Deployment Considerations and Questions

Consider these five areas before deploying an e-commerce solution in your business:

	Strategy — Start with a clear vision of your e-commerce operation and how it will contribute to your overall business objectives. Obtain senior management sponsorship.
	How does e-commerce integrate with your business strategy? Is there a driving vision for your e-commerce activities? How will you publicize your site? Have your managers and staff bought into the e-commerce plan? Who is your e-commerce target market? Which business model best suits your company: business-to-business, business-to-consumer, or both?
	Process — Understand and define the methods and practices for integrating e-commerce with your existing business activities. You will also need to develop methods for content management, Web-based ordering, and payment processing.
	What is the process for managing and maintaining the "backend" including catalog creation, transaction management systems, and site analysis? Do you understand what is necessary to process payments over the Web? Do you have online policies for incorrect pricing, customer privacy, and fraudulent orders? What product or service information is important to the customer buying decision? How do you intend to link your e-commerce solution with back-office systems, such as inventory availability, order fulfillment, accounts receivable, and customer service? Will your e-commerce activities conflict with, or complement, your existing sales channel? Can you save time and minimize calls to your customer service people by posting your terms and conditions on your site? Are you prepared to move your order verification process to the Internet, confirming to customers that their order has been received?
	People — Gain the support of your management and staff.
	Is there a team responsible for your e-commerce activities? Is their experience and skill set adequate? Are their roles, responsibilities, and accountability clearly defined? Do your employees have easy access to the Internet? Do they have the skills and equipment to use an online solution? Are the departments of your organization-including finance, manufacturing, and distribution-prepared to support e-commerce activity?
	Technology — E-commerce success also depends on having reliable, scalable, secure, accessible, and manageable computer networks, hardware, and software.
	Do you have the technical equipment to support e-commerce activities? Is your technological infrastructure-including network services, hardware, and software scalable? What type of security will your e-commerce site use?
	Service and Support — In addition to people and technology, you will want to consider outside services for rapid deployment (planning, design, and implementation) and operation of your e-commerce solution. Consider:
	Can I reduce my time to market and/or my costs if I hire a services organization with expertise and experience deploying e-commerce solutions, rather than training my staff to perform this one-time task? Are you prepared to provide real-time customer support to answer questions about your products, services, and policies? Will you offer customers a toll-free number? What is the cost to my business if the system is not available? How can I proactively identify and resolve problems? How will I migrate my system to higher levels of performance? If I really had to "go it alone," would I implement an e-commerce solution? How can I protect my customer/business data, applications and networks from ongoing security threats?