An Overview

Abstract

During the past two decades, the business world has witnessed a technological revolution known today as electronic commerce or ecommerce. This revolution has allowed businesses all over the world to conduct business in ways that were unimaginable two decades ago. Through the use of e-commerce technologies, businesses can share and disseminate information electronically and conduct business online so consumers, regardless of their locations, can obtain goods and services from the businesses. Because of the many opportunities e-commerce technologies offer in today’s competitive marketplace, it is essential for organizations to have e-commerce presence and effectively utilize the Internet to expand their businesses. With this Internet presence, ensuring security of their data and sales experiences is of paramount importance. Through the use of effective e-commerce security tools, business can increase their sales,Guy Fitzgerald is professor of information systems at Brunel University and is head of the Department of Information Systems and Computing. Prior to this he was the cable and wireless professor of business information systems at Birkbeck College, University of London, and before that he was at Templeton College, Oxford University. As well as being an academic, he has also worked in the computer industry with companies such as British Telecom, Mitsubishi, and CACI Inc., International. His research concerns the effective management and development of information systems and he has published widely in these areas. He is probably best known for his work in relation to development techniques and methodologies and is the author of a major text in this area entitled Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools, now in its fourth edition. He is also well known for his research in the areas of strategy, outsourcing, and executive information systems. His most recent research is concerned with the development of flexible information systems to enhance organizational agility. He is founder and co-editor of the Information Systems Journal (ISJ), an international journal from Blackwell Publishing, and he has been a member of many international Program Committees, including the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) and the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS).