During the last decade, the number of online businesses has sharply increased. In general, e-commerce increases revenues for sellers by broadening the customer base and shortening the cycle time of the sale. Web software must be capable of searching, sorting, and comparing product features; checking availability, balances, and/or delivery times; checking out customers; processing promotions and payments; verifying that the credit card number belongs to the person trying to use it; and providing confirmation of the purchase in real time. The number of integrated systems, networks, and maintenance tools needed to support e-business operations, including getting the correct items to the customer in a reasonable amount of time, can be hard to pinpoint. A company may well decide that it cannot build the entire system in-house.
To complete this Assignment:
1. Consider a scenario in which you have decided to start an online business.
2. Consider the hardware, software networks, and databases necessary for you to validate user identity, manage inventory, process requests and transactions, and log user activity that is important for billing and marketing services.
Then, consider development of the following functionality:
A. Website design
B. Hosting
C. Creation of user profiles and customer files
D. A dynamic and updated multimedia catalog, a fast catalog search engine
E. Shopping cart
F. Credit card processing.
G. Shipping and tax calculations
H. Email notifications.
I. Usage statistics
J. Sales and inventory reports
K. Customer account management
L. Customer support (help menus, tutorials, FAQs, etc.)
N. Servers and power
O. Password protection
P. Encrypted order processing
Q. Integration with back-office software
3. Consider which elements of the required functionality listed you would develop in-house and which you would outsource.
Submit a 2-page paper that includes the following (Could you make it 2.5 pages instead out of the long-standing relationship I have had with you all? Please & Thank you.):
1. A diagram of the hardware, software, network, and database components needed for your hypothetical e-commerce site to ensure the functionality listed in the “To Prepare” area of this Assignment.
2. A description of the hardware, software, network, and database components needed for your hypothetical e-commerce site as described in the “To Prepare” area of this Assignment.
3. An explanation of which of the functions described in the “To Prepare” area of this Assignment that you would primarily develop in-house and which you would outsource to a web development or hosting company, and why
