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• Developed by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) in June 2003

• Two main components:

1. a getting started booklet – explains how to get a computer and get online

2. the e-businessguide website - a detailed guide to using e-business

The e-businessguide


This presentation contains content sourced from the e-businessguide and has 6 main components:

The e-businessguide

1. Understanding2. Planning3. Building4. Protecting5. Managing6. Improving

This icon is used in this presentation to indicate that there is additional information about the topic available to download from the e-businessguide website.

DownloadDownload


Broadly speaking, the term “e-business” refers to using the Internet for doing business.

Every time a business uses the Internet to conduct business, it is doing e-business.

What is e-business?


• You communicate with customers or clients via e-mail

• You send emails to other businesses to order products and services

• You sell your products or services via your website

• You use the Web to find information, such as prices, phone numbers and reviews of products

• You use the Web for research, such as the latest industry trends

• You use your website to provide information about your products and services

• You use your website as a means of managing the information in your business

• You use the Internet for online banking and paying your bills using BPay

Are you doing e-business?

If you conduct any of the following business activities using the Internet, then you are doing e-business .……


What are the benefits?

Create cost-savings and operational efficienciesby replacing time-consuming back-office processes such as handwritten forms and fax communication, with efficient automated systems such as email

Create additional revenueby using your website to sell products or services

Reach more customers and marketsby using the Internet to broaden your customer base at a relatively low cost

Make it easier for people to do business with youby developing a website that makes it easier for your customers, members, visitors, suppliers, distributors or associates to do business with you – and you with them

Improve marketing and promotionby using a well-designed and maintained website as a promotional tool

Participating in e-business can …


Getting started

You will need …..

• A computer that can connect to the Internet reliably and at an acceptable speed

• Software on the computer that allows you to send email, browse the Web for websites and protects your computer

• An email account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP)

• Training in using the equipment and software efficiently

Detailed information, advice and minimum equipment specifications on the above can be found in the e-businessguide getting started booklet


Planning

Planning is absolutely essential to ensure that your precious time, money and energy is not wasted and that potential risks are minimised.

The person responsible for developing the e-business plan must decide:

• who should be involved in the process

• the responsibilities of the planning team

• what the plan is to include

• what background research is required in order to produce the plan

• the time-frame for delivering the plan

• how best to inform staff about the plan to engage them

• when and how the plan will be reviewed and updated


Planning - The planning process

• Research the opportunities

• Consider the key issues

• Decide on what level of e-business is right for you

• Prepare your e-business plan


Planning – Researching the opportunities

There are many ways the Internet can be used to help a business conduct its day-to-day business:

• Banking • Purchasing office supplies

• Communications • Managing supply-chains

• Customer relationship management • Research and development

• Distribution and logistics • Staff training

• Exporting • Doing business with government

• Marketing and promotion


Planning – Key issues to consider

Innovation and imagination• Do we need to change business processes to get the most out of e-business

• Need to think about the future

• Innovative and imaginative approach to tackling problems

Integration with existing office-systems• Need to address the extent of changes to existing office equipment, systems and

procedures that might be required or desired

• Consult the people who carry out the day-to-day business activities to educate them about how the Internet can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business tasks – early engagement can make the process of ‘change’ in the company smoother.

Cont/...

The person responsible for developing the e-business plan should consider all of these key issues in parallel as often one issue will affect another issue:



Develop a healthy e-business culture

Characteristics

• The Internet is embraced as a way of conducting everyday business to the extent that it is practical in the organisation

• staff are encouraged to suggest and try new ways of using the Web or email to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the business

• staff are competent and keen users of the Internet and of their organisation's website

• the website is not seen as outside core business but part of it and supportive of it

• staff feel they have control of the website

• there is a commitment to continual improvement of the e-business plan.

How?

• Regularly communicate with staff about the e-business plan

• Train staff so they are not afraid to use the technology and can use it well

Cont/...



SecurityConsideration needs to be given to the security of your website, emails and the computer systems that support them. Some high-level questions include:

• Authenticity – “How do I know who sent me this?”

• Security – “How do I know this hasn’t been tampered with?”

• Privacy and confidentiality – “How do I know no-one else will see this?”

Knowledge managementAn e-business plan should address what information and knowledge will be used and generated by the use of Internet technologies and how those technologies can be used to capture information and utilise knowledge.

Cont/...



Estimating the budget

• The e-business budget needs to be estimated and secured each year and then managed responsibly to ensure that the objective for the e-business is achieved.

• Using a spreadsheet program as the tool, the following process can be used to estimate the annual budget:

• Identify the cost centres for all aspects of the e-business in the nominated twelve month period.

• Define the individual parts of each cost centre (as far as practicable). • Estimate the days involved in delivering each component during the period. • Determine what functions are to be outsourced and what is to be done by staff. • Apply an average hourly salary allocation, fee rate, cost of purchase, annual

license or lease, as appropriate, to each cost centre. • Factor in a contingency allowance - about 7.5%. • The sum total of these amounts provides an estimate of the cost of your

e-business for a given twelve month period.

Download sample budget

Download sample budget


Planning – What level of e-business is right for you?

• There isn’t one e-business solution suitable for all businesses.

• Some may need an e-commerce facility whilst other may only require email and online banking.

To determine the level of e-business that is right for you, you must:

1. Identify the aims of your e-business

2. Identify your target audience

3. Select the appropriate level of e-business



1. Identify the aims of your e-business

Is the aim of your e-business to:

• raise revenue for the business • provide information about the business to the public and customers • improve awareness of the business • create efficiencies and time-saving • develop and provide new products and services • open up new markets and audiences • promote specific products and services • improve business management and efficiencies • educate and train customers, the public and suppliers • entertain • create debate and groups of interested people • support specialist activities.

• You must then prioritise this list of aims to create a definitive statement about the aims and purpose of the e-business – then seek feedback from your business advisors



2. Identify your target audience

Your e-business must be developed to meet the needs and expectations of your target audience.

Consider the various categories of audiences you wish to target and then prioritise them, ie:

Points to consider:- Your website is available to anyone 24x7 – even your competitors!- Different sections of your website may appeal to different audiences.- Where your audience is located- What age group(s) are you targeting and is there any common characteristic?

• Existing clients/customers • New clients/customers • Suppliers

• General public • Managers/executives • Staff

• Tourists • Associate organisations • Sponsors/donors

• Friends/members




There are 5 broad modes of e-business:

1. Participating mode2. Supporting mode3. Expanding mode4. Assimilating mode5. Transformed mode

Note: many businesses will move on from one mode to the next but not all businesses will follow this path.

The ultimate goal is not whether a business has been transformed, but whether the business is enjoying the optimum benefits of e-business.




The mode of e-business that a business engages in will be dictated by a range of factors:

• its aims and target audience(s) • types of products or services it offers • the expectations and requirements of its customers and suppliers • the industry sector in which it operates and what its competitors are doing online • Internet skills and attitudes of management and staff • the sophistication of the operations and use of technologies • where its offices are and how many there are • where its markets are - local, national, international • its business goals and long-term plans • the size of business • its understanding of the Internet and the possibilities • length of time in business and the economic environment


1. Participating mode

The business is connected to the Internet and has an email address which provides participating in the online world.

e-business activity:

• Communicate with customers and suppliers

• Receive orders via email

• Order from suppliers’ websites

• Conduct banking online


Modes of e-business


2. Supporting mode

The business has a website which promotes and supports the existing business activities


• Promote the business

• Provide information about products and services

• Receive orders via the website


Modes of e-business


3. Expanding mode

The business uses its website to develop new business activities and to accelerate growth


• Develop new markets and customers

• Increase sales and cash flow via e-commerce facility

• Create operational efficiencies


Modes of e-business


4. Assimilating mode

The online and offline business activities and operations arefully integrated and mutually dependent


• Provide secure access to databases

• Manage customer relationships, procurement and logistics online

• Integrate with accounting and financial systems with the website


Modes of e-business


5. Transformed mode

The use of Internet technology by the business has fundamentally changed its core business and the way it operates and projected it

onto a higher level of business activity and profitability


• Re-brand the business

• Create entirely new products and services

• Develop new distribution channels and partners

• Recruit new, appropriately skilled management and staff


Modes of e-business


Planning – Writing your e-business plan

• The e-business plan is a document that states the type and level of e-business that a business will engage in.

