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Accessibility
The segment targeted must be able to
be reached and served adequately by the firm’s promotion and distribution system.
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
Internet protocol (IP) used in IPv4
to map an IP address to a media access control (MAC) address. A MAC is a 48-bit code for
layer 2 networking maintained by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) and hardwired into network adapters. Also called Ethernet address.
Advanced Research Projects Agency
Network (ARPANET)
The forerunner of the Internet that
was a pioneering long-haul network. It served as the testbed for many areas of
inter-network technology development and testing and acted as the central backbone during
the development of the Internet.
Advanced ship notice (ASN)
An electronic data interchange (EDI)
transaction that identifies the contents of a container that is en route from a supplier
to a customer.
Affiliate
Companies that sell other
manufacturers’ or retailers’ (sponsoring merchants’) products on their Web
sites. Users select a product at the affiliate Web site, but the sale is actually
transacted at the sponsoring merchant’s Web site.
Aggregator
Enables buyers to select among goods
and services from various vendors within a market by collecting information from the
vendors’ Web sites and then making this information available through its own Web
site. The consumer only has to visit the aggregator’s Web site, not all the
individual vendor sites.
Algorithms
A clearly defined procedure for
performing a complex process by carrying out a series of finite steps that lead to a
specific result. Algorithms can be written in any computer language.
Analog
Used primarily for broadcast and
phone transmission, although these media are moving towards digital transmission today.
Telephone transmissions are completed by turning voice vibrations into sound wave
vibrations.
Applet
A small program that runs within an
application. Applets are commonly used to make otherwise static World Wide Web pages more
interactive.
Application
The term is sometimes used in place
of “application program,” “software,” or “program,” which
are used to process data for the user. Applications also refer to specific areas where
computers are applied.
Application architecture (AA)
Describes the layout of an
application’s deployment. This generally includes partitioned application logic and
deployment to application server engines. They rely less on specific tool or language
technology and more on standardized middleware options, communication protocols, data
gateways, and platform infrastructures.
Application development (AD)
A process that includes the following
steps:
1. Identifying a need
2. Defining the requirements
3. Planning the overall application structure or architecture
4. Developing the code or programming instructions
5. Monitoring progress
6. Testing results
Application integration
The process of a) keeping redundant
copies of data (in independently designed applications) consistent, and/or b) enabling
end-users to access data and functionality from independently designed applications on a
single user interface.
Application layer
The top of the seven-layer Open
Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, generally regarded as offering an interface to, and
largely defined by, the network user.
Application service provider (ASP)
An organization that hosts software
applications on its own servers within its own facilities. Customers access the
application via private lines or the Internet. Also called a commercial service provider.
Architecture
The overall design of a computing
system and the logical and physical interrelationships between its components. The
architecture specifies the hardware, software, access methods, and protocols used
throughout the system.
Auction
An electronic market, which can exist in
both a business-to-business and business-to-consumer context. Sellers offer products or
services to buyers through a Web site with a structured process for price setting and
fulfilment.
Authentication service
A mechanism for the secure
authentication of the identity of network clients by servers and vice versa, without
presuming the operating system integrity of either.
Authorization
Occurs when the merchant, its
merchant bank, and the customer’s card-issuing bank work together to verify that the
electronic payment should be permitted given the customer’s credit limit or the
amount in the customer’s bank account.
Automated clearinghouse (ACH)
An electronic funds transfer system
governed by operating rules that provide clearance of electronic payments with
participating financial institutions.
Available to promise
The uncommitted portion of a
company’s inventory or planned production. This figure is frequently calculated from
the master production schedule and is maintained as a tool for order promising.
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Back-office (back-end)
The business processes and
operational functions that happen internally or through the supply chain. These functions
often include inventory management, order processing and tracking, shipping and receiving,
purchasing and distribution.
Bandwidth
The amount of information that can be
effectively pushed through a particular communications pipe at a given time. It is
typically measured in bits per second.
Banner ad
A graphic image used on Web sites to
advertise a product. Banner ads are typically rectangles of a standard height and width
that the user can click on for further information.
Biometrics
A method of identification or
authentication that measures a unique physical or behavioral biological characteristic
such as a fingerprint, face, voice, or iris of the eye.
Bit
The minimum unit of binary
information as stored in a computer system. A bit can have only two states, on or off,
which are commonly called ones (1) and zeros (0). The combination of ones and zeros
determines which information is entered into and processed by the computer.
Bits per second (BPS)
The basic unit of measurement for
serial data transmission capacity. Represented as Kbps, or kilobit/s, for thousands of
bits per second; Mbps, or megabit/s, for millions of bits per second; Gbps, or gigabit/s,
for billions of bits per second; Tbps, or terabit/s, for trillions of bits per second.
BPR analytical techniques
Mathematical, graphical, logical, and
managerial algorithms for describing and modeling business processes, information systems,
or management decision-making systems.
BPR methodology
An integrated set of management
policies and project management procedures for analyzing existing business processes and
systems, designing new processes and systems, testing and managing the implementation
process.
BPR tools
Combinations of techniques and
software products that allow electronic capture, analysis, testing, simulation,
reconfiguration, and persistent memory of business and systems models.
Branding
A trademark or distinctive name
identifying a product or a manufacturer.
Bricks and clicks
Traditional companies that create a
virtual counterpart of their brick and mortar business are sometimes referred to as
hybrids.
Bricks and mortars
A traditional company with non-Web
channels (a physical building) as the sales outlet for its products or services.
Broadband
The diameter of the pipe through
which information passes. Broad bandwidth technology will allow complex information to be
transmitted to users, such as real-time sound and video.
Brochureware site
Establishes an Internet presence with
basic features such as company information, directions, hours of operation, and product
information. It does not allow transactions or interactivity. Considered to be Level 1 on
the CRM continuum.
Browser
A software program used to locate and
display information on an intranet, extranet or the Internet. Browsers are most often used
to access Web pages and most display graphics, photographs, text, and multimedia
information.
Bulletin board system (BBS)
An information systems communications
initiative for sharing information and experience via a dial-up message center.
Business driver
The business or industry needs or
changes which are the driving force behind making changes within an organization.
