E-business infrastructure Retailers download the latest price lists and promotional infor-
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Part 1 Introduction
Middleware
Software used to facilitate communications between
business applications including data transfer
and control.
Enterprise application
integration EAI
Software used to facilitate communications between
business applications including data transfer
and control.
Firewall
A specialized software application mounted on a
server at the point where the company is
connected to the Internet. Its purpose is to prevent
unauthorized access into the company from
outsiders.
received across the extranet it automatically triggers a scheduling order for the warehouse transferred by intranet, an order acknowledgement for the customer and a shipping status
when the order is shipped Mougayer, 1998. To enable different applications within a com- pany such as a sales ordering system and an inventory control system to interoperate with
each other and databases in other companies, requires an internal company intranet to be created that can then communicate across an extranet with applications on another com-
pany intranet. To enable different applications on the intranet to communicate,
middleware
is used by systems integrators to create links between organizational applications or between different members of a supply chain. For example, within a supply chain management
system, middleware will translate requests from external systems such as a sales order so they are understood by internal systems relevant fields are updated in the database and then it
will trigger follow-up events to fulfil the order.
This middleware technology that is used to connect together different business applica- tions and their underlying databases across extranets is now also referred to as
enterprise application integration EAI
Internet World, 1999. Such applications include a sales-order processing system and a warehousing system. It now also includes software programs from
different organizations. A final example of the use of an extranet on a global basis is that of Mecalux
www.mecalux.com
. Mecalux, based in Barcelona, is involved in the design, manufacture and assembly of storage systems, from the simple slotted angle rack to sophisticated self-
supporting warehouses. Since it was formed in 1996, the company has expanded and has offices in Argentina, Germany, the UK, France, Portugal, Singapore and Mexico. One of the
challenges of this expansion was to improve communications between its representatives around the world and to supply them with the information needed to improve customer
service. The management team decided they wanted to create a paperless company where information flows freely in all locations around the world. This makes it easier for the en-
gineers to have the information necessary to respond to any customer’s requirements. The extranet created to solve this problem has, for example, enabled representatives in Singapore
to tap into data held on the server in Spain to check the availability of the product and get the specifications such as measurements and price to a local customer in the shortest
possible timeframe. The solution also permits technicians and engineers to collaborate on ideas and work together on future designs from anywhere in the world.
Firewalls
Firewalls
are necessary when creating an intranet or extranet to ensure that outside access to confidential information does not occur. Firewalls are usually created as software mounted on
a separate server at the point where the company is connected to the Internet. Firewall soft- ware can then be configured to only accept links from trusted domains representing other
offices in the company. A firewall has implications for e-marketing since staff accessing a web site from work may not be able to access some content such as graphics plug-ins.
The use of firewalls within the infrastructure of a company is illustrated in Figure 3.6. It is evident that multiple firewalls are used to protect information on the company. The infor-
mation made available to third parties over the Internet and extranet is partitioned by another firewall using what is referred to as the ‘demilitarized zone’ DMZ. Corporate data
on the intranet are then mounted on other servers inside the company.
The design of security measures for e-business is reviewed in the Focus on security design Chapter 11, p. 652.
Encouraging use of intranets and extranets
Although intranets and extranets have many benefits for the business, they often represent a change to existing methods of working for business people. As such, encouraging their usage
is often a challenge. In many ways, this challenge is similar to encouraging customers to use
open-access web sites. A common issue with intranets is that they may be launched to a great fanfare, but, if their content is neglected, their usage will dwindle. Common warning
signs identified in the KM Column 2002 are:
Staff usage of the intranet is low, and not growing. The majority of content is out-of-date, incomplete or inaccurate.
The intranet is very inconsistent in appearance, particularly across sections managed by different groups.
Almost all information on the intranet is reference material, not news or recent updates. Most sections of the intranet are used solely to publicize the existence of the business groups
within the organization. To explore solutions to limited usage of intranets and extranets, complete Activity 3.3.
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Figure 3.6
Firewall positions within the e-business infrastructure of the B2B company
Web application server
Firewall Internet
Internet and extranet information
Intranet
Web database server
DMZ E-mail
server FTP
server
Corporate e-mail
server FTP
server
ERP Apps
and DB Finance
Legacy TP systems
Intranet server
Firewall
Firewall Corporate network
Sensitive data Remote sites