Tuesday, January 31, 2006

This interview with Akamai co-founder Tom Leighton points to many of the problems faced by e-business, such as security issues, privacy, identity theft and scalability. E-Commerce News: ECT News Exclusives: Akamai Chief Scientist Tom Leighton: E-Businesses Face Critical Challenges

Friday, January 27, 2006

A new study prepared on behalf of the North American television and advertising industry says that it is likely that television as we know it will end. TV will move to the internet, making it poossible to download and store programs or watch streaming television on the internet. This will have a major effect on advertising revenvue, and will change the business models in the industry, The question is, as with so many industries since the advent of the information age, can our existing broadcasters survive? The Globe and Mail: Web threatens TV: report

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

"How Amazon Works"offers a comprehensive look at how Amazon.com does business. The article also includes interesting insights into the strategy and the technology infrastructure of the company.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

The world of technology has been looking for a good electronic book for years. But no-one has come up with a portable unit that has all the portability of paper books along with the readibility (no glare, etc). Now, however, we have the Sony Reader coming to the market. It is small, readable, can hold lots of digital books and uses technology for its screen that is reputedly almost as good as paper. If it catches on, what will be its impact on the publishing industry. Will it do to the industry what digital music has done to the music industry? Maybe not, since the industry itself is excited! Wired News: Screening the Latest Bestseller

Thursday, January 19, 2006

The recent holiday season was a good one for online retailers. However, this success is driving many of them back to the basics of the e-commerce world. When people buy on the web, they expect the site to perform flawlessly and also expect the goods to be produced for them very quickly. this puts a lot of pressure on the companies to move fast, which means they need top-drawer inventory and supply chain applications. Their supply chain needs to be integrated and smooth. So the recent success has many online retailers scrambling to upgrade their technology infrastructure, so their Web sites and delivery mechanisms will work better than ever. E-Commerce News: E-Commerce: After the Holidays: E-Commerce Seeks Springboard Into 2006

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Now that online video is becoming big business, Google is moving into the area. It will go head to head with iTunes (read Apple), and it could be a real donnybrook. InformationWeek Business Innovation Powered By Technology

Sunday, January 15, 2006

The search for the perfect online payment system goes on. One that has attracted some attention lately is e-Gold, an online currency that you can use by going to the website, buying some currency units and then using them to pay for purchases online. The idea is that the system preserves the anonymity of the buyer, one of the sought after characteristics of online money. However, the very idea of anonymity also can open doors for the criminal and fraudulent elements. Gold Rush

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Phishing, that generator of annoying e-mails saying your account needs to be updated, or your credit is about to be cancelled, relates, according to a recent survey, disproportionately to eBay and paypal. Phishers have presumably decided that the open and popular nature of these applications makes them enticing targets. eBay, PayPal Rank High on Phish Lists

Monday, January 09, 2006

Cell phones have long been touted as a potential vehicle for buying and paying for goods. They have been slow to be adopted by consumers, in North America, but that may be changing. People are increasingly recognizing the role of cell phones as a multi-purpose device, to be used for much more than just talking. E-Commerce News: E-Commerce: Internet Shopping Finally Coming to Cell Phones in US

Friday, January 06, 2006

The surveys are coming in on online shopping for the last holiday season. They all show a substantial increase, with shoppers including web shopping in their holiday shopping plans early on. They also show that incentives, such as guarantees of delivery before christmas make a difference. Online Shoppers: Early and Often

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Systems integration has been a central part of the e-business world but some companies have gotten caught up in the decentralization of their information systems through a continuance of distributed computing. This article from Accenture makes a timely plea for a consolidation of corporate IT Infrastructure. IT Consolidation and the Bottom Line

Monday, January 02, 2006

A divorced mother of five may end up being the first person to go to court over the illegal downloading of music from a music sharing service, specifically in this case Kazaa. The problem is she can't afford a lawyer, but says she didn't do it, and didn't even know how to do it. She is being sued by the recording industry as part of their crack-down on music sharing. CNN.com - 'Internet-illiterate parent' fights downloading lawsuit - Dec 27, 2005