• The plan will set the course for the your e-business over the next one to two years.

• Before you begin the plan you might want to contact a local e-business advisor who can help you with it.

• An e-business plan template is available from the e-businessguide website.

Download sample

e-business plan

Download sample

e-business plan


Building

• Technical issues

• Choosing and preparing contents

• What do you want users to do?

• Marketing and your website

• The look and feel

• Organising the contents

• E-commerce - selling via your website

• Maintenance considerations

• Developing the website

This section raises and explains key technical, content and design issues to enable business owners, staff and advisors to confidently brief technical experts about their e-business needs.

Main areas covered in this section:


Building – Technical issues

• Should the contents of the website be held in a database?

• Database security

• Should the website be the central source of information for everyone?

• What type of Internet connection do you need?

• Powering and hosting your website

• Getting a website name

There are a number of key technical issues that need to be addressed before the building a business website can commence:


Building – Choosing and preparing contents

Website ‘contents’ include the words, tables, graphs, images, audio and video

The decision about what content to include should be guided by:

• the aim and purpose of the site

• the audiences for which it is intended

• the resources available to provide and sustain the content

• the format of the content (eg too many rich images may result in a site which is slow to download and view)

• its availability in a web-ready format (eg it is in a word processor document or photo that has already been scanned)

• its importance within the operation of the organisation

• legal issues such as copyright and privacy laws.


Building – Choosing and preparing contents

• Is it relevant to the aims and objectives of the organisation? • Does it add value to the site? • Have you permission of the content owner to use it on the site? • If permission to use it on the site has not been secured, is the time and cost to

secure it reasonable? • Does it already exist in electronic format - eg on the word processor? • If it does not exist in electronic format, is the time and cost to digitise it

reasonable? • Do you know the item to be accurate? • Do you know the item to be up-to-date? • Is it likely to be interesting to a majority of visitors to the site? • Will making it available on the site save staff time or offer some other efficiency? • Will it encourage people to re-visit the site? • Is it culturally-sensitive - ie avoids colloquialisms or ideas or words that may

offend people of a particular religion or background? • Is the content within the law? (libel, fair dealing, privacy, security)

Content suitability checklist - the more times you can say “yes” to each of these questions, the more appropriate the content is for inclusion in the website:


Building – What do you want users to be able to do?

To give users a sense of ‘control’ over your site, consider some of the tools and features you can include in your site:

• Search • Online forms

• Members only’ section to the site • ‘Interactive questionnaires/surveys/polls

• Animations • Subscription email lists

• Links to other sites • Downloadable files

• Contact Us • Site map

• Text-only version of the site • Multilingual requirements

• Provision for printing and bookmarking

Note: Time and budgets usually mean organisations have to restrict the features used on the site, so prioritising is an important task.


Building – Marketing and your website

1. Customer service

• Your website is for your target audience, not you, so make sure everything is focused on them.

• Give users the information they want, don’t hold back. • Give users the services they want. • Fully disclose what you do and what you do not do – don’t be vague. • Provide an online help desk (not just a “contact us”) that provides quick email

feedback, or even a telephone service, to help customers to use the site. • Make sure all staff are online – they can help callers navigate the site and refer to

the information themselves. • Create a “customer service” section in the website that encourages users to make

enquiries. • Create a "frequently asked questions" section.

Cont/…

Before the website is built, and as its features are being planned, consideration should be given to how to use the website as a marketing tool:


Building – Marketing and your website

2. Make it easy for people to do business with you

• Work out what customers’ online priorities are and make them your priorities.

• Let people configure your products and services.

• Place the most important elements of the page at the very top so users can act before the whole page has been built.

• Provide your contact details either directly on the home page or just one click of a button away - don't bury them in the website.

• Provide a search feature on your site so users can search for terms and words in your website.

• Make the navigation easy and clear so they can find where to order products, book events and download information.

• Make your website accessible to people with slow connections and to people with a disability.

• Make your site user-friendly for overseas users.


Building – Designing your website: The look and feel

• The design of the website refers the art of using colour, form, shape, typography, illustration and layout to convey a message.

• It is essential for the design of a business website to have an immediate impact on the audience.

• The design should:

– reflect the type of business

– establish the website’s purpose and scope

– be visually appealing

– convey credibility

– arouse interest

– be friendly and non-threatening.

• Familiarise yourself with various website designs, including your competitors’ websites – note what you like and don’t like to discuss with a web designer.


Building – Designing your website: Organising the contents

When organising content for the website, must take into consideration:

• Information design – is the art of organising and arranging the contents of a website.

The design should entice and encourage exploration of the site by the use of labels and divisions that are interesting and intuitive.

• Navigation design - is the art of providing users with the means of accessing the contents of the website and related sites.

The art lies in creating for users intuitive and obvious evidence as to where they are, have been and could go in the site, using tools that are easy to use, see and understand, such as buttons and arrows that enable users to access quickly any contents from anywhere in the site.


Building – Designing your website: Accessibility

Consider whether you need to make your website accessible to people with vision impairment and/or people with slow connections.

Consider the following:

• Build a text-only version of your website so it is fast to access

• Make sure your website complies with the World Wide Web Consortium’s accessibility guidelines - check with www.w3c.org


Building – E-commerce

• E-commerce refers to buying, selling or ordering goods on the Internet.

• It occurs when any commercial transaction is facilitated by the Web or email.

• E-commerce is a sub-set of e-business.

• Websites or email can be used to allow customers or clients to order, purchase or pay for things such as:

– products and services – information in the form of papers, images, video or audio clips – perhaps

held in a database on the site – membership subscriptions – rates, licences and taxes – subscription to specialist services, newsletters etc for which you normally

charge – specifically requested research conducted by the organisation’s staff – bookings and tickets – venue/facilities bookings.


Building – E-commerce

There are two ways to develop an e-commerce facility:

• Via your own website or email system; or

• By joining an ‘e-marketplace’ where someone else puts your catalogue online and handles the e-commerce solution for you.

• If you are developing an e-commerce facility on your own system, you must consider the following issues before the website is built:

– What products and services are to be sold online? – Are there any business partners to consider?– What price to charge and what pricing model? – How to present your products and services? – How are the products or services to be delivered? – Payment method and timing – Security and reliability – Order fulfillment – Inventory/catalogue – Maintaining the e-commerce solution – Managing risk


Building – Maintenance considerations

• Before the website is built, it is important to consider how you want to maintain the website so that appropriate features can be built into the site from the beginning.

• There are a number of levels of sophistication and options for maintenance of a website:

– outsourced: requests for change and the new contents are emailed to a web developer who makes the changes

– in-house – manual: the business makes the changes itself by accessing the web server and changing the programming code

– in-house – semi-automated: the business makes the changes itself by using an off-the-shelf editing program

– in-house – automated: the business makes the changes itself by using a maintenance tool built by the web developer specifically for the business to enable it to maintain its own site – this solution is often referred to as a content management system.