Business intelligence (BI)
User-led (versus computer-led)
process of exploring data, data relationships, and trends to improve business
decision-making. Insights derived from BI’s inquiry and analysis techniques are
critical to enterprise-wide strategic planning efforts. BI technology is divided into
interactive query tools, reporting tools, decision support systems, and executive
information systems.
Business process
An event-driven, end-to-end
processing path that starts with an internal or external request and ends with a result
for the customer. Business processes are often cross-departmental and can be enterprise
wide.
Business process architect
One who focuses on the structure and
organization of various business processes. Also, examines how the business process can be
improved.
Business process re-engineering (BPR)
The fundamental analysis and radical
redesign of business practices and management systems, job definitions, organizational
systems, and beliefs and behaviors to achieve dramatic performance improvements throughout
the organization. BPR uses objective, quantitative methods and tools to complete these
transformations.
Business unit
A single business or collection of
businesses within a company that, in theory, could stand-alone from the company. A
business unit has its own competitors in the marketplace and a manager who is responsible
for running the business unit.
Business-to-business
The business model where transactions
and interactions are primarily conducted from one business to another. Using electronic
means to conduct business, each organization is generally set up through a contractual
agreement. Transactions are conducted through Web authorization and control (WAC) for
delivery of confidential information, order processing and tracking, and other internal
processes available for each partner.
Business-to-consumer
The business model where electronic
transactions and interactions are conducted from a business to its consumer. This commerce
may include formal and informal relationships.
Business-to-employee
Sometimes referred to as employee
self-service; it is offered through intraweb portals (e.g., an HR portal).
Business-to-government
The business model where electronic
transactions and interactions are conducted from a business to the government and vice
versa. It may include transactions that involve funding, policies and laws, and other
governmental business transactions.
Buy side
Processes enabling companies to
purchase products. Includes requisitioning, product catalogues, approvals, user
identification, purchase order creation, payment processing, and integration with other
systems.
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Cache
A temporary storage area for
instructions and data near a computer’s central processing unit (CPU), usually
implemented in high-speed memory. It replicates information from main memory or storage in
a way that facilitates quicker access, using fewer resources than the original source.
Capacity planning
The function of establishing,
measuring, and adjusting limits for the amount of Internet traffic that can be
accommodated at any one time. E-business sites need to plan for unpredictable spikes in
usage and traffic.
Certificate (certification) authority
(CA)
Either internal or third-party
entities that affirm or electronically vouch for an individual’s identity. They are
used to vouch for the identity of a device, such as a Web server, a network router, or an
application. The certificate is backed by a profile stored in a database that is
referenced to retrieve a public key or to check attributes such as permissions and roles.
Change management
Automated support for development,
rollout, and maintenance of system components (i.e., intelligent regeneration, package
versioning, state control, library control, configuration management, turnover management,
and distributed impact sensitivity reporting).
Channel
1. In data communications, a one-way
path along which signals can be sent between two or more points.
2. In telecommunications, a transmission path (one-or two-way) between two or more points
provided by a common carrier.
3. In business terminology, a channel refers to the route by which a company’s
products or services are delivered to the marketplace or end-user. A channel can be
referred to as a marketing, sales, or a distribution channel.
Channel master
The application used by trading
partners that resides within a single company. An example would be a shared service
provider that allows its partners to use an internal application to accomplish a business
process.
Clearance
The routing of the payment
information from the merchant bank to the card-issuing bank at the end of the business
day.
Click through
Occurs when an Internet user clicks
the mouse to link through an ad’s text or graphics in order to access the message of
the ad or the ad’s Web site.
Clickstream tools
Tools that watch the pages a site
visitor browses and keeps track of time spent at the particular location.
Client
A system or a program that requests
the activity of one or more other systems or programs, called servers, to accomplish
specific tasks. In a client/server environment, the workstation is usually the client.
Client/server (C/S)
The splitting of an application into
tasks performed on separate computing devices — a programmable workstation such as a
personal computer (PC) and a server. The PC (the client) does some of its own processing,
while the server typically stores information and software. The two sides are connected by
a local-area network (LAN) or wide-area network (WAN).
Client/server architecture
The division of an application into
separate processes capable of operating on separate central processing units (CPUs)
connected over a network.
Collaboration technologies
Computer-mediated
groupware that increases the productivity or functionality of person-to-person
processes.
Collaborative extranet
Occurs when all trading partners
agree to use the same application functionality. This type is normally used for
collaborative applications such as the development of products.
Collaborative commerce (C-Commerce)
Electronically enabled business
interactions among an enterprise's internal personnel, suppliers, business partners, and
customers throughout a given trading community.
Collaborative filtering
A marketing technique that
automatically provides a consumer with a list of additional items similar to the current
purchase.
Common gateway interface (CGI)
A data-passing specification used
when a Web server must send or receive data from an application such as a database. A CGI
script passes the request from the Web server to a database, gets the output, and returns
it to the Web client.
Communication
Transmission of information between
points of transmission and reception, without alteration of sequence or structure of the
content.
Communication protocol
The exchange of a special sequence of
control characters between a computer and a remote terminal to establish synchronous
communications.
Community
A constantly changing group of people
collaborating and sharing their ideas over an electronic network (e.g., the Internet).
Communities optimize their collective power by affiliation around a common interest.
Information can be shared via bulletin boards, chat rooms, list servers, etc.
Concurrency
A measure of the number of users
engaged in transactions at the same time. This information is critical for capacity
planning.
Confidentiality
Protection of data from unauthorized
viewing.
Configuration management
A function that enables
impact/dependency analysis of application components.
Connect
To join to or by means of a
communications circuit.
Connectivity
In IT terms, it refers to the ability
to connect to or communicate with another computer or computer system. In e-business the
term often refers to connecting to the Internet, or the ability to connect to a Web site.
Consumer-to-consumer
A business model where consumers have
the capability to conduct electronic transactions with other consumers. This often
includes online auction or trading sites.
Content provider
An enterprise with information-based
products. It also includes services to access and manage the content.
Cookie
A permanent code placed in a file on
a client computer’s hard disk by a server that the client has visited. The code
uniquely identifies the client. When the PC user returns, they are automatically entered
into the site without relogging in.
Customer
One that purchases a commodity or
service. Many organizations are changing their focus towards the customer and attempting
to best meet and satisfy their needs.
