This project will look at e-Commerce, concentrating on security measures of an online auction site, eBay. Security on the Internet is a concern for any online business in today’s society. We will discuss online services, how businesses on the Internet conduct their transactions and shipping.
Conclusion Body (description of the problem) Technology is moving ahead of a rapid pace and reinventing the way business is done. E-business has the potential to affect every part of the value chain, from inbound logistics and operations through to outbound logistics, marketing and after sales support. Forecasts indicate that in 2001 e-business will top U. S. $ 434 billion and much of that will be in business-to-business transactions. The advantages are clear, e- business can help cut costs, link supply chains more efficiently and service markets more effectively.
Scalability, flexibility, security, performance and back end integration are all vital issues, getting architect right is the key. While online services are growing, security measures are becoming more of a concern. Background to Online Services Offering end-to-end online service: The concept of e-comerce essentially gives the customer indirect access to the company’s mainframe based insurance systems. The customer can get information and quotes online whenever it suits them and they can also buy their insurance coverage online and be instantly insured.
This is an end-to-end fully online operation available 24 hours a day. Integrating the supply chain: Businesses need to take advantage of e-commerce to beat competition. There is an example of a leading organization in the building industry, with over 2000 suppliers and 25 stores serving both trade and retail customers. They wanted to reduce overheads, strengthen their supplier relationships and take advantage of e-commerce. One solution is to automate the purchase order process. Orders are sent directly to a suppliers’ system with a consolidated order sent at the end of the day.
Suppliers complete the process by invoicing our client back electronically- the invoice is automatically generated when the goods are despatched. Orders and invoices can be in any file format required by either the buyer or the supplier. All that’s required is a common network between the two parties, such as the Internet. Also neither party is tied to any particular Internet service or bandwidth capabilties. In fact, the solution even works if one party doesn’t have a computer because both orders and invoices can be electronically arranged over the phone.
Becoming an electronic middleman: A unique electronic infrastructure means a wide range of businesses can transact their e- business via the client’s service, the Internet for example. Flexibility, security and ease of replication are key business requirements. The solution provides diverse means of access, high-grade public key encryption of messages, full transaction logging and audit, and a transaction manager that combines multiple back end applications into a single scaleable view for the customer.
The technical skills have made a new multi-bank bill payment service possible. Customers can pay their bills via the Internet using a secure payment services from around the world. They can view bills before payment, set up automatic payments, and load new payments any time by selecting from lists of banks and billers. From a business perspective, the service allows banks and billers a cost effective electronic bill delivery and payment services without having to develop their own systems.
Any transaction activity done on the Internet, especially deailing with payments must be highly secure. No customer information is held on the web server and the system uses the latest 128 bit encryption technology and customer have passwords and ID. International retailing via the net: There are some examples of international retailing done on the Internet. For example, an internationally known publisher wanted an e-business model to launch an internet-based weekly subscription service.
They required an international electronic subscription mechanism and a secure credit card payment system with payments processed in the customer’s own country. The middleware that allows the company to both capture and manage subscriptions and process payments works with a range of banks around the world and allows dealings in some 120 countries. The solutions also provides a wide range of administrative and reporting functions. The business can extract marketing data and keep a profile of its customers.
They can also check statistics, such as visits to the site, and monitor the performance of their network, web servers and internet links. The web site is based on the architectural principles of scalability, security, platform independence and open Internet standards. This was a leading edge project and the first site outside the U. S. to use open market payment middleware. The solution was developed and implemented within just 4 months, which enabled the client to globally launch their product within a very short timeframe.