The best maintenance solution for you depends on how highly you rate the following features:

• user-friendliness – ease of use, how much training is required to use it efficiently

• efficiency – how quick and easy it is for staff to access and then update the site

• independence – reduced reliance on the web developer to update the site

• autonomy – staff control over publishing to the website and updating their sections (this is often called distributed publishing)

• cost – the initial cost of the maintenance solution and on-going costs such as licences and training

• quality control – automated processes to help ensure that updates and new content have been checked

Cont/..



• safeguards – systems that minimise mistakes being made and provide the ability to undo mistakes

• security – prevention of any unauthorised person accessing the maintenance solution and making changes

• comprehensiveness – the percentage of website staff allowed to change and update

• practicality – the ability of all relevant staff be able to use it effectively given their computer equipment, Internet connection speed and access

• flexibility – its ability to be adapted at minimal cost to maintaining new types of content and features

• scalability – its ability to cater for more staff users and a growth in the quantity of material requiring updating

• compatibility – its ability to communicate with your files, relevant systems and databases and be compliant with industry standards.


Building – Developing the website

• Writing the development brief

• Who does the developing

• The development contract

• Selecting the web developer

• Evaluation and score-sheets

• What to look for in a developer

• Staging the development

• The technical specifications exercise

• The construction phase

• Testing the site

• Delivery and deployment

This section deals with briefing, selecting, engaging and managing the web development team that will build your website – whether in-house or out-sourced.



The development brief • provides the developers with sufficient information on which to

base a proposal and quotation to undertake the development of the website.

• a typical development brief contains the following information:

1. About your organisation 8. Graphic and Information Design

2. E-business Vision and Objectives 9. General Technical Issues

3. Target Audiences 10. Databases (if applicable)

4. Project Management 11. E-commerce (if applicable)

5. Background to the Project 12. Maintenance and Training

6. Content (scope, type, design map) 13. Testing and Revision

7. Functionality 14. Project Schedule and Deliverables

Download sample website

development brief

Download sample website

development brief



Who does the developing?

Question: How much of the web development can or should be conducted in-house and how much should be outsourced? Consider:

– Staff must not be over-burdened with additional tasks – they must be given appropriate time to perform their online roles effectively.

– Staff will need some training in how to apply traditional business models to the online world.

– If resource levels are already stretched, then outsourcing those roles or buying-in the skills in the form of new staff should be considered.

– However, there are any benefits of in-house development: builds in-house expertise, reduces the reliance and dependency on web developers and other external organisations and in the long-term, can reduce costs.



The development contract

• Governs the actions of the web development team (especially when external resources are utilised)

• Complements the development brief – presented to potential developers at the tendering stage

• If composed in the right way, it also has the potential to enhance the efficiency of the development process by providing a framework for decision-making and dispute resolution.

• An extremely important risk management tool

• Constructed jointly by the project manager and an experienced lawyer – not driven by the developer.

Cont/..



The development contract

• Description of the products/services to be delivered

• Maintenance and support

• Project management procedures • Warranties

• Stages of the project, deliverables & exit clauses

• Penalty clauses

• Payment schedule, terms & conditions • Insurance

• Variations to the agreement • Dispute resolution

• Intellectual property • Termination

Issues that should be addressed in the development contract include:



Selecting the web developer

• Depending on your organisation’s procurement policy, you may be able to send the development brief to a handful of developers known to you, or you may need to undertake an EOI (Expression of Interest) exercise.

• The EOI exercise can be very worthwhile and could uncover a group of which you were unaware – it also a a very transparent process and is fair to all.

• An EOI is generally advertised in newspapers and in other appropriate media to give you the maximum chance of uncovering that “unknown to you” talent.

• The EOI requires a briefing document that is to be provided to those that respond to the call for expressions of interest.



Evaluation and Score-sheets

• Score-sheets can be used to evaluate responses by web developers to a call for Expressions Of Interest or a Request for Proposal.

• Using a score-sheet means you will have an overall score for each respondent for ranking purposes and the discipline of using a score-sheet helps your objectivity and helps ensure you compare all responses in the same way.

• It also records the reasons for selecting the short-listed or the successful tenderer, if you want to provide feedback to the unsuccessful respondents.

Download sample

score-sheets

Download sample

score-sheets



What to look for in a developer?

The ‘ideal’ developer to build your website would rate a ‘YES’ to these questions:

• Do the core competencies of the web developer match the type of site you have specified?

• Have they built website for your type of organisation before?

• Have they built websites using the proposed solution before?

• Is the proposed solution employed on a current live website that you have seen and explored?

• Was the written submission easy to understand?

• Are they financially sound?

• Is there solution value for money?

• Do they propose a sound, workable project management methodology?

Cont/..



What to look for in a developer?

• Does their proposal indicate that they will add value to the project beyond merely providing what was specified?

• Do they seem to be good listeners?

• Do they appear to be honest and professional?

• Do they understand the project – especially its contents?

• Does their solution pose an acceptable level of risk?

• Have you met all the key people from the web development team who will be working on the project?

• Have they agreed to sign the contract without alteration to any of the terms and conditions you deem to be non-negotiable (eg copyright) and without wishing to introduce new terms and conditions that are unacceptable to you?

• Do the developers propose giving you as much control as you wish over the site after it has been launched?



Staging the Development

Once the web developer has been appointed and the contract signed, the development process begins.

This step of the development cycle may be divided into three distinct stages:

1. The technical specifications exercise

2. The construction phase

3. Delivery and deployment


Building – Developing the websiteStaging the Development

1. The technical specifications exercise

• A vital stage in the development of the website

• When the web developer and you collaborate to finalise the exact nature of thewebsite you want built and the technical solutions required to deliver it. This stage should clearly define: • technical solutions – eg authoring language, database solution, maintenance solution, web server and hosting requirements, security • scope and nature of the content • functionality and interactivity on the site • graphic and information design and navigation parameters and rules (but not the

actual design itself) • documentation and training deliverables • costings of all aspects of construction and delivery of the website • development and payment schedule for the project.




Once you have agreed to the technical specifications report, the construction of the site commences.

During the Construction phase the development team follows the technical specifications document to develop such things as the:

• Design and navigation system• functionality eg online forms, search engine, contact us• e-commerce solution• Database• Links within the site and to other sites

Cont/..




Testing of the site's technical solution, content and usability should be conducted during this stage of the development cycle

The three major aspects to test during the development of the site (formative testing) and immediately prior to launch (summative testing), are:

• Usability testing - assesses how easy the target audience finds the site to use, understand and navigate through

• Content testing - the person who collated, wrote and edited the content of the website should verify its quality and accuracy and ensure that it is uploaded to the right place.

• Technical testing - required when milestones in the construction have been reached and before the site is launched to ensure that the site functions as intended

Download testing

templates

Download testing

templates



3. Delivery and deployment

Once the website has been constructed and the testing completed the site is ready for hand-over to your organisation.

This third and final stage of the development process involves the web developer:

• conducting training in using the maintenance software

• installing any third-party software or templates that your staff will use to maintain the site

• providing the site documentation - eg navigation maps, indexes of files and the files themselves

• returning hard copy and soft copy materials used during the development of the website

• closing the test site and project management email groups

• both parties may need to remove access to any systems or physical access to buildings.


Protecting

• As the Internet becomes an increasingly important tool for businesses, electronic security (e-security) has emerged as a major issue.

• If your business is connected to the Internet, it is essential to ensure that your business data, including customer information, is safe and that your transactions are carried out securely - otherwise, there is a risk of transactions being intercepted, privacy codes being breached, company information being stolen and loss of money.


Protecting – are these threats real?

Recent surveys of businesses world-wide suggest that the risks to all organisations are real:

• 85% detected computer security breaches within the last 12 months.

• 64% acknowledged financial losses due to computer breaches.

• Most serious losses include loss of intellectual property and financial fraud.

• 70% cited their Internet connection as a frequent point of attack.