Customer analysis
An analysis of customer data by using
historic records of customer behavior to build estimates of future behavior such as
loyalty, responsiveness, and profitability.
Customer management systems
An application or set of applications
used by marketing professionals to design multi-channel marketing campaigns and track the
effect of those campaigns by customer segment over time.
Customer profile
A definition of the customer in terms
of the various market segmentation variables. E-businesses must be able to identify each
customer’s preferences, behaviors, and demographics.
Customer relationship management (CRM)
An enterprise-wide business strategy
designed to optimize profitability, revenue, and customer needs satisfaction. To
accomplish this the enterprise must organize operations around customer segments,
fostering customer satisfying behaviors and linking processes from customers back through
suppliers.
Customer service and support (CSS)
Systems such as help desks and sales
and marketing systems that provide front-line support with back-end linkage for
interaction with customers (e.g., tracking, resolution and escalation). A CSS tracking
system tracks and reports inquiries resolved during the initial contact and those that
require follow-up.
Customer-centric
The business strategy of CRM that
clearly places the customer at the heart of an enterprise's strategy. Firms that employ
this strategy will not only enable themselves to provide greater value to customers but
will be able to serve these customers faster and more accurately than any competitor.
Customization
Occurs when a site permits choices
among static categories. It involves features to allow Web visitors to select how certain
pages are displayed. The user, not the Web site’s content creator, is in control of
the content.
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Data integrity
A performance measure based on the
rate of undetected errors.
Data mart
A decentralized subset of data found
in a data warehouse that is designed to support the unique business unit requirements of a
specific decision support system.
Data mining
The process of identifying patterns
from typically large amounts of business data and extracting useful information. It can be
performed by people, intelligent agents, or other machine-based learning and analysis
techniques. Data mining is often applied to data stored on a data warehouse.
Data synchronization
A form of embedded middleware that
allows applications to update data on two systems so that the data sets are identical.
These services can run via a variety of different transports but typically require some
application-specific knowledge of the context and notion of the data being synchronized.
Data warehouse
A central computer repository that
stores all (or significant portions of) the data collected by an enterprise’s
multiple business systems. Data from online transaction processing applications and other
sources is selectively collected, extracted, sorted, and cleaned. Then it is stored in a
data warehouse, which is usually housed in an enterprise mainframe server.
Database administrator (DBA)
The person responsible for managing
data, namely data set placement, database performance, and data recovery and integrity at
a physical level.
Database management system (DBMS)
A software package that enables end
users or application programmers to share data. It provides a systematic method of
creating, updating, retrieving, and storing information in a database (DB). DBMSs are
generally also responsible for data integrity, data access control, and automated
rollback, restart, and recovery.
Decision support systems
A system designed to support
strategic (versus operating) decisions. Decision support systems allow the computer rather
than the user to make decisions. The system tends to be user-friendly and emphasize ad hoc
query, reporting, and analysis capabilities. This is in contrast to online transaction
processing, which focuses on low-cost, fast-response, and predictably structured
applications.
Demand planning
Order and market information flows
upstream continuously from the point of sale, while information on product availability
and inventory levels flow downstream.
Digital
The generation, storing, processing,
and transmission of all electronic data (e.g., words, numbers, even voices) in one of two
states represented as 0s and 1s. Computers only understand and read digital data.
Digital certificate
An electronic document that is issued
by a certificate authority to verify a public key for a company.
Digital money
Electronic money used on the
Internet.
Digital signature
String of bits that identifies the
originator of a message or transaction and is the result of the application of the
originator’s private key to a one-way hash of the (encrypted) message file. Also
provides message integrity.
Directory services
Middleware that locates the correct
and full network address for a mail addressee from a partial name or address. A directory
service provides a naming service and extends the capabilities to include intelligent
searching and location of resources in the directory structure.
Disintermediation
The elimination of the middleman in
the channel to market. The term has been used to focus on the theoretical advantages of
purchasing directly from companies on the Web, such as convenience, cost savings, and fast
turnaround time.
Domain
1. A group of nodes on a network forming
an administrative entity.
2. On the Internet, a part of the naming
hierarchy that refers to groupings of networks based on organization type or geography.
Domain name
A unique identifier for an Internet
site. Consists of at least two (but sometimes more) parts separated by periods (e.g.,
http://www.anyname.com).
Domain Name System (or Service) (DNS)
Name resolution software that lets
users locate computers on a UNIX network or the Internet (TCP/IP network) by domain name.
The DNS root name servers maintain a database of domain names (host names) and their
corresponding IP addresses and are responsible for one or more top-level domain names,
e.g., com or edu.
Dot-com
A company that was started with the
intent of doing business over the Internet. Also referred to as a virtual company.
Dynamic HTML
HTML that supports real-time
personalization of Web page content.
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E-Business
Involves any Internet-enabled
business activity that transforms internal and external relationships to create new value
and exploit market opportunities driven by new rules of the connected economy.
E-Commerce (EC)
The use of communication technologies
to transmit business information and transact business. Taking an order over the telephone
is a simple form of EC. Internet commerce is also EC but is only one of several advanced
forms of EC that use technology, integrated applications, and business processes to link
enterprises.
E-Commerce Modeling Language (ECML)
An open standard, rather than a
programming language, that will function with any security protocol (e.g., SSL or SET) and
support any type of consumer payment card. It was developed through collaboration with the
credit card companies.
Electronic benefits transfer (EBT)
The electronic delivery of government
benefits to recipients by means of a special debit card issued to the recipient.
Electronic bill presentment/payment
(EBPP)
The electronic capability for
companies to post bills online and allow their customers to pay the bill electronically.
Electronic data interchange (EDI)
The electronic exchange of trading
documents (e.g., invoices and orders) to enable e-commerce. Originally conducted only
through value-added networks, EDI is gradually moving to the Internet.
Electronic funds transfer (EFT)
The electronic exchange of
information between financial institutions, which results in debits and credits.
Electronic wallet
A place that holds digital money that
has been purchased, or credit card information along with a digital certificate, that
identifies the consumer as the authorized cardholder.
E-Mail
Any communication service that
permits the electronic transmission and storage of messages, (generally text or graphics),
and attached or enclosed files.
