P1 of Unit 8 (eCommerce) looks at the technologies required for eCommerce.
Technologies Used;
Hardware
Software
Networking
Hardware
Web Server: A webserver is a Hardware device used to host an eCommerce website. The server supports the entire content of the website such as HTML files, Data bases and Image Files. Web Servers will run on operating systems such as Windows or Linux and will use web server software to manage access requests to the website. Webservers are similar to PC’s however they have faster processors and more memory making it much more powerful.
Firewall: A firewall is a software or hardware-based network security system that controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic by analysing the data packets and
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A range of software packages can be used .HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language) files can be created in a web authoring package such as Dreamweaver. The html files created by this software will include CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) files that are used to enhance the visual appearance of the site. Other web authoring tools are graphic design packages such as Adobe Photoshop that can be used to design a skin for the user interface design. This skin can then be exported into a html and css combination that is used as the basis for the developing site.
Server Software: Web servers need to run software that manages access attempts to a website. When a user tries to access a website the web server software processes the access request and serves up the correct files that have been requested from the client’s machine. Examples include Windows IIS (internet information services) which runs on windows based web servers and Apache which runs on Linux based web servers. Server Software runs in the background and works over a network to allow a browser stored on a client machine to access the files that make up an eCommerce site.
Database System: A database system is an important part of an eCommerce website. The database is used to store information about the products for sale on the site. The database will hold information such as store pricing, descriptions, images and other details. In addition to this the customers details are
There are several different types of business ownership which are most commonly used in business’ and company’s today, these include; Co-operative which is a business owned by its employees, Partnership which is a business owned by between 2 and 20 people, Private limited which is a business owner by a small groups of people who have shares and a Public limited business is owned by private individuals by shares bought and sold on the stock market. A charity is a business with the purpose to help the public, the government is a business owned by the government and lastly a sole trader which is a business owned by only one person.
Databases are the heart of the company. This is where all crucial company information is stored and can be accessed. Some databases are stored on site others in remote locations or using clouds. The information within a database can be manipulated in any way that the company needs it to be. Databases help to quickly search and retrieve information, it saves from data redundancy.
A web server is a PC that opens pages on a browser on request. It sends the web address of the page that has been requested to the web browser. They have an IP address and possibly domains and are essential for an ecommerce because ecommerce is online and a web server is what you need to surf the web.
Web hosting services – this is where a user will buy a certain amount of storage space on a company’s network, which will then be visible to the public through a IP address, and store their website files so a third user can visit the website. This allows users to view the website by downloading packets of information.
Server software: This is a program that is designed specifically to be operated on a server, this software is designed around the client-server model where the client being the computer requesting resources/services from the computer running server software that will process the requests made by the client.
Firewall is “a computer security program that blocks incoming network traffic based on certain predetermined criteria”. Firewalls have details logs, that can hold a wealth of information about the network to the forensics investigations. The firewall logs can also have details about the hardware failures. Successful/unsuccessful connection attempts, users added on, and any permissions changed. You can also find evidence on the backdoors.
Many businesses have shown that after implementing an e-commerce system into their companies, sales have increased immensely. Sneaker Joe’s is a small family run business that is looking to expand their business after the sneakers they sell have shown to be very popular locally, after a picture of them was spotted on a social networking site. I have been looking at some of the most popular websites that consumers use to purchase their goods and what kind of commerce system they have in place, but first, I have written an explanation of the different types of ecommerce used today.
A firewall protects networked computers from intentional hostile intrusion that could compromise confidentiality or result in data corruption or denial of service. It may be a hardware device or a software program running on a secure host computer. It must have at least two network interfaces, one of the network it is intended to protect, and one for the network it exposed
Apache is the most common web server used. The functionality of the server can be expanded with modules if necessary, and it is easier to install and deploy servers that require more features.
Windows Server is a server operating system from Microsoft Corporation. Windows Server offers ease of management through its interface. The Windows Sever web hosting environment supports major Web programming languages and databases such as PHP, MySQL, ASP.NET and MS SQL.
E-commerce Explain what is meant by the term ‘E-commerce’. It is the conducting of business communication and transactions over networks and through computers. As most restrictively defined, electronic commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services, and the transfer of funds, through digital communications. However EC also includes all inter-company and intra-company functions (such as marketing, finance, manufacturing, selling, and negotiation) that enable commerce and use electronic mail, EDI, file transfer, fax, video conferencing, workflow, or interaction with a remote computer. Electronic commerce also includes buying and selling over the Web, electronic funds transfer, smart cards, digital cash (e.g.
A firewall is a system or group of systems that enforces an access control policy between two or more networks. The means by which this control is accomplished varies widely, but in principle, the firewall is a pair of mechanisms, one that blocks traffic and one that permits traffic. Some firewalls emphasize blocking traffic, while others emphasize permitting traffic. The most important thing to recognize about a firewall is that it implements an access control policy. If you don't know what kind of access you want to permit or deny, or you let someone else or some product configure a firewall based on judgment other than yours, that entity is making policy for your whole organization.
Server software: Today’s Web servers come with a variety of servers ranging from HTML editors in search engines to application servers.
The server platform is basically what holds the documents or content. This feature is also what enables a user to create, edit, and also publish content in the blog or website. A good server platform ensures that high quality content is published in the site on time. In order for this to take place, the server platform consists of three main components. These are MYSQL Database, Style Sheets, and PHP Scripts
Web Hosting Service – These are normally used for websites where customers will get a server in which their website can run off. Also there are many uses of a hosting service with one of them being that it will host many different websites. If a customer wants a private or a dedicated hosting service then this can be done and will have a limit to the amount of sites on its server and private with just the one site. Overall this will give the websites the best service possible and cannot be affected by other websites on the same server.