• 91% reported employee ‘abuse’ of Internet access (79% reported in 2000).

• 94% detected computer viruses (85% in 2000).

• 30% of Information Systems accounts are for people who have left the company.

• Approximately 1.5% of all credit card sales over the Internet are fraudulent.


Protecting – Why be secure?

• Connecting computers to the Internet allows consumers and businesses to access a wealth of information and resources.

• However, it also creates the risk that computers may be tampered with by hackers, or attacked by viruses distributed via email. It is important to protect yourself against these risks.

• A survey* of Australian companies conducted in 2001 found that 98% had been subject to some form of computer abuse that included:

– virus infection – data theft – data compromised from internal or external sources – unauthorised use of computer equipment – unauthorised network access – website damage – denial of service (DoS)

* Source: Trusting The Internet, produced by DCITA


Protecting – Where do I start?

• Any information transmitted over the Internet can be intercepted at any point if appropriate security precautions have not been taken. This is particularly important where businesses are using broadband technology because of its continuous connection to the Internet.

• Unauthorised users can take your data and disclose it, modify it, destroy it, sell it or post it on the web.

• They can hi-jack your homepage or your website, overload systems so customers cannot contact your company, shut down production lines and forward confidential staff details, personnel records and quality assurance reports.

Cont/..

What part of my business is at risk?



To help you determine your approach to information and system security, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is most important to my customers, business partners and suppliers? Most likely that:

–your information systems provide business data that is reliable and accurate

–systems that process data are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (ie 24/7)

–any customer or business partner information that is handled by the system is secure

–customer personal information will remain private and will not be shared with others

–financial data will be secured and not compromised, corrupted or destroyed

–systems are in compliance with any regulations requiring that critical business data will not be available or disclosed to unauthorised persons.

2. What security promises do I want/need to make to my customers, business partners and suppliers?

Whatever you promise will drive your business projects and the levels of security needed to support them.

What part of my business is at risk?



• Sources of threats to any organisation’s information systems can be both internal and external.

• The main threats to your information assets can be categorised as follows:

Internal and unintentional • uninformed workers - mistakes can be made, information can be destroyed,

confidential data exposed • uninformed contract workers – not fully briefed in organisation policies and protocols ,

hence security can be compromised

Internal and intentional• disgruntled employees – leaving a virus behind in your system or compromising data • contract workers trying to increase their employment value • contract workers requiring access to get the job done despite opening your company

to security risk

Cont/..

What are the sources of threats to my information systems?



External and technical• political activist “hactivists” • hackers looking to steal credit card numbers • information “brokers” • hackers looking to obtain business contact lists and client details

There are also a number of general security issues relating to Internet use that you need to consider, including:

• Viruses - malicious pieces of computer code that make unauthorised changes to your PCs. They often distribute themselves via the Internet or email.

• Hacking - where individuals gain or attempt to gain unauthorised access to your computer systems.

What are the sources of threats to my information systems?


Protecting – What can I do?

The development of a good security program is simply a matter of following some basic procedures similar to those applied to all aspects of the business planning process.

The Security Program Lifecycle (SPL)

1. Analyse/assess

2. Design

3. Implement

4. Maintain/Monitor

5. ContinuousImprovement



• Determine your requirements.

• Review the current state of your security program.

• Determine what your potential losses could be, including the impact on your good name.

• Determine your cost break-even point based on realistic assessment of the security threat to your business.

1. Analyse/Assess



• By understanding the real threats to your business information and systems, you can identify the right mix of technical, procedural and organisational controls needed to meet your security requirements.

• Remember, security is as much about people as technology, so staff training is vital to the effective implementation of any security program.

Ask the question:

Does my security program address the confidentiality, integrity and availability of my business information and IT systems?

2. Design



• Implementation is a critical area and it requires good project management to balance the implementation of the controls and the associated costs.

• In larger organisations this is the principal role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). In smaller organisations it may be the responsibility of a single person who also has other responsibilities within the organisation.

• In some cases an external provider may undertake this role, in which case it is vital that you understand what support and service the outsource company will supply.

• The key is to identify who is responsible for what and not to assume that security has been addressed by a third party.

3. Implement



Maintaining - once the program is implemented, you must ensure that security is made an integral part of day-to-day business activities. For example, develop a policy for employees to follow concerning:– password use– daily data backups – general computer use– safe and appropriate use of email and the Internet – security awareness as part of the general business culture.

Monitoring - The aim of monitoring processes and systems is to identify potential and actual security problems before they become issues that may cost your company time and money. When a security issue is identified, all organisations should have procedures in place to:– stop further intrusions or breaches – limit disruption – save evidence of breach or intrusion – prevent the incident from happening again.

4. Maintain/Monitor



• All businesses, large or small, need to keep abreast of current information and system security issues.

• It is only through being informed that you will be able to keep your security program current.

• Make sure you have procedures in place to address changes to your business strategy that may have implications for your security requirements.

5. Continuous Improvement


Protecting – Who will administer and manage the process?

• Every organisation seeking to improve information and system security will need to identify a specific person responsible for the day-to-day management of its information technology systems.

• Often called a Systems Administrator, this person has access to all data, files, software and hardware and therefore must have the necessary skills and background to perform the job effectively.

• But remember, security is everybody’s responsibility and it should be the responsibility of everybody in the organisation to implement security measures correctly and conscientiously:

– Set up a security awareness program for all system users

– Implement security training for technical staff

– Establish processes to review security controls regularly

– Review security architecture whenever the business or its strategies have changed and these changes impact on your information or computer systems.


Protecting – Who should be authorised to access data?

• Employees at various levels throughout an organisation will require access to different types of information and data. This sometimes applies to contractors working within your business.

• Authorisation refers to the granting of access rights to data, software and communications, based on the allocation of tasks to the users to allow them to perform their job.

• As additional functions, features and capabilities are added to your company website, overall security should be adequately controlled.

• User access policies and procedures should be developed and implemented to ensure that an appropriate level of access is allowed.


Protecting – How do I know who is accessing my information?

Authentication

• Is the process of ensuring that the correct user is identified as a trusted source and is authorised to conduct specific transactions.

• The reason for having access controls is to permit access to information and technology on a need-to-know, job function-related basis and to ensure users cannot gain access to information and technology for which they are not authorised.

Access controls must be established to ensure that:

• access to information and systems is limited to the minimal number of users

• system logs record who logs on, when, where and for how long, and track any deletions or modifications, changes to file or database structure

• additional workstations, systems and software are reviewed periodically.

Cont/..


Protecting – How do I know who is accessing my information?

Password protection

• Passwords are the first line of defence against unauthorised access to information and systems.

A password protection system should be developed that complies with the following: • Passwords should be alpha-numeric and be at least 8 characters long.

• Passwords should not be a common or familiar name.

• Do not use the word “password” itself.

• Reset passwords a maximum of every sixty days.

• Invalid user attempts should be set to a maximum of six (6) tries before the system shuts down.

• Implement session timeouts

• Default accounts, such as visitor access for contract workers or “guest” log ins, should be issued with a strong password and disabled when not assigned or in use


Protecting – How do I keep track of everything?

• System monitoring is the best way of keeping track of what is going on in your system – it will tell you who is accessing the data and when, what applications are being used, and the type of traffic on your server.

• Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can offer activity logs that will monitor the traffic on your site or alternatively, internal monitoring of your network, including outgoing traffic to external websites, is the task of your system administrator or IT department.

• Through this process you will be able to monitor any unusual or unauthorised activity.

Cont/..


Protecting – How do I keep track of everything?

The following things can help you keep track of who is using your systems:

• Conduct periodic scans of databases for obsolete, redundant or incorrect data.

• Conduct periodic security reviews of the website and related server

• Ensure that systems can generate simple network management protocol alerts to warn you when things out of the ordinary occur.