E-Market maker
Intermediaries that develop a
business-to-business e-marketplace of buyers and sellers within an industry, geographic
region, or affinity group.
E-Marketplace
A Web site that enables buyers to
select from many suppliers. The purpose is to put the buyer in control and provide
decision support tools that enable a buyer to make the most informed decision.
Technologies or systems that enable
an organization to become an e-business.
The process of systematically
encoding a bit stream before transmission so that an unauthorized party cannot decipher
it.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
The integration of financial,
manufacturing, and distribution functionality to balance and optimize the enterprise.
E-Service
Internet-based customer service. It
is seen as a way to reduce the volume of calls to call centers and collect all customer
inquiries and complaints into one streamlined place.
E-Tailer
Retail organization that provides
their customers with a virtual shopping experience as close to an in-store visit as
possible.
E-Team
A team of people who are involved
with the planning, development, and implementation of an e-business initiative.
Ethernet
A baseband local-area network (LAN)
developed by Xerox and supported by Intel, Digital Equipment, and Hewlett-Packard. It has
a bus topology with carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD)
access control.
Executive information systems (EIS)
Application system designed for use
by the corporate executive. The EIS acts as a usable interface to a database of company
information. It automates high-level analysis and reporting and typically has a
user-friendly graphical interface.
Extensible markup language (XML)
A metalanguage that provides a
flexible way to create common information formats and share both the format and the data
on the Web.
Extranet
A collaborative, Internet-based
network to link an enterprise with its suppliers, customers or other external business
partners and to facilitate intercompany relationships. Extranets use Internet-derived
applications and technology to become the secured extensions of internal business
processes to external business partners.
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Fat client
In the client/server environment, it
is the client that performs the bulk of the data processing operations. This data is then
stored on the server.
Fault tolerance
Refers to the ability of the system
to continue non-stop when a failure occurs. In the event one component fails, another
takes over without a disruption in performance.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
A Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) standard used to log on to a network, list
directories, and copy files. It provides authentication of the user and lets users
transfer files, list directories, delete and rename files on the foreign host, and perform
wild-card transfers.
Financial products Markup Language
(FpML)
A schema for a specific type of
financial instrument in the financial services industry.
Firewall
An application or an entire computer
that controls access to the network and monitors the flow of network traffic. A firewall
can screen and keep out unwanted network traffic and ward off outside intrusion into a
private network, which is particularly important when connected to the Internet.
Front-office (front-end)
The business interactions that take
place with the customer or an external body. It includes such functions as marketing,
sales, product support, and order taking.
Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)
The address of a network connection
that identifies the owner of that address in a hierarchical format (e.g.,
www.whitehouse.gov).
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Gateway
Software that can interpret and
translate different protocols from two distinct networks.
Government-to-consumer
A business model where the government
interacts directly with the consumer through electronic means. This includes such areas as
tax, social services, and government funding.
Graphical user interface (GUI)
A graphics-based operating system
interface that uses icons, menus, and a mouse to manage interaction with the system.
Application program conformance with a single user interface style is the primary
determinant of ease of learning and use, and thus, of application effectiveness and user
productivity.
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Horizontal portal
A
business-to-business site that sells goods and services across many different industries.
Hybrid business
A brick-and-mortar business that has
responded to Internet threats by creating a Web front-end with links to back-end systems.
It is also a dot com that is creating traditional infrastructure, such as a warehouse and
logistics system, to meet customer expectations.
Hypertext
Text (or
graphics) with hidden coding (created with HTML). When you point and click on the
hypertext it brings up a new Web page (or other objects such as graphics or sound files).
Links in a Web
page that let users jump from page to page, whether the pages are stored on the same
server or on servers around the world. Sometimes referred to simply as hyperlinks.
HyperText Markup Language (HTML)
A document-formatting language
derived from the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), predominately used to create
World Wide Web pages. The user’s browser interprets HTML commands and formats the
page layout, fonts, and graphics on the screen. One of the more powerful features of HTML
is its ability to create hyperlinks. Dynamic HTML supports real-time personalization of
Web page content.
HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP)
The communications protocol used to connect to servers on the World Wide Web. It functions by establishing a connection with a Web server and transmitting HTML pages to the client browser. Addresses of Web sites begin with an
http:// prefix.
HyperText Transport Protocol Secure
(HTTPS)
The protocol for accessing a secure
Web server. Using HTTPS in the URL instead of HTTP directs the message to a secure port
number rather than the universal default Web port.
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Image understanding
Systems that analyze captured, still
video images and extract their content (e.g., color, texture, shape) for indexing or other
action. Image understanding is used for content-based retrieval of image archives.
Individual consumerism
A demand for customized delivery of
products and services that match the value definition of each unique customer served, not
the homogeneous requirements of a generalized or mass market.
Infomediary
An information provider that gathers
content from several sources and functions as a data aggregator for a target audience to
access via a Web site.
Infrastructure
From a business perspective, the
infrastructure is a shared resource, the state of which bounds the adaptability and change
capacity of the enterprise. From a technology perspective, it is the enterprise wide
technology used to support the e-business environment and includes the hardware, software,
physical plant, communications platforms, network systems, and database architecture.
Infrastructure architect
One whose role is to examine and
manage the architecture (including the design and structure) of the organization’s IT
infrastructure and how that relates to the rest of the organization.
Infrastructure management (IM)
The integration of an
enterprise’s IT infrastructure into the larger physical infrastructure, which
includes facilities and shared services.
Integration hubs
An emerging form of
super-processware; rather than a new technology, they are a way of architecting an
integration solution. They provide real-time transformation, translation, and routing of
messages across multiple enterprises. They support multiple data formats (including EDI
formats and XML) and multidimensional views of the data.
Integration testing
Putting together software and/or
hardware components and testing to see that they work together until a whole integrated
system is assembled.
Integrity
Protection of data from unauthorized
modification.
Intellectual assets
Intangible assets including
employees' knowledge; data and information about processes, experts, products, customers,
and competitors; brand names and image; and intellectual property, such as patented,
trademarked, or copyrighted materials and regulatory licenses.
Intermediary
A participant in the marketing or
distribution channel used by companies to get their products to the ultimate customer.
Traditional intermediaries are wholesalers, distributors, brokers, and agents.
