like British Airways (BA) have transformed their business making very effective use of a data driven web centric platform. Many aspects of the business from planning, buying, targeting and optimisation are data driven in many other such leading companies too. Data warehousing for example is a common practice in leading companies now. This practice of gathering and extracting useful data to then analyse and use to the company’s strategic advantage is called Business Intelligence. Range of Technologies A range of technological environments and packages that such businesses can use to deliver a data centric presence on the web capable of delivering a service to customers follow. Linux A free and flexible UNIX-based operating system popular in data centers. Popular versions include Red Hat, Ubuntu and CentOS. MS Windows Windows is Microsoft’s proprietary GUI based operating system AJAX This is an approach to web development for creating interactive web applications. It stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, so it is a combination of technologies. It uses JavaScript for making requests to the server, DHTML and CSS to display it, and XML to receive the returned data from the web server to be then processed by JavaScript. FLASH This is a vector graphics animation technology that is browser independent and uses low bandwidth. It also enables users to draw their own animations. J2EE This is a Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition of the Java programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. The advantage is that the Java Platform is a virtual machine and therefore allows cross-platform communication. Java Beans JavaBeans defines how Java objects interact. It is similar to an ActiveX control but can run on any platform. Java Scripting This is a open scripting language (developed by Netscape so) not to be confused with Java despite sharing some of its structures and features. It allows interactivity in websites through interacting with the HTML code. MySQL This is the world’s most popular open-source (RDBMS) database. It relies on SQL and is used for both embedded and web applications. .NET This is Microsoft’s framework that extends the MS Windows operating system by providing pre-written codes for common requirements. It comprises of applications and a set of tools and services. Oracle This is a powerful relational database management system (RDBMS) from Oracle. PHP This is an open-source programming language originally designed for producing dynamic websites. It is used mainly for server-side scripting but can also be used from a command line interface or from within a graphics program. SAAS Software-As-A-Service (or ‘on demand’) is an application software delivery method in which web-native software is hosted for use by others through an API via the Internet. So it is accessed via a web browser. In differs from the traditional method in that customers pay not for owning the software but for using it. SQL Server SQL Server is an SQL offering from Sybase and Microsoft. It can also handle queries from client machines using SQL, so the RDBM is based on an implementation of the standard ANSI/ISO standard SQL. Comparison and Contrast A comparison and contrast of the aforementioned operating systems, programming languages and databases including risks and opportunities: Operating Systems (Sun’s) Java is actually a high-level object-oriented programming language that takes good advantage of the web. The code is executed by a Java interpreter and runtime environment (known as Java Virtual Machine) within a proper operating system as the ones below amongst others. Linux is based on UNIX, and is open source and freely distributable. It is a popular alternative to proprietary operating systems as the one below amongst others. It can run on a larger range of hardware and is easily virtualizable. MS Windows dominates personal computers today. Programming Languages Java is suited for e-commerce as it is cross-platform, contains built-in support for using computer networks, uses object oriented programming, and provides a secure way for remote execution. On the downside it consumes more memory compared to natively compiled languages. .NET works well with both desktop applications and Internet services. It contains a lot of functionality and has native support for XML and other open standards. So it allows good quality software to be created and in less time due to not having to rewrite much code. PHP is relatively easier to learn and program in, is feature-rich and free. This accounts for its popularity and the fact that web pages can be produced quickly. It is often criticized for potential security flaws in comparison to other languages, and error codes are less understandable. However, PHP has strong support from the open source community. Databases MySQL is reliable and fast making it a popular alternative to the proprietary databases. It can run on multiple operating systems. It is available for free and is well supported. Oracle first supported the industry standard SQL language and is deployed especially on high-end workstations and minicomputers. The Enterprise Edition delivers industry leading performance, reliability and security. It can run on several platforms. It is proprietary software. SQL Server supports only the Windows operating system. Licensing is commercial. It is harder to install and maintain than the above, consumes greater resources, and also has relatively greater risks and vulnerabilities. Possible Combinations Some possible combinations of these technologies for projects they may wish to support: LAMP Linux (operating system) + Apache (web server) + MySQL (database server) + PHP (programming language). All parts designed to work together Somewhat similar to AJAX in terms of method All these components are open-source, so popular and ‘free’. This means lower costs for companies. Excellent provision of support and help when needed through a strong support community. The WAMP variant uses MS Windows in place of Linux but is costly. Microsoft’s solution MS Windows + .NET + SQL Server More expensive because it is all propriety software but the operating system is dominant. Sun Microsystem’s Java solution J2EE + Java Beans + one of the 3 databases (depending on the operating system) Supported on multiple platforms Oracle’s solution Oracle database + choice of language (depending on operating system) + choice of operating systems (on which Oracle can be deployed) Latest Trends and Current Thinking AJAX The user feels the website to be more interactive, faster, usable and functional. Web-based applications can have the look and feel of desktop applications. As it works by exchanging small amounts of data with the server, the whole web page does not need to reload in response to user requests. In fact, data can be updated continuously on the page. It is easy to learn being based on JavaScript and other existing technologies. SAAS SAAS is creating a profound shift in the way software is delivered and consumed. It is an alternative to the traditional method of giving software based on a license for continuous use. Benefits to customers – flexible, cost effective, faster and easier way of using software Providers accept greater responsibility for issues of performance, stability, security and overall software value. Greater chances for continuous improvements in the software. Benefits to vendors – Improves competitive edge, provides new income opportunities, widens scope for sales, and fosters a more customer centric relationship. Opportunity for providing software services to smaller companies unable to afford purchasing the software. Web analytics is another data driven strategy that companies use to gain a competitive edge. It provides them with relevant information not only about their own business but also of the competition. In short, data is fundamental to not only computing but also interactive websites and the way competitive companies run their business. The numerous benefits of conducting e-business using data driven websites were mentioned at the outset. It is simply a smarter way of conducting business. And, a range of options was considered which combines the various technologies into a few suitable packages. Read More