• Log important systems that cover security alerts and system use to detect inappropriate use or excessive usage.

• Keep logs to assist you in identifying a standard usage baseline to determine work habits, such as how long and often a user or customer accesses your system.

• Conduct regular security system reviews, preferably using an independent outsource company which specialises in this work.


Protecting – Key issues

• For electronic mail within your business or simple customer communications, secure electronic mail may not be necessary.

• However, if you deal regularly with confidential documents or want to take orders via email, then you should consider introducing a secure email system.

• Options for increasing the security of your email include:

– secure Web-based email

– dedicated email encryption software

– secure email gateways

Email



• Security protocols that are applied to desktop computers in the office must also apply to portable computers and to remote desktop computers, and in some cases, extra security is needed to ensure total confidence.

• Ensure you have the following policies and procedures in place:

– Remote access policy should be clearly documented, communicated, implemented and enforced.

– In/outbound communication via external modem must be approved and validated.

– Leave all dial-up modems disconnected unless actually in use.

– Enforce proper authentication of all external users.

– Each user must have an individual password and user ID.

– All dial-up and remote access activities should be recorded and reviewed on a periodic basis.

– Dial-up should be validated by a secured process (Virtual Private Network or VPN) to restrict the number of users of dial-up access communication.

Network Security: Modems & Remote Access



• A computer virus is a computer program, or segment of computer code, that has been created by someone to perform some malicious task on a computer when the instructions it contains are activated.

• Some viruses will activate as soon as the infected file is opened, while others will lie dormant in the computer system until activated by a trigger, such as a specific date on the system clock, or the user performing a specific function like reading an email.

• Viruses can be spread in a variety of ways:– via email attachments – resident on files on floppy disks or CDs – downloaded from infected files sitting on websites on the Internet.

• The best protection against computer viruses is to use anti-virus software

• It essential that anti-virus software be installed on your office and home computers, including laptops and notebooks and that it is updated regularly

Viruses



• In case of a natural disaster, denial of service attack, virus infection or hardware theft, ensure that you have a well-documented and communicated back-up and recovery plan.

• To protect your information and systems from natural disasters, virus infections and denial of service attacks:

– ensure back-up procedures are in place and tested and remember to test the actual data and restoration process

– ensure back-up procedures include all back-office systems such as finance and payroll

– ensure your ISP or website host has a properly managed back-up procedure. If back-ups are destroyed so is your website. Always a keep a copy of your current site on another server that is regularly backed-up as part of your internal processes

– all third party software should be copied prior to its initial use (software licensing allows for the making of copies for legitimate back-up purposes).

Back-up and recovery



• A process by which you can identify, evaluate and address negative computer-related security events. It is the process you go through when:

– your website is hacked and unauthorised data changes made – employee data falls into the wrong hands – a virus spreads through your computer system.

• Some companies may create internal response teams and others may co-develop a plan with their website host, or Internet Service Provider or Application Service Provider.

• Response procedures should be documented, published, communicated to all employees and enforced within the company. They should include comprehensive definitions of roles and responsibilities and a prioritised response based on the risk of the incident and the automated and manual responses required.

Incident Response


Protecting – Top ten e-security tips

1. Use protection software “anti-virus software” and keep it up to date.

2. Don’t open email from unknown sources.

3. Use hard-to-guess passwords.

4. Protect your computer from Internet intruders – use “firewalls”.

5. Don’t share access to your computers with strangers.

Cont/..


Protecting – Top ten e-security tips

6. Disconnect from the Internet when not in use.

7. Back up your computer data.

8. Regularly download security protection update “patches”.

9. Check your security on a regular basis.

10. Make sure your family members and/or your employees know what to do if your computer becomes infected.

Source: US-based National Cyber Security Alliance - http://www.staysafeonline.info/sectips.adp


Managing

Like any key aspect of your business, e-business requires good management if it is to be benefit the organisation.

Just as people require managing, systems need to be maintained and budgets have to be monitored, any strategic use of the Internet by a business needs to be closely controlled.


Managing – Who does the managing?• E-business is about business, not technology, so don’t leave managing

your e-business to technicians.

• Businesses that employ a few people do not have much choice about who manages their e-business.

• However, organisations employing a number of people need to bring together representatives of the various parts of their business to manage their e-business.

• An e-business management team comprising members of key areas should meet regularly to:

– Report on actions arising from the previous meeting

– Outcomes this period – successes, benefits, costs

– Content update – additions, deletions, editing and quality issues

– Marketing and promotion – usage, feedback

– Resources report – budget, staff training, time

– Technology issues – speed, equipment

– Risk management review – new risks, security and legal issues

– Actions arising from this meeting


Managing – Maintaining e-business systems

• An organisation’s e-business systems comprise the Internet technologies, office systems and processes that support its e-business activities.

• Maintaining your e-business systems includes:

– Website content maintenance

– Quality assurance

– Making improvements

– Technical maintenance

– Managing the maintenance system


Website content maintenance

• Once launched, a website assumes a life of its own.

• One thing all users will have in common is the expectation of accurate, timely information. That expectation will need to be satisfied not merely the first time they visit the site, but every single time. One bad experience with inaccurate or out-of-date information and users will think twice about using your site again.

• Identify what content requires updating in your website and determine how often it needs updating or reviewing. Do this by:

– itemising the various sections of your website – identifying what types of information can be found in each section – for example,

text, images, video, audio – identifying for each section and each type of information, exactly what information

is likely to require updating or reviewing – determining for each piece of information how often it requires updating or

reviewing: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.

Download estimated website

maintenance costs template





• Updating the content of a website, e-newsletter or an online catalogue held on a third-party’s website should not be conducted without some checks and balances in place.

• The person who reviews and edits the content should verify the quality and accuracy of new content and ensure that it is uploaded to the right place and in a timely manner.

• The content editor of a website can make the job more efficient and effective by establishing and administering a quality assurance procedure.

– Establish a pro-forma that all contributors to the website use to submit new content or changes to existing content or functions.

– Ensure everyone in the organisation knows about the proforma and how to complete it.

– Confirm that the content supplied for updating does not infringe anyone’s copyright, intellectual property rights or is illegal in any way - eg privacy laws.

– Proof-read the new content and seek approval from the author for changes prior to uploading.

– Determine whether new content should be signed-off by the management team.

– Develop a method of reporting problems.

Download content

verification checklist

Download content

verification checklist

Quality assurance



• Day-to-day enhancements to a website can be made that don’t require major decision-making or a review of the e-business strategy.

• Ideas for enhancements may emerge from monthly website management team meetings or while updating content in the site. Unlike updating, however, you have a little more flexibility in deciding if and when you make enhancements because, by definition, they are embellishments rather than a necessity.

• When maintaining your website always consider what small enhancements can be made, such as:

– adding further text to what is already there (not just updating)

– adding new images, video, audio

– providing new content by hotlinking to free streaming content

– adding new links

– promoting more aggressively

Making improvements



• Refers to any changes to the site that require alterations to its programming code - eg for the site’s graphics and navigation, metadata, database, e-commerce solution.

• Technical maintenance also refers to adjustments that improve the website’s speed and reliability, and monitor usage of the site.

• Maintaining the technical aspects of the website requires specialist knowledge and skills in website programming, so technical maintenance generally falls to one person or, for larger websites, a small group of technical experts.

• The webmaster, as the technician is usually known, would normally receive instructions from the e-business management team and a website manager regarding desired changes to the site.

Cont/..

Technical maintenance



• The webmaster should determine a schedule for technical maintenance that indicates what is to be done daily, weekly,and monthly and what tasks are undertaken only when the need arises.

• The schedule should include all maintenance items and indicate for each, what associated tasks are to be performed daily, weekly etc.