International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
The ITU is an international
organization founded in 1865 and headquartered in Geneva that sets communications
standards. The ITU is comprised of over 150 member countries. (See www.itu.ch.)
Internet
A loose confederation of independent
yet interconnected networks that use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) protocols for communications. The Internet evolved from research done during the
1960s on a network called the ARPANet. It provides universal connectivity and three levels
of network services: connectionless packet delivery, full-duplex stream delivery, and
application-level services (mainly electronic mail/e-mail).
Internet commerce
A subset of e-commerce, where
transactions occur only over the Internet. It is only one of several advanced forms that
use technology, integrated applications, and business processes to align enterprises.
Sometimes called Web commerce.
Internet Control Message Protocol
(ICMP)
A route management protocol that is
part of the Internet Protocol (IP) suite, handling error and control messages.
Internet Group Management Protocol
(IGMP)
IGMP is used for IP multicast, which
is a communication between a single sender and multiple receivers on a network. IGMP is
used to exchange membership status data between IP routers that support multicasting and
members of multicast groups.
Internet Protocol (IP)
A protocol that tracks
the address of nodes, routes outgoing messages, and recognizes incoming messages.
Internet service provider (ISP)
A company that provides Internet
access to its customers. Access to the Internet can be provided either via modem or by
direct connection, which offers far higher speeds. Internet service providers are
different from online services, although these services sometimes also provide access to
the Internet.
Interoperability
The ability of one system to
communicate or work with another.
An advertisement on a Web site that
is more like a TV commercial. Interstitial ads display in a separate window as a Web page
is downloading.
Intranet
A network internal to an enterprise
that uses the same methodology and techniques as the Internet. It is not necessarily
connected to the Internet and is commonly secured from using firewalls. Intranets are
often used in an organization’s local-area networks (LANs) or wide-area networks
(WANs).
IP Security (IPSec)
A working group of the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) that is developing a security standard for Internet Protocol
(IP). Also, the security standard developed by a workgroup of the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF). It defines protocols for authentication, privacy, and data integrity
based on encryption and X.509 digital certificates.
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Java
A programming language based on C and
developed by Sun Microsystems that extends and complements the basic capabilities of
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Java has become a viable alternative to other
programming languages with the rapid growth of the Internet, as it has the potential to
work on an unlimited number of computing devices and operating systems.
Joint application development (JAD)
A collaborative process for designing
and developing software while ensuring high levels of functional quality, since it
requires participation of the prospective end user. It is especially effective in
developing graphical user interface (GUI) requirements.
Joint capacity planning
Collaboration on medium- to long-term
material and capacity issues so that the supply chain can gear up or cut back large or
long-lasting fluctuations in customer demand.
Just-in-time (JIT)
A method of controlling and reducing
direct and work-in-process inventory by having suppliers deliver material
"just-in-time" to manufacturing.
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Key
A password or table needed to
decipher encoded data. An encryption key is a string of digits that when used with a
cryptographic algorithm produces ciphertext.
Knowledge management (KM)
A business process that formalizes
management and leverage of a firm's intellectual assets. KM is an enterprise discipline
that promotes a collaborative and integrative approach to the creation, capture,
organization, access, and use of information assets, including the tacit, uncaptured
knowledge of people.
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Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
A tunneling protocol that combines
the features of PPTP and the ability to send private IP address traffic across a public IP
network (the Internet).
Legacy systems and applications
An information system that may be
based on outdated technologies but is critical to day-to-day operations. When updating to
a new system, the legacy information must be recaptured or stored in a way that it can be
accessed in the future.
List servers
Low-technology tools that manage
databases of user e-mail accounts and automate the sending of messages to specified user
groups.
Load testing
Putting together software and/or
hardware components and testing their capacity and the amount and degree of simultaneous
input the system can manage.
Local-area network (LAN)
Communications network that connects
users within a defined area. A LAN is generally within a building and is managed and owned
by the enterprise. The shorter distances within a building allow higher speed
communications at a lower cost than in WANs.
Localization
Conforming to end-user expectations
in such areas as language, expected data formats, and cultural issues.
Logistics
The systems and processes dealing
with the procurement, maintenance, and transportation of products.
Lowband
Lowband technology is the technology
that enables wireless Internet connectivity, such as devices like hand-held computers,
personal data assistants, and cell phones, but doesn’t support complex forms of
information.
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Margins
The minimum return that an enterprise
may earn and still pay for itself.
Market
All the buyers and potential buyers
of a product who profess some level of interest in a specific product or service.
Market globalization
The concept where an e-business
enterprise’s market can be considered global based on the expansion of the Internet.
Market of One
Continuous customization of the
content, services, and interactions with a customer to deliver exactly what he or she
needs and to create the sense that he or she is an individual market.
Marketing velocity
The concept where time is a critical
factor in the development, exposure, and measurement of marketing efforts. It focuses on
getting to the customer before the competitors.
Mass customization
A cross between mass production and
craft customization.
Meta ad
A banner ad that appears on the
results page of a search engine and is related to the subject of the search.
Meta tag
A construct placed in the HTML header
of a Web page, providing information that is not visible to browsers. The most common meta
tags (and those most relevant to search engines) are keywords and descriptions that relate
to the domain name, including misspellings or alternate names a user might type to connect
to the Web page’s URL.
Meta-aggregator
Vertical aggregators that act as
brokers for the sale/purchase of goods/services (the role these entities play in
e-business, opening traditionally closed markets, such as travel services, to direct
consumer participation, stimulating comparison shopping, driving down prices, lowering
costs for consumers/suppliers, and increasing choices
Metadata
Data that describes other data in
dictionaries and repositories. The term may also refer to any file or database that holds
information about another database’s structure, attributes, processing, or changes.
Metalanguage
A language to define languages or
applications.
Metrics
A standard unit of measurement for
which performance of the organization is measured against.
Middleware
The network-aware system software
— layered between an application, the operating system and the network transport
layers — whose purpose is to facilitate some aspect of cooperative processing.
Examples of cooperative middleware include directory services, message-passing mechanisms,
distributed TP monitors, object request brokers (ORBs), remote procedure call (RPC)
services, and database gateways.
