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160 Part 1 Introduction

standardize on, for example Microsoft Explorer or an open-source alternative. Standardized
plug-ins such as Adobe Acrobat to access .pdf files should also be installed across the organ-
ization. The systems software for the client will also be decided on; this will probably be a
variant of Microsoft Windows, but open-source alternatives such as Linux may also be con-
sidered. When considering systems software for the server, it should be remembered that
there may be many servers in the global organization, both for the Internet and intranets.
Using standardized web-server software such as Apache will help maintenance. Networking
software will also be decided on; this could be Microsoft-sourced or from other suppliers
such as Sun Microsystems or Novell.
Layer III – Transport or network

Decisions on the network will be based on the internal company network, which for the
e-business will be an intranet, and for the external network either an extranet or VPN
(p. 177) or links to the public Internet. The main management decision is whether internal
or external network management will be performed by the company or outsourced to a
third party. Outsourcing of network management is common. Standardized hardware is also
needed to connect clients to the Internet, for example, a modem card or external modem in
home PCs or a network interface card (NIC) to connect to the company (local-area)
network for business computers.

Layer IV – Storage
The decision on storage is similar to that for the transport layer. Storage can be managed
internally or externally. This is not an either–or choice. For example, intranet and extranet
are commonly managed internally while Internet storage such as the corporate web site is
commonly managed externally or at an application service provider (p. 168). However,
intranets and extranets can also be managed externally.
We will now consider decisions involving third-party service providers of the hardware
and systems software infrastructure.

Managing Internet service and hosting providers

Service providers who provide access to the Internet for consumers or businesses are usually
referred to as ‘ISPs’ or ‘Internet service providers’. ISPs may also host the web sites which pub-
lish a company’s web site content. But many organizations will turn to a separate hosting

provider to manage the company’s web site and other e-business services accessed by customers
and partners such as extranets, so it is important to select an appropriate hosting provider.

ISP connection methods

Figure 3.2 shows the way in which companies or home users connect to the Internet. The
diagram is greatly simplified in that there are several tiers of ISPs. A user may connect to one
ISP which will then transfer the request to another ISP which is connected to the main
Internet backbone.
High-speed broadband is now the dominant home access method rather than the previ-
Dial-up connection ously popular dial-up connection.
Access to the Internet via However, companies should remember that there are significant numbers of Internet
phone lines using
analogue modems. users who have the slower dial-up access which they support through their web sites. Ofcom
(2008) reported that the proportion of homes taking broadband services grew to 58% by Q1
Broadband 2008, a rise of six percentage points on a year earlier. However, the rate of growth is slowing,
connection
following increases of 11% and 10% in the previous two years.
Access to the Internet via
phone lines using a digital Broadband uses a technology known as ADSL or asymmetric digital subscriber line,
data transfer mechanisim. which means that the traditional phone line can be used for digital data transfer. It is asym-