• A technical maintenance list might include some or all of: – the speed of the site – hotlinks to other sites – eg validity of the hotlinks – the reliability of the web server – dealing with error reports from the web server – the speed and reliability of information derived from the database – email lists – includes removing faulty email addresses – user sessions, hits and traffic through the site – the exporting of data collected from online forms to the appropriate personnel – the integrity and performance of the e-commerce system, if applicable – interactive elements of the site – eg play-back feature for audio/video – the use of metadata in the website.

Download technical solution checklist

Download technical solution checklistTechnical maintenance



• The e-business management committee is responsible for every aspect of the website and email technologies. Depending on the nature of the organisation and the website, it may meet weekly, fortnightly, monthly or even less frequently.

• In terms of its responsibility for overseeing the effective day-to-day maintenance of the e-business, the management team should address at each meeting:

– a report on maintenance activities undertaken since last meeting covering updates, enhancements and technical maintenance

– resourcing issues – time, people, equipment

– the efficiency and effectiveness of the maintenance solution provided by the developers or of editing software solutions - eg DreamWeaver

– the maintenance budget

– quality control – effectiveness, what is not working, where errors were made and lessons learnt

– risks and challenges targets for the next period.

Managing the maintenance system



• Depending on how much you rely on your website as a business tool and how much you use the Internet, especially email, it may be very useful to establish policies and guidelines about the use of those tools.

• E-business policy statements are high-level statements about the aims and intention of particular aspects of e-business. They state the overall approach that the business is taking to, say, e-commerce.

• An e-business policy might be a brief document that makes statements about your organisation’s general approach and aims.

• Policies then need guidelines and procedures that direct individual staff in their day-to-day use of the Internet. These might be in the form of step-by-step procedures or statements about what can be done online and what is discouraged or even not allowed.

• There are many e-business policies and guidelines published by government departments that may prove useful examples to follow when developing yours.

Managing – Internal policies and guidelines


• Without effective promotion, your website is unlikely to be seen as often as you would like.

• As you have invested time and money in the site, promoting it certainly makes sense.

• The site will not achieve the aims hoped for if the target audiences do not know it is there and are not often reminded of it.

Topics in this section:

– Developing a promotional strategy

– Registering with search engines

– Helping search engines find your website

– Advertising your website

Managing – Promoting your website


• The person or people in an organisation who have the responsibility for marketing should develop and help implement a website promotional strategy.

• A website promotional strategy should address:

– who is managing the strategy and the decision-making paths

– promotional techniques

– risk management strategies – what could go wrong and how you will deal with it

– the internal communication plan – how the strategy will be explained and sold to everyone in the organisation, its sponsors and supporters

– its strategic fit with your organisation’s marketing plan

– the evaluation plan – what processes and criteria will be used to assess the success of the strategy and how any necessary changes will be made


Developing a promotional strategy


• A search engine is a piece of software that enables users to search through an index or database of websites that has been created either by people or automatically by software that crawls through the World Wide Web looking for new websites and indexing them.

• A search engine is actually the tool that a website such as Yahoo or Google employs to enable people to search its index for websites, images, words or phrases.

• Registering your website with search engines such as Yahoo is relatively easy. It is often free and is the first thing you should do once a new website has been launched or an existing one has been re-developed.

• Registering with search engines is one of the most effective ways of making it easy for people to find your website.

• You can register your website yourself with search engines or pay for an organisation to register it for you.


Registering with search engines


• There are two types of search engines, those that use humans to add websites to their directory (eg LookSmart) and those that use computers to index them (eg Google).

• You cannot register your website with the search engines that use computers to do the indexing. These search engines will find your website and index its pages according to the contents they find there and according to their own rules. So make certain your website has a title and description on your homepage that the search engines can easily pick up and index.

• You can make the indexing of your site by computer-indexing search engines more effective by providing them with information about the contents of your site in a structured manner and in a form that they will readily recognise. This is done by inserting, in the HTML code that creates the pages of your website, information about the site. This information is called metadata because it is data about the data in your site.

Refer to the e-businessguide website for comprehensive information about using metadata to promote your website.


Helping search engines find your website


• Advertising the organisation’s website address in traditional media can be a very effective method of promoting the site.

• Ensure that the website’s domain name appears, or is mentioned, whenever you have interaction with clients or customers. This means making sure the website address appears on:

– letterheads, invoices, receipts and envelopes

– emails

– business cards

– packaging, wrappers

– uniforms

– signage on buildings, windows, vehicles

– recorded messages on staff mobiles and the office switchboard number.


Advertising your website


• The cost of maintaining your website over a 12 month period needs to be estimated and the money allocated so that the website has every chance of achieving its goals.

• Many businesses make the mistake of only considering the cost of developing a new website and forget the cost of annual maintenance.

• For some businesses the maintenance costs are not high, for others they can far exceed the development cost. No matter what the cost, annual budgeting for maintenance is very important.

Managing – Budgeting for maintenance






• Using the Internet to do business introduces a new set of risks in addition to the ones every organisation faces. Risks associated with the Internet are wide-ranging and vary in their complexity and the ease with which they can be avoided, minimised or eliminated.

• Risk management is the art of identifying risks, prioritising them and then minimising their occurrence and impact on your e-business.

• Risks associated with e-business that might lead to lost opportunities and frustrated customers cover areas such as:

– business – eg if you sell products directly to customers on your website, how this will affect your relationship with your re-sellers

– financial – eg the database used to support your e-business costs too much to maintain

– personnel issues – eg what happens if the only person in the business who really understands your website resigns

– technical – eg the website is inaccessible for a few days or is too slow, leading to lost opportunities and frustrated customers

– legal – eg your use of a list of email addresses breaks privacy laws.

Cont/..

Managing – Controlling the risks


• Managing risk requires a systematic approach. • Here is a suggested approach that could be easily implemented in

any organisation:

– consider each of the risk areas above and identify the risks under each for your e-business

– prioritise them

– develop strategies to minimise or overcome them

– implement the strategies

– evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies

– go back to step 1 and monitor for new risks.

Managing – Controlling the risks


• The legal aspect of e-business is all about managing risks.

• It is important to ensure that the content of your new website is accurate and complies with current law.

• It is also important to regularly review the website once it is up and running to ensure that it continues to comply.

Managing – Legal issues


• Some of the important general legal issues affecting e-business are listed below.

• Note: you should seek your own legal advice specific to your organisation and e-business.

Managing – Legal issues

• Privacy laws in Australia • Defamation

• Taxation and GST • Contracts

• Terms and conditions • Trade practices

• Intellectual property • Copyright

• Trade marks • Confidential information

• Digital signatures • Security

• Jurisdiction • Disability discrimination


Managing – Spam andethical e-marketing

• The online environment can offer an opportunity for companies to market themselves and their products inexpensively and effectively, but you need to exercise considerable care to ensure that your method, or your message, doesn't get you into legal or other difficulties.

• Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail (commonly referred to as "spam") will not only alienate the customers you're trying to attract, it could result in your Internet Service Provider terminating your Internet access, and may soon attract penalties under proposed Federal Government legislation.

• Over the last few years spam has become a serious problem and constitutes almost 50% of world-wide e-mail.

• It is rapidly eroding the value of legitimate online marketing and is causing problems for both users and the Internet generally, so it is important that you make sure you don't contribute to the problem.


Managing – Spam andethical e-marketing

• To make sure you aren't spamming, all of your commercial e-mail must: – only be sent where there is an existing business relationship, or where people have

clearly indicated they wish to receive it

– provide customers with the opportunity to decline future contact if they wish by including a working unsubscribe method

– be accurate, clear and unambiguous in all of the details in the e-mail (eg. addresses, subject lines, contact details).