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Narrowband
That portion of bandwidth speed that is typically defined as 64 kbps. It is often referred to as the voice channel.
Net-enabled
The ability to conduct business over
the Internet. Net-enabled technologies and processes allow a company to become an
e-business.
Network
Any number of computers (e.g., PCs
and servers) and devices (e.g., printers and modems) joined together by a physical
communications link. In the corporate context, networks allow information to be passed
between computers, irrespective of where those computers are located.
Network access point (NAP)
The points from which Internet
service providers (ISPs) drop down their lines and establish peering arrangements to
provide Internet connectivity to their customers.
Network access technology
The technology used to provide access
to the network.
Network address translation (NAT)
Hides from view the IP addresses of
client stations in an internal network by presenting one IP address to the outside world.
The NAT also executes the address translation back and forth.
Network bandwidth
The amount or volume of information
that can be pushed through the network at any particular time.
Network File System (NFS)
A method of sharing
files across a computer network. Pioneered by Sun Microsystems, it is now a de facto
standard in the Unix environment. NFS is built on Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) and Ethernet.
Networking (See also network)
The linking of a number of devices,
such as computers, workstations and printers, into a network (system) for the purpose of
sharing resources.
Nonrepudiation
Proof that a
message has been sent and received. This is extremely important in banking networks where
financial transactions must be verifiably completed, and in legal networks where signed
contracts are transmitted.
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Object
The unit of information interchange
in third-generation (3GL) office systems. An object contains both content and semantics
describing how the content is to be interpreted or operated on. A network object is any
entity in a network (e.g., a node, printer, or file server). Software objects may be files
or pieces of data.
One-to-one marketing
Enterprises who treat individual
customers as market segments of one. Enterprises practicing one-to-one marketing will
capture market share, improve customer retention and satisfaction, and increase revenue.
Online analytical processing (OLAP)
Decision support software that allows
the user to quickly analyze information that has been summarized into multidimensional
views and hierarchies.
Online transaction processing systems
(OLTP)
Computer processing that is designed
to facilitate transaction-oriented applications. Unlike traditional batch data processing,
which processes data only at specific times, transaction processing enables people using
interactive terminals or PCs to query or update a database so that changes are reflected
instantly.
Open database architectures
Technology infrastructure with
database information that is public as opposed to proprietary. This includes officially
approved standards as well as privately designed architectures, the specifications of
which are made public by their designers.
Open profile standard (OPS)
A framework with built-in privacy
safeguards for the trustworthy exchange of profile information between consenting
individuals and Web sites.
Open system
One whose interfaces conform to
formal, multilateral, generally available industry standards.
Opportunity management system (OMS)
A system that helps field sales
organizations and call centers track and manage revenue-generating selling activities. By
modeling the key steps in the sales process, the OMS can measure the progress of sales
opportunities, guide sales approaches (e.g., demonstrating the product, or creating a
contract), promote team selling across multiple sales channels, and generate accurate
forecasts.
Order fulfilment
The process where management or
ownership of inventory is transferred from the customer to the supplier.
Original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
The manufacturer of a device that
another vendor resells as part of a system.
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Packet(s)
Information that travels over the
Internet is divided into compact pieces called packets. A packet is an information block
identified by a label at Layer 3 of the OSI model. It is a collection of bits that
contains both control information and data, and is the basic unit of transmission in a
packet-switched network. Control information is carried in the packet, along with the
data, to provide for such functions as addressing sequence, flow control, and error
control at each of several protocol levels. A packet can be of fixed or variable length,
but generally has a specified maximum length. The way that data is divided up and
reassembled is specified by the Internet Protocol. User information can be sent in streams
using the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP/IP) or as a series of packets using the User
Datagram Protocol (UDP).
Packet filter
Blocks traffic based on IP address
and/or port numbers. Also referred to as a screening router.
Password
A word or code used to serve as a
security measure against unauthorized access to data. It is normally managed by the
operating system or DBMS. However, the computer can only verify the legitimacy of the
password, not the legitimacy of the user.
Payment gateway
A computer that is affiliated with a
financial institution where merchants execute transactions by communicating with them.
Payment gateways also need software that can carry out SET procedures.
Personal digital assistants (PDA)
Commonly known as palm computing
devices, which provide real-time access to an array of information such as e-mail,
voicemail and the Internet.
Personalization
Refers to the ability of an
e-business to present a site visitor with specific information based on his or her
identity or behavior. Dynamic HTML supports real-time personalization of Web page content.
Platform
An individual hardware or software
architecture or operating system.
Point-to-point tunneling protocol
(PPTP)
A protocol that establishes tunnels
through an initiation at one location and a termination at another location in the shared
network.
Portability
The ability for an application to be
moved from one platform to another in order to accommodate growth.
Portals
A high-traffic, broadly appealing Web
site with a wide range of content, services, and vendor links. It acts as a value-added
middleman by selecting the content sources and assembling them together in a
simple-to-navigate (and customize) interface for presentation to the end user. Portals
typically include services such as e-mail, community, and chat.
Post office protocol (POP3)
An access path for browser-enabled
users to communicate with “mail to” requests from Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML).
Privacy
The level of protection an
organization provides for personal data that consumers supply when they use a Web site,
register at a Web site, or buy from a Web site.
Private Communications Technology (PCT)
A protocol developed by Microsoft
that provides secure transactions over the World Wide Web.
Private key
A key that is only known to the
recipient that is used to encrypt and decrypt the messages. Also called a secret key.
Processware
Systems that add inter-enterprise
process management and off-the-shelf interfaces to message brokers (which provide
translation, transformation, flow control, message warehouse, integration, and other
functions). The resulting integration framework allows event-driven, message-oriented,
machine-to-machine communication across heterogeneous environments.
Product life-cycle
A concept that draws an analogy
between the span of a human life and that of a product suggesting that, typically, a
product's life consists of four stages—introductory, growth, maturity, and decline.
The concept is used as a tool to formulate marketing strategies appropriate to each of the
stages.
Programming language/structured query
language (PL/SQL)
One of the two deliverables of Oracle
Systems’ Transaction Processing Option (TPO). It is a 3GL-level extension of
Structured Query Language (SQL) that groups SQL statements for transmission across the
tools/database management system (DBMS) interface or across a network. PL/SQL must be used
to take advantage of the Oracle version 6 performance enhancements.
