ABSTRACT
E-business can have a significant impact on the business applications architecture. In order to compete in the future collaborative marketplace, companies need flexible and integrated business applications. Moving to a customer-centric strategy will drive information systems to focus on an overall information infrastructure. Integration of applications will become critical. To be a truly e-enabled organization, all the business applications from front-end to back-end must be fully integrated to provide:
Immediate on-line information
Accurate information
Information in one place
Business flexibility and agility
Automated workflow
The business applications in many companies are not ready for a direct interface to customers. Many application systems were not designed to operate in concert, exchange data seamlessly, operate at Internet speed, or use a common database. Selling a product quickly over the Internet, and then dealing with an unintegrated and unresponsive legacy fulfillment mechanism is a sure way to lose customers. Some companies attempt to implement e-business without first addressing the core business applications. Perhaps they have not implemented Enterprise Requirements Planning (ERP) and have islands of disparate applications and information. Although these companies can successfully add some of the e-business functionality, it is impossible to get to a complete e-enabled enterprise without having an enterprise framework of business applications. ERP and an enterprise application framework allow the business to organize accurate information, and the Internet allows the organization to communicate this information directly to the customer. Without an enterprise framework of business applications, independent applications result in:
A significant reduction in flexibility.