• To find out more about spam go to the NOIE report on the problem at: http://www2.dcita.gov.au/ie/publications/2003/04spam_report

• The Department of the Treasury has developed a Best Practice Model for E-Commerce which is available at: http://www.ecommerce.treasury.gov.au/html/ecommerce.htm.

• Australia has strong privacy laws and business needs to pay careful attention to these when gathering and managing customers' private information. Refer to the IIA draft Privacy Code http://www.iia.net.au/privacycode.html


Improving

• Most businesses using the Internet as a business tool know that the technology and use of email, e-commerce and just about everything to do with the Internet is always changing.

• So looking for ways to improve current uses of the Internet is necessary and makes sense.


Improving – Evaluating your e-business

• Evaluating your e-business is not just about asking users whether your website looks good or is easy to use.

• There are many issues that need to be evaluated beyond your website or use of email.

For example:– are your e-business plan and business plan integrated? – are you utilising the Internet to drive cost-savings as well

as you might?



The first step in evaluation is to identify what needs to be evaluated. The aspects of e-business listed below and accompanying questions provide a starting point in this process:

• Strategic issues: How else can we use the Internet to improve profitability? • Management: Do we have an up-to-date and appropriate website strategy, policy and

procedures? Are we using email responsibly?• Content and features of the website: Is the quality and scope of content and its

maintenance as good as it could be? • Revenue: What else can be done to generate revenue via the Internet? • Efficiencies and cost savings: How else can the Internet be used to cut business

costs?• Marketing and promotion: Are we doing enough to promote our Internet services?

How could we do it better? Are we using it effectively enough to manage customer relationships? Are we using email correctly - ie according to ethical uses of email and avoiding spamming?

• Supplier/distributor management: How can our use of the Internet improve the way we manage our suppliers/distributors? Cont/..

What to evaluate?



• Distribution: How else can we use the Internet to help distribute our services and products?

• E-commerce: What (else) should we be selling online?

• Budget: Is the e-business operating to budget?

• Competitors: What are our competitors doing online and what can we learn from it?

• Resources: Is sufficient time and money allocated to maintaining our e-business?

• Risk assessment: Do we have a risk management strategy? Is it effective? Is the website, and our computer systems that support it, secure enough against hackers?

• Legal and contractual: Does any content on our website or the way we use/sell things online, or our use of email, break any laws? Do we have an appropriate contract with our web developers and ISP?

• Website usability: Is our website easy to use? Does it make it easy for people to do business with us?

• Technical issues: Is the website speed and reliability appropriate, and our connection to the Internet fast enough?

What to evaluate?



• Focus groups: Conduct focus groups consisting of your target users – eg customers, suppliers, distributors – and ask them to comment on the website’s look and feel, ease of use and content.

• Interviews: Interview staff and ask them about various aspects of the organisation’s e-business in order to obtain frank feedback on internal issues.

• Interview external users (eg suppliers) and ask them about their impression of, or experience in, dealing with the organisation via the Internet.

• One-off reality checks: Ask visitors to your business, colleagues or friends to look at your website or read your e-newsletter and comment on aspects appropriate to the user.

Cont/..

How to evaluate?



• Surveys and polls: Create a survey or quick poll and put it online or on paper to gain customers’ views on aspects of your e-business.

• Feedback from the website: Create an area in your website that invites users to provide feedback on your products and services, what they would like to see or be able to do on the site, and feedback on the website itself.

• Benchmarking: This measures your e-business performance against the e-business performance of one or more similar organisations (best done with an organisation that is similar to yours, in terms of industry sector, size, products and services, target markets and aims)

Cont/..

How to evaluate?



• Website usage statistics: Usage levels and patterns of usage of your website are important statistics to gather and look at because they can inform you as to who is using your site and when, what is working, what is popular and where the "dead" areas are that require rejuvenation or cutting.

• There are various measurements used to express the usage of websites. Unfortunately, they are all unreliable to some extent for a range of technical reasons. The most common statistics that are captured:

Hit rate: Recording one hit means that one image on a page, such as your organisation’s logo, has been downloaded onto the user’s computer screen. So a Web page comprising fifteen images or sections, which is not unusual for a home page, would notch up 15 hits on the counter. But remember, that does not equate to fifteen people viewing your site.

Unique visitors and user sessions: The unique visitor count refers to how many different people access your website in any given period. This is measured by the company that hosts your website.

Cont/..

How to evaluate?



• Depending on the aims of your website you may need to track all, or some of the following:

– the pattern of access over one day, one week, each month

– trends in visitor numbers and how many repeat visitors

– what areas of the site are visited the most

– what areas of the site are visited the least

– what routes users take through the site

– how long they stay in the site

– at what point they exit from the site

– the country of origin of the users

– what functions visitors use the most – e-commerce, online forms

– what documents are downloaded and how often.

How to evaluate?


Improving – Analysing results

• Online survey results, focus group feedback, anecdotal evidence collected in the tea-room, and results produced by software evaluation tools, all contribute to an overall picture of the health, success and popularity of your website.

• Do not rely on one evaluation methodology alone - ensure that you have collected evidence from a variety of people and through a variety of methods.

• If there is a consistency in the message you are getting about such things as the design, management of the site or the maintenance solution, then it is reasonable to assume that you have a problem that needs to be fixed.


Improving – Analysing results

There is no magic formula for analysing the results of evaluation, but there are some things you should be wary of:

• Making changes in your website – make sure you do not change those things in your site that are working.

• Acting on one form of evaluation – your online poll on the home page may be the flavour of the month for some people to provide repeat, mischievous feedback, so do not act on polls alone.

• Misinterpreting data – statistics can be easy be misinterpreted - it is wise to refer the data to someone skilled in analysing statistics to ensure you act on valid interpretations.

• Listening to vested interests – some will have a vested interest in telling you what is wrong with the site and how to fix it, so consider who you are listening to when analysing their feedback.

• Knee-jerk reactions – avoid reacting immediately to feedback by changing parts of the site - rather, collate it and report the collective picture to the website management team meeting and draw up a planned, prioritised response.

• Ignoring the future – the site might be progressing well and the feedback positive, but your users do not know what they do not know so you have to keep an eye to the future and try to anticipate what they may want one, two, three years from now.


Improving – Who does the evaluating and when

Evaluation of websites should be:

• systematic: it needs to be undertaken by the web management team

• on-going: there needs to be a plan and schedule for analysing and reporting on the various aspects of the site at set times during the year

• appropriate: using the right analytical tools and methods and conducted to a level of rigour appropriate to your website and organisation.

• Evaluation should be a standing item on the agenda of the web management team’s regular meeting. Each month a consolidated report should be presented that summarises the findings of the evaluation activity undertaken since the last meeting. Solutions then need to be found to address the issues raised in the report.

• Members of the web management team could undertake aspects of the evaluation themselves while some aspects may require third party expertise, such as reporting on site traffic and conducting focus groups and surveys.


Improving – Doing business with government online

• e-government refers to the use of information and communications technologies to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of government.

• Consider the range of business activities that you engage in where there is a requirement or need to work with government. These activities might include:

– starting-up a business – taxation – paying taxes – applying for licenses and permits – checking legislation – training and apprenticeships – importing and exporting – employing people – grants and financial assistance – closing down a business


Improving – Doing business with government online

• Investigate whether these services, help or information are available online by exploring the relevant sections of the following websites:

• Business Entry Point (BEP): an online government resource for the Australian business community - www.businessgov.au

• The Commonwealth Electronic Tender System (CETS): a web-based e-tendering facility operating as a pilot system - www.tenders.gov.au

• Doing Business Online with Government: assists suppliers to trade electronically with Australian Government agencies - www.agimo.gov.au/publications/2002/11/dbowg

• Commonwealth Purchasing and Disposal Gazette: The business opportunities section of the Government Advertising website www.ads.gov.au provides information on government tenders to the public free of charge and The Gazette Publishing System (GaPS) located at www.contracts.gov.au, contains information about resulting contracts and standing offers and provides searching and reporting facilities for users.