Project management
Approach used to manage work with the
constraints of time, cost, and performance targets.
Project manager
The individual responsible for the
day-to-day management of the project.
Project team
Those who report to the project
manager and play a role in the life of the project.
Protocol
A set of procedures in
telecommunication connections that the terminals or nodes use to send signals back and
forth. Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the standard protocol
for the Internet and related networks such as intranets and extranets. Networks and
systems cannot communicate unless they use the same protocol or make use of a gateway.
Proxy server
A relay between two networks that
interrupts the physical connection between the two.
Public key
A key that is known to all parties in
a transaction.
Public key cryptography standard (PKCS)
A standard method of encryption that
uses both a private and public key. Messages encoded with either key can be decoded by the
other. Also called a symmetric key cryptography.
Public key encryption
Cryptography that uses a protected
private key and a mathematically connected, openly shared public key. The public key
enables the encrypted document, file, e-mail, or data stream to be deciphered. What one
key encrypts, the other decrypts.
Public key infrastructure (PKI)
The software and/or hardware
components necessary to manage and enable the effective use of public key encryption
technology, particularly on a large scale.
Pull technology
Involves a user specifically asking
for something by performing a search; requesting an existing report, video, or other data
type; or requesting that a vendor send an online newsletter or update to a favorite
bookmark.
Push technology
A data distribution technology in
which selected data is automatically delivered into a user’s computer at prescribed
intervals or based on some event.
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Quality of service (QoS)
The ability to define a level of
performance in a data communications system. In e-business, QoS governs access as the site
reaches or exceeds capacity and sets priorities for user sessions.
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Rapid application development (RAD)
An application development (AD)
approach that includes small teams (typically two to six people) using joint application
development (JAD) and iterative-prototyping techniques to construct interactive systems of
low to medium complexity within a time frame of 60 to 120 days.
Redundancy
The design of a system, which
eliminates a single point of failure by providing integrated backup functionality.
Redundant array independent drives
(RAID)
An industry fault tolerance standard.
Relationship optimization
Systems that maximize the customer's
value to the organization by providing a rules-based link between customer understanding
and customer interaction.
Request for comments (RFC)
Format in which TCP/IP standards are
published. Also provides insight into and describes the workings of the IETF organization.
Return on investment (ROI)
Financial gain expressed as a
percentage of funds invested to generate that gain.
Robustness
A term to capture the concepts of
over-engineering, high-availability and survivability of the IT infrastructure.
Rules-based systems
A system to build user profiles, but
also incorporate business rules driven by the site owner.
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Sales force automation (SFA)
A process that takes routine sales
activities within an organization and integrates them into a comprehensive software
package. When SFA is included in an overall corporate Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
system, it combines sales functions with planning, marketing, and manufacturing and
customer service activities.
Scalability
The measure of a system’s
ability to increase or decrease in performance and cost in response to changes in
application and system processing demands.
Screen resolution
The number of pixels (dots) across
and down the screen.
Search engine
A very large, searchable index of the
World Wide Web that is automatically updated by spiders or Webcrawlers and housed on a
central server connected to the Internet.
Secure electronic transaction (SET)
A multiparty protocol that secures
online communication between all parties in a payment card transaction. It encrypts access
to sensitive credit card information throughout the card-processing network, thus reducing
potential points of exposure to online theft from the buyer or merchant.
Secure sockets layer (SSL)
An Internet security standard from
Netscape Communications, used for its browser and server software.
Security
A cryptographic protocol that secures
bi-directional communication channels over the Internet. SSL connections are initiated
through a Web browser and are signified by the URL prefix https.
Sell side
Processes for
companies to sell their products, including catalogues, transaction processors, payment
processors, and supply chain management methods and tools.
Server
1. A system or a program that receives
requests from one or more client systems or programs to perform activities that allow the
client to accomplish certain tasks.
2. Can refer to a physical computer, but
more commonly to any machine that serves applications or information on the World Wide
Web.
Servlet
A form of server-based Java that
operates in conjunction with a Web server and offers an alternative to using Common
Gateway Interface (CGI) and server application programming interfaces (SAPIs) to
communicate with Web server processes. In addition, servlets are independent of a given
type of Web server, as the most prominent Web servers support servlets.
Settlement
Occurs when the actual funds are
transferred from the card-issuing bank to the merchant bank.
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
The standard e-mail protocol on the
Internet. It is a TCP/IP protocol that defines the message format and the message transfer
agent (MTA), which stores and forwards the mail. SMTP was originally designed for only
ASCII text, but MIME and other encoding methods enable program and multimedia files to be
attached to e-mail messages. SMTP servers route SMTP messages throughout the Internet to a
mail server, such as POP3, which provides a message store for incoming mail.
Site sponsorship
The logos and/or other information
about the sponsors that are displayed prominently on the Web site.
Smart card
A plastic card that contains a
microprocessor and/or a memory chip. The microprocessor card has the ability to add,
delete, and manipulate information on the card. A memory chip card, such as a phone card,
can only add information.
Sockets
Specifies the end points of a two-way
communications channel that connects two processes together so they can exchange
information.
Software
Any computer instructions or data
that can be stored electronically. This data is stored on devices called hardware. The two
categories of software are systems software and application software.
Spam
Usenet messages flooded to many
newsgroups indiscriminately. The term is also loosely applied to junk mail.
Standards
Specifications or styles that are
widely accepted by users and adopted by several vendors. Standards are critical to the
compatibility of hardware, software, and everything in between. Industry standards enable
the essential elements of a computer and related infrastructure to work together.
Stateful inspection
Tracks the transaction in order to
verify that the destination of an inbound packet matches the source of a previous outbound
request. Stateful inspection can effectively examine multiple layers of the protocol
stack, including the data if required, and block transmission at any layer or depth.
Storefront
A traditional business (e.g., a
retail store or other commercial business with physical real estate) that the customer
interacts with to order and receive goods and services.
Streaming media
A technique for transferring digital
content such that it can be processed and viewed as a steady and continuous stream of
data.
Structured query language (SQL)[LM1]
A relational
data language that provides a consistent, English keyword-oriented set of facilities for
query, data definition, data manipulation, and data control. It is a programmed interface
to relational database management systems (RDBMSs).
Suppliers
Individuals or organizations from
which businesses purchase the goods and services they require to operate.
Supply chain execution (SCE)
A framework of intelligent
execution-oriented applications that enables the efficient management of resources, which
ensures delivery of goods, services, and information across enterprise boundaries to meet
customer-specific demand.
Supply chain management (SCM)
The process of optimizing delivery of
goods, services, and information from supplier to customer.
Supply chain planning (SCP)
A software suite focused on the
process of coordinating assets to optimize the delivery of goods, services, and
information from supplier to customer, balancing supply and demand.
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Technology-enabled content (TEC)
The integration of content with
information technology to create value-added information that directly supports a business
process. Examples of TEC in the workplace include desktop broadcasting and competitive
intelligence.
Technology-enabled marketing (TEM)
Automating aspects of the marketing
process, which allows enterprises to improve the measurement and evaluation of their
activities. The ultimate goal of technology-enabled marketing is to allocate marketing
resources to the activities, channels, and media with the best potential return and impact
on profitable customer relationships.
Technology-enabled relationship
management (TERM)
The concept of forming one
enterprise-wide view of the customer across all customer contact channels (i.e., sales,
marketing, and customer service and support). It is a complex area, requiring complex
solutions to problems of integration, data flow, data access, and marketing strategy. A
critical component is the database that serves as the customer information repository.
Technology-enabled selling (TES)
Automating aspects of the selling
process, which allows enterprises to improve their interactions with the consumer on the
front-end. It improves the overall selling process enterprise-wide.
Telnet
The Internet standard protocol for
remote terminal connection. It allows a user at one site to interact with a remote device
or system that expects terminal-mode traffic.
Thin client
In the client/server environment, it
is designed so that the bulk of the application logic (software) and data processing are
performed on the server.
Trading hub/exchange
Intermediaries that may be in
specific industries and markets or across markets, that broker sale of goods and services
between buyers and suppliers, such as business-to-business or consumer-to-consumer
business.
Trading partners
Include all businesses within an
enterprise’s supply chain, from the raw material supplier to the end customer.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP)
A set or suite (sometimes called a
stack) of protocols covering the network and transport layers of the seven-layer Open
Systems Interconnection (OSI) network model. Information that travels over the Internet
gets divided into compact pieces called packets. TCP/IP specifies how the data are to be
divided and reassembled.
Transport layer security (TLS)
A security protocol from the IETF
that is a hybrid of SSL and other protocols. TLS may become a major security standard on
the Internet, possibly superseding SSL.
Trigger-point planning
An e-business
planning model that defines a set of events or trigger points in a project plan. Once the
triggers are met, the next event on the project plan can begin.
Trivial file transfer protocol
A protocol used for
basic file transfers, as well as booting systems that communicate with the Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite using the TFTP boot protocol.
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Uniform resource locator (URL)
The character string that identifies
an Internet document’s exact name and location, in the form http:// allowed by a domain name or IP address.
Unix
An operating system originally
designed by Bell Laboratories, Unix has proven to be adaptable to a variety of platforms.
It is the dominant operating system for critical applications, servers, and high-end
workstations because of its scalability and support of complex processing.
Usability
Refers to the ease of learning and
using a user interface.
User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
A protocol within the Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite technology that enables an application
to send a message to one of several applications running in a destination machine.
User forums
Used by customers to contribute
reviews of products and services that they’ve purchased. Prospective customers of
those goods and services can then read what others have to say about the products and make
a more informed buying decision.
User interface (UI)
Refers to a combination of menus,
screen design, keyboard commands, command language, online help, and other input devices
that creates the way a user interacts with a borrower and Web page.
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Value-added network (VAN)
A private telecommunication line
established between trading partners solely to transact business. Traditional EDI is
transacted through VANs.
Verification
Positive identification and
authorization of a particular communication, identification, authentication, and integrity
must be accomplished before a message can be trusted completely.
Vertical portal
A
business-to-business Web site that sells goods and services up and down the supply chain
in a given industry.
Virtual company
A company that was started with the
intention of doing business over the Internet. Virtual companies have outsourced the
physical processes and administrative attributes of traditional business and expanded and
combined intellectual activities (e.g., problem solving) with standard business processes
such as marketing.
Virtual private network (VPN)
A system that delivers information
and communications between businesses and trading partners over a shared public network
infrastructure in a secure manner.
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Web
Commonly used abbreviation for World
Wide Web.
Web authorization control (WAC)
Used for delivery of sensitive price,
contract and content information for each partner; catalogues that provide custom views
based on access control and parametric search for serious business buyers; and order entry
functions.
Web browser
A client, system, or program for use
in accessing the World Wide Web on the Internet.
Web hosting
The storage of data on a server for
later access. In e-business, refers to a service provided by a third party that hosts and
maintains a company’s Web site.
Web pages or
Web sites are hosted on a Web server, which is a central location or computer that enables
a remote “client” (system or program) to access the page or site content.
Web site
A collection of files accessed
through a Web address, covering a particular theme or subject, and managed by a particular
person or organization. Its opening page is called a home page. Web sites typically use
the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to format and present information and to provide
navigational facilities that make it easy for the user to move within the site and around
the Web.
Webcrawler
A piece of software (also called a
spider) designed to follow hyperlinks to their completion and to return to previously
visited Internet addresses.
Wide-area network (WAN)
Communications network that connects
computing devices over a broad geographical area such as a region, state, or country. WANs
use phone lines or dedicated communication lines. Transmission speeds are typically slower
than those of LANs.
Wireless application protocol (WAP)
Specifies two essential elements of
wireless communication—an end-to-end application protocol and an application
environment based on a browser.
World Wide Web (WWW)
A hypertext-based global information
system developed at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva. It is a
subset of the Internet, technically defined as the community on the Internet where all
documents and resources are formatted using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).
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X.400
An OSI and International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) standard messaging protocol that allows electronic mail to
move between different mail systems.
X.509
The certificate authority standard
administered by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The X.509 Certificate is
an (ITU) standards-based file format binding a user or device to a public key
A business process concept where
redundant processes are eliminated and human tasks are automated or streamlined to reduce
latency throughout the supply chain to the customer.