Written by the President of Sensible Systems, the following excerpt provides an introduction to the content of "Building an Intelligent e-Business".

Electronic business has taken a dramatic takeoff. As more enterprises become Internet enabled and comfortable with the technologies that support it, electronic business will continue to grow, drawing larger numbers of enterprises that will use the technology to handle a wider variety of business tasks. This book has been targeted for business executives and IT professionals interested in expanding their capacity to transform business processes using Internet technologies. This book explains the nature of electronic business as a viable means of expanding business capacity and markets. After reading this book, you will be familiar with current e-business practices benefiting companies today, and you will understand the technology and business infrastructures needed to support a successful electronic business enterprise.

This book does not aim to make website developers out of its readers. There are plenty of books on the market that delve much deeper and more comprehensively on that subject. Often, however, those books neglect to discuss the issues that are of interest to business leaders. Business leaders must understand the possibilities that leveraging Internet technologies can bring to their enterprise. These include potentially new revenue streams and increased efficiency of business processes. They must also be aware of the risks and limitations imposed by current technology. e-Business concepts are discussed at length in this book. e-Commerce is described as a subset of the processes that make up e-Business. Many businesses will be able to accurately describe themselves as an e-business without conducting any sales transactions over the Internet. This is because these companies are taking advantage of related technologies to optimize their business processes. For example, they are able to electronically collaborate with their business partners. They also provide personalized online services such as 401K-benefit enrollment, health insurance information, automated procurement processes and company information for their employees. Many businesses are moving beyond managing their business partners and employees electronically to include managing their customers as well. Customer Relationship Management and Sales Force Automation are two areas that have shown strong growth over the last several years. There are many competitors in this arena. Business leaders should also be aware of the convergence of telephony applications with the Internet. It will not be much longer before customers will expect to get the same level of service from a company through any point of contact. This includes service from the telephone, Internet, e-mail, fax or in person.

Manufacturers are taking advantage of these technologies by investing in Supply Chain Management software. The advantages introduced by managing the manufacturing process in this way include reduced cycle times and inventory requirements. Portals and hub sites are another area where choices abound. Making a poor one can cost a company dearly in more ways than one. Professional or affinity portals serve as an entry point to the Internet for a specific class of users. They provide services tailored specifically to the needs and interests of these users. Hub sites help users find specialized information and links to other related information. The cost of establishing a portal is very high. The issues associated with determining the type of portal appropriate for a given company is discussed in detail later in the book. The technical details of building a website are discussed also. Many business people may be interested in a little deeper understanding of the technology underlying the process. There are many issues relating to standards, security and protocols that must be understood prior to designing an e-business infrastructure appropriate to the given business. I think IT leaders will benefit as well by reading the chapters in the book related to e-business issues.