Improving – Procurement over the Internet

• Business can purchase products and services from other businesses by using the Internet. Two companies, one the supplier and the other the purchaser, can transmit inquiries, orders, invoices, payments etc. directly via the Internet.

• In this way the purchaser can:

– manage supplier relationships and accounts more easily as they are more automated

– save time writing out and tracking orders

– manage cash-flow more easily.

• The supplier benefits by being able to respond more rapidly to orders and can manage cash-flow more easily.

• Procurement using the Internet is referred to as e-procurement.


Improving – Procurement over the Internet

What to do?

• Research the advantages and challenges of adopting e-procurement by enquiring from your industry association and by researching on the Internet.

The following documents provide a good starting point for your research:

• Australian Institute of Purchasing & Materials Management Ltd - search for e-procurement on this site. There is an article “e-Procurement or Procurement Strategy - which comes first?” published in May 2002. www.aipmm.com.au/knowledge_lib/default.asp

• From the AusWeb02 conference: Reverse Auction e-Procurement: A Suppliers Viewpoint - “E-procurement is one of the shining lights in the evolving e-business story and this paper will look at a case study of an online reverse auction where a major Australian manufacturer sources logistics services for most of its commodities.” http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/aw02/papers/refereed/stein/paper.html


Improving – Managing the supply chain and logistics

• A supply chain encompasses all activities and information flows necessary for the transformation of goods from the origin of the raw material to when the product is finally consumed or discarded.

• This typically involves distribution of product from the supplier to the manufacturer to the wholesaler to the retailer and to the final consumer, otherwise known as nodes in the supply chain. The transformation of product from node to node includes activities such as production planning, purchasing, materials management, distribution, customer service and forecasting.

• Ultimately the ability to do business effectively depends on the efficient functioning of the entire supply chain.


Proven supply chain models rely on the Internet to transfer information electronically, which underpins communication and collaboration between businesses along the supply chain.

Using the Internet in this way has a number of benefits, which include:

• saving money and time by removing paper transactions – purchases orders, invoices, consignment notes – and speeding up response times

• reducing errors in the information passed along the supply chain by avoiding re-keying data from hand-written or faxed documents

• improving satisfaction of customers or suppliers (i.e. next node in the supply chain) with the delivery of information in ‘real time’ (i.e. at the point at which product is moved)

• integration of dispatch and distribution data with product development data at each node of the supply chain, resulting in real cost savings.




• Consider your supply chain and research the firms and functions and whether using the Internet can enable your supply chain to function more effectively. Then research the data you need from another node in the supply chain to conduct your business.

• For collaboration to work it may be necessary to champion its cause and discuss with others how to collaborate to share data openly to improve supply chain management.

• Seek advice from your industry association for guidance on technology solutions and open standards to adopt in information exchange and messaging of business documents.



Information Technology Online (ITOL) www2.dcita.gov.au/ie/ebusiness/developing/itol

• An Australian Government funded program administered by DCITA.

• Designed to accelerate the national adoption of e-business solutions, especially by small to medium enterprises (SMEs), across a broad range of industry sectors and geographic regions.

• ITOL encourages industry groups and small business to identify and adopt commercial uses of the Internet to support productivity and profitability. The ITOL Program is a catalyst for industry groups to work collaboratively to solve common problems on an industry-wide basis, rather than working individually and developing multiple solutions and in some cases unnecessarily duplicating efforts. The preferred e-business solutions are open and inclusive for all participants.

• NOIE has also produced a guide to successful e-business collaboration which is available at: www2.dcita.gov.au/ie/publications/2002/12/itol_experience


Improving – Putting your catalogue online

• One of the components of interacting along the supply chain is the cataloguing of products that could be used as inputs for the next node in the supply chain.

• Putting this catalogue online can improve internal business efficiencies and ultimately the functioning of the entire supply chain.

• An e-catalogue is an online presentation of information on products and services that are offered and sold by an organisation.

• For organisations that do not have a large range of products or services, putting its catalogue on the Internet is not a difficult task. However, for those with large product lines and many service offerings, multiple buyers, complex supply-chains and logistics, converting to an e-catalogue system is a complex task and requires careful planning and implementation.



• it can be updated more efficiently and cheaply as the publishing process is faster and there are no printing and paper costs

• price changes and availability can be updated immediately a new product or service becomes available or there is a supply issue with a product or service

• it is available to customers anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week

• coupled with an online payment system, it encourages sales and assists cash-flow

• through the use of cross-links and product-to-product association the website can automatically encourage users to purchase additional products (cross-selling) and more of a product or service (up-selling)

• it can improve access to product catalogues by standardising content and providing multiple search criteria so that users can find it easily

• it can provide images and diagrams to demonstrate product features.

Advantages of an e-catalogue



• if the business has a large range of products or services that change price or availability often, then an e-catalogue requires a sophisticated website solution which can be costly to establish and maintain

• to reap the full benefits of having an e-catalogue, a business would need to coordinate its customer and product databases, stock and inventory systems and financial systems and then ensure that these systems, or at least the website, could talk to the relevant systems of its suppliers and distributors – this is no mean feat.

Disadvantages of an e-catalogue



• The major challenge that SMEs need to be aware of is that developing and maintaining an e-catalogue is different from updating and publishing a print catalogue. Buyers use different technologies to read e-catalogues, many of which are not compatible, so suppliers – if they decide to sell to multiple buyers electronically – must learn how to adapt its catalogue information to this type of operating environment.

• You should not be seduced into thinking that having a catalogue on a website equals an e-catalogue. While potential buyer(s) can certainly visit a website and read the information posted there, the real efficiencies and productivity gains are made by linking the relevant parts of the back-office database/financial management information system (e.g. MYOB, Quicken, Attache) to the buyer’s e-business application.

Cont/..

The challenges



• The key question the SME needs to remember is: with all these technical and operating requirements imposed on me by either buyers or intermediaries, what needs to be done to reduce data customisation tasks, order re-keying and numerous log-on requirements for updating data?

• To this end, SMEs need to have a well-structured product/service database that uses recognised national and international standards (eg. ABN for business identification, ANZIC codes for industry classification, UNSPC for units of measure, EAN/UCC numbers for product identification). Using such standards means the catalogue information can be mapped, transformed and searched more effectively by potential buyers. This approach reduces effort in recreating and updating catalogue content, can adapt quickly to changing technologies and applications, and provide a basis for establishing a scalable e-catalogue infrastructure.

The challenges


Improving – E-marketplaces

• An e-marketplace is an electronic exchange where firms register as sellers or buyers to communicate and conduct business over the Internet.

• Services offered by e-marketplaces include business directory listings, electronic catalogues for online purchasing of goods and services and trading or transaction services.

• E-marketplaces that are worth considering are those that interconnect with other marketplaces and allow low-cost connection to a firm’s financial accounting systems.

• There has been significant rationalisation in the number of e-marketplaces operating over the last few years, and careful consideration is needed before making a commitment to join an e-marketplace, to determine whether it is appropriate for your business needs.


Improving – E-marketplaces

• greater opportunities for suppliers and buyers to make new trading partnerships, either within their supply chain or across supply chains

• the potential to lower the costs of negotiating and making transactions with automation of standard business procedures

• the potential for more transparent pricing as buyers and sellers take the opportunity to trade in a more open environment

• the opportunity to access value-added services such as inventory control and management of dispatch and distribution processes using electronic systems

• the potential to access global markets.

Advantages of joining an e-marketplace

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