Ebusiness Infrastucture
e-business infrastructure April 2001
Creating an infrastructure for e-business: Computing in an e-business world
By Stefan Van Overtveldt IBM Program Manager, e-business Strategy
e-business infrastructure Page 2
Contents
3 7 9 The evolution of e-business The impact of e-business on today’s IT environment Design criteria for an e-business infrastructure 14 The blueprint for an e-business infrastructure 19 Pervasive computing 22 Investment considerations 26 Conclusion
Introduction “The infrastructure of e-business has become a mission-critical component of today’s global enterprise that can not be overlooked. Judging from the impact of recent outages in some of the industry’s leading e-business providers – and from the concerns expressed by leading CIOs and CTOs in e-business – the risk of infrastructure problems continues to grow.” 1 Few technologies have revolutionized business more than the advent of the Internet. Since the mid-nineties, companies all over the world have been quick to realize that the Internet’s true value is not in people’s ability to browse the Web or send e-mail, but rather, in the new opportunities it creates for enhancing business processes, reducing costs and increasing profits. However, e-business is not simply defined as e-commerce transactions; it is about using technology to redefine old business models in order to maximize customer value. With the relentless evolution of e-business technology, non e-business models and organizational structures will be faced with increasing pressures. Competition will exploit Internet technology as much as possible. New competitors will emerge out of nowhere using new business models and an enhanced customer experience to take away market share and mind share. In order to compete – some might even say survive – in this new economic era, a company must be able to react quickly to challenges – constantly innovating their processes to stay in step with technology and ahead of competition. To
Creating an infrastructure for e-business: Computing in an e-business world
By Stefan Van Overtveldt IBM Program Manager, e-business Strategy
e-business infrastructure Page 2
Contents
3 7 9 The evolution of e-business The impact of e-business on today’s IT environment Design criteria for an e-business infrastructure 14 The blueprint for an e-business infrastructure 19 Pervasive computing 22 Investment considerations 26 Conclusion
Introduction “The infrastructure of e-business has become a mission-critical component of today’s global enterprise that can not be overlooked. Judging from the impact of recent outages in some of the industry’s leading e-business providers – and from the concerns expressed by leading CIOs and CTOs in e-business – the risk of infrastructure problems continues to grow.” 1 Few technologies have revolutionized business more than the advent of the Internet. Since the mid-nineties, companies all over the world have been quick to realize that the Internet’s true value is not in people’s ability to browse the Web or send e-mail, but rather, in the new opportunities it creates for enhancing business processes, reducing costs and increasing profits. However, e-business is not simply defined as e-commerce transactions; it is about using technology to redefine old business models in order to maximize customer value. With the relentless evolution of e-business technology, non e-business models and organizational structures will be faced with increasing pressures. Competition will exploit Internet technology as much as possible. New competitors will emerge out of nowhere using new business models and an enhanced customer experience to take away market share and mind share. In order to compete – some might even say survive – in this new economic era, a company must be able to react quickly to challenges – constantly innovating their processes to stay in step with technology and ahead of competition. To
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