E-business infrastructure Innovation at Google 115
Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome using an operating system such as Microsoft Windows XP or Apple OS X Level II in Figure 3.1. This systems software will then request transfer of
the information about the holiday request across a network or transport layer Level III in Figure 3.1. The information will then be stored in computer memory RAM or in long-
term magnetic storage on a web server Level IV in Figure 3.1. The information itself which makes up the web pages or content viewed by the employee and the data about their holiday
request are shown as a separate layer Level V in Figure 3.1, although it could be argued that this is the first or second level in an e-business architecture.
Kampas 2000 describes an alternative five-level infrastructure model of what he refers to as ‘the information system function chain’:
1
Storagephysical. Memory and disk hardware components equivalent to Level IV in Figure 3.1.
2
Processing. Computation and logic provided by the processor processing occurs at Levels I and II in Figure 3.1.
3
Infrastructure. This refers to the human and external interfaces and also the network, referred to as ‘extrastructure’. This is Level III in Figure 3.1, although the human or
external interfaces are not shown there.
4
Applicationcontent. This is the data processed by the application into information. This is Level V in Figure 3.1.
5
Intelligence. Additional computer-based logic that transforms information to knowledge. This is also part of the application layer I in Figure 3.1.
Each of these elements of infrastructure presents separate management issues which we will consider separately. In this chapter, infrastructure management issues are introduced, while
more detailed discussion of management solutions is presented in Chapters 10, 11 and 12. We start our coverage of e-business infrastructure by considering the technical infrastruc-
ture for the Internet, extranets, intranets and the World Wide Web which are Levels II and III in Figure 3.1.
We then look at how these facilities work by reviewing the standards that are used to enable electronic communications, including communications standards such as TCPIP
and EDI and publishing standards such as HTML and XML. In the second part of the chapter, some management issues of hosting e-business services
are then reviewed, specifically management of Level I applications and services by external parties and how to manage staff access to the Internet. Finally, we focus on how new access
platforms such as mobile phones and interactive digital TV will change the way the Internet is used in the future Level II in Figure 3.1.
We return to some issues of e-business infrastructure management later in this book. Table 3.1 provides a summary of the main issues facing businesses and where they are cov-
ered in this chapter and later in the book.
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Part 1 Introduction
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Table 3.1
Main issue Detail
Where covered?
Which type of e-business applications For example, supply chain
Chapter 5 sections on e-business do we develop?
management, e-procurement, secure services and stage models
online ordering, customer relationship Chapters 7, 8 and 9 on specific
management e-business applications
Which technologies do we use? For example, e-mail, web-based
This chapter introduces different ordering vs EDI
technologies at different levels of Figure 3.1
Chapter 4 discusses adoption of new technologies
How do we achieve quality of service Requirements are: business fit,
Section on ISPs in this chapter in applications?
security, speed, availability and errors Chapter 11 on design
Chapter 12 on implementation Where do we host applications?
Internal or external sourcing and Focus on ASPs section in this chapter
hosting? Managing partnerships section in
Chapter 7 on SCM Application integration
Integration of e-business solutions Section on integrating information
with: systems into supply chain management
– legacy systems in Chapter 6
– partner systems – B2B exchanges and intermediaries
Which access platforms do we Mobile access, interactive digital TV,
Focus on access devices in this section support?
e.g. CGI, Perl, Cold Fusion, ActiveX in Chapter 12
Which development technologies and standards do we use?
How do we publish and manage How are content and data updated so
Web content management, blogs and content and data quality?
that they are up-to-date, accurate, feeds are introduced in this chapter and
easy to find and easy to interpret? in more detail in Chapters 11 and 12
How do we manage employee access Staff can potentially waste time using
Covered in Chapter 11 in Focus on to the Internet?
the Internet or can act illegally e-business security
How do we secure data? Content and data can be deleted in
Safeguards are described in Chapter 11 error or maliciously
Key management issues of e-business infrastructure