Chapter 2. Evolution to e-Enterprise | Internet-Enabled Business Intelligence

127 - Chapter 2. Evolution to e-Enterprise <blockquote> <p><script> function OpenWin(url, w, h) { if(!w) w = 400; if(!h) h = 300; window. open (url, "_new", "width=" + w + ",height=" + h + ",menubar=no,toobar=no,scrollbars=yes", true); } function Print() { window.focus(); if(window.print) { window.print(); window.setTimeout('window.close();',5000); } } </script><span></span></p> <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr valign="top"></tr></table> <table width="100%" height="20" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tr></tr></table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr valign="top"> <td align="center"><table width="95%"><tr><td align="left"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"> <tr><td valign="top" height="5"><img src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/images/pixel.gif" width="1" height="5" alt="" border="0"></td></tr> <tr> <td><b><font size="1" color ="#0000FF">Team-Fly<img border="0" src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/Fly-Logo.gif" width="81" height="25"></font></b></td> <td valign="top" align="right"> </td> </tr> </table> <hr size="1"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="76" rowspan="4"><img src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/images/0130409510/0130409510_xs.jpg" width="76" height="95" border="0"></td> <td valign="top">Internet-Enabled Business Intelligence<br>By William A. Giovinazzo<br> </td> </tr> <tr