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MANAGING E-BUSINESS LEARNING DIARY 4

Q. Describe the components of the E-business Architectural Framework
The software framework necessary for building electronic commerce applications is little
understood in existing literature. In general, a framework is intended to define and create
tools that integrate the information found in today’s closed systems and allow the
development of e-commerce applications.
It is important to understand that the aim of the architectural frame-work itself is not to build
new database management systems, data repository, computer languages, software agent-
based transaction monitors, or communication protocols. Rather, the architecture frame-work
focuses on synthesizing the diverse resources already in place in corporations to facilitate the
integration of data, software and supporting infrastructure for better applications.
The electronic business application architecture consists of six layers of functionality, or
services: Applications; Brokerage services, data or transaction management; Interface, and;
support layers”; Secure messaging, security and electronic document Interchange; Middle
ware and structured document interchange; and Network infrastructure and basic
communications services.
These layers cooperate to provide a seamless transition between today’s computing resources
and those of tomorrow by transparently integrating information access and exchange within
the context of the chosen application. As seen in table above, electronic business applications
are based on several elegant technologies. But only when they are integrated, they provide
uniquely powerful solutions.
Applications: In the application layer services of e-commerce, it is decided that what type of
e-commerce application is going to be implemented. (B2B, B2C, C2C, B2G). Consumer-to-
Business Transactions is also known as market-place transaction. In a marketplace
transaction, customers learn about products differently through electronic publishing, buy
them differently using electronic cash and secure payment systems, and have them delivered
differently. Also, how customers allocate their loyalty may also be different. Business-to
Business Transactions is known as market-link transaction. Here, businesses, governments,
and other organizations depend on computer –to- computer communication as a fast, an
economical, and a dependable way to conduct business’ transactions. Small companies are
also beginning to see the benefits of adopting the same methods. Intra-organizational
Transactions is known as market-driven transactions. A company becomes market driven by
dispersing throughout the firm information about its customers and competitors; by spreading
strategic and tactical decision making so that all units can participate; and by continuously
monitoring their customer commitment by making improved customer satisfaction an
ongoing objective. To maintain the relationships that are critical to delivering superior
customer value, management must pay close attention to service, both before and after sales.
Information Brokerage and Management Layer: This layer is rapidly becoming necessary in
dealing with the voluminous amounts of information on the networks. This layer works as an
intermediary who provides service integration between customers and information providers,
given some constraint such as low price, fast services or profit maximization for a client. The
information brokerage and management layer provide service integration through the notion
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of information brokerages, the development of which is necessitated by the increasing

information resource fragmentation. The notion of information brokerage is used to represent
an intermediary who provides service integration between customers and information
providers, given some constraint such as a low price, fast service, or profit maximization for a
client. Another aspect of the brokerage function is the support for data management and
traditional transaction services. Brokerages may provide tools to accomplish more
sophisticated, time-delayed updates or future compensating transactions. These tools include
software agents, distributed query generator, the distributed transaction generator, and the
declarative resource constraint base which describes a business’s rules and-environment
information.
Interface and Support Services: The third layer of the architectural framework is interface
layer. This layer provides interface for e- commerce applications. Interactive catalogs and
directory support services are the examples of this layer. The primary difference between the
two is that unlike interactive catalogs, which deal with people, directory support services
interact directly with soft-ware applications. For this reason, they need not have the
multimedia glitter and jazz generally associated with interactive catalogs. From a computing
perspective, we can expect that there will be no one common user interface that will glaze the
surface of all electronic commerce applications, but graphics and object manipulation will
definitely be predominated. Tool developers and designers might incorporate common tools
for interface building, but the shape of catalogs or directories will depend on the users’
desires and functional requirements.
Secure Messaging Layer: electronic messaging services like e-mail, enhanced fax and EDI.
Broadly defined, messaging is the software that sits between the network infrastructure and
the clients or electronic commerce applications, masking the peculiarities of the environment.
Others define messaging as a frame-work for the total implementation of portable
applications, divorcing you from the architectural primitives of your system. In general,
messaging products are not applications that solve problems; they are more enablers of the
applications that solve problems. Messaging services offer solutions for communicating non
formatted (unstructured) data-letters, memos, reports as weft as formatted (structured) data
such as purchase orders, shipping notices, and invoices. Unstructured messaging consists of
fax, e-mail, and form-based systems like Lotus Notes. Structured documents messaging
consists of the automated interchange of standardized and approved messages between
computer applications, via telecommunication
Middleware services: The enormous growth of networks, client server technology and all
other forms of communicating between/among unlike platforms is the reason for the
invention of middleware services. The middleware services are used to integrate the
diversified software programs and make them talk to one another. Another reason for
middleware is the computing shift from application centric to data centric i.e. remote data
controls all of the applications in the network instead of applications controlling data. To
achieve data-centric computing, middleware services focus on three elements: transparency,
transaction security and management, and distributed object management and services
Network Infrastructure: We know that the effective and efficient linkage between the
customer and the supplier is a precondition for e-commerce. Network infrastructure is used to
provide network services that allow devices to connect and communicate. This includes
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foundational networking hardware, software, services and facilities. The following are
common examples of network infrastructure: - Routers and switches, Firewalls, Load
balancers, Storage Area Network (SAN) and DNS.
E-Business core is a four-layer architecture, where each layer is based on the lower layers.
Deployment & Distribution Infrastructure- The lowest level building block of supporting
framework for e-business includes data communications circuits over which information
travels. Includes: Packet-switched networking (telephony is circuit-switched), Packets
contain overhead information including addressing, They are also routed, like mail, All of
this flows across Internet backbones, Newer Internet access technologies include wireless
access, cable access and DSL.
Content Development & Publishing- Second level building block of supporting framework
for e-commerce. Includes standards for various multimedia file types. Examples of materials
transported in this way include: Video, Audio, Text/Electronic documents, Graphics &
Photos and Realtime/Non-real time applications
Messaging and Information Distribution Infrastructure- Third building block of supporting
framework for e-commerce. Includes email, instant messaging, Voice over IP (VoIP), point-
to-point file transfers (FTP), and groupware. E-mail is still largest use in this area. ISP
(Internet Service Provider) connects the user to the Internet.
Common Business Services & Security Infrastructure- The fourth level building block of
supporting framework for E-Business consists of six main elements: Security, Authentication,
Encryption, Electronic Payments, Search Engines and Web Services & Personalization.
Apart from this, there are other components of the framework which are important and are as
follow: - The Information Architecture drives how data and information are stored and
accessed within the e-business solution. The Systems Management Aspect should cover: all
the nodes within the architecture, manageable from local and remote locations, based on
standards and extensible to support new technologies, include support for systems
administration, systems management, and software configuration management. The
Functional Architecture should focus on describing the function of the IT system and is
primarily concerned with: the structure and modularity of the software components (both
application and technical), interactions between components, including protocols, the
interfaces provided by components, and their usage, dynamic behaviour, expressed as
collaborations between components. Also, focus is on content management, digital branding,
and security concerns. The E-Business core is designed to support a fifth layer in the E-
Business framework consisting of reengineered business processes and enabling IT
applications to support key business functions like Advertising and Shopping, Negotiating,
Ordering, Billing, Payment and Settlement, Distribution and Receipt, Accounting, Customer
Service, Information and Knowledge processing.

SHUBHANGI JAIN
ROLL NO: 372
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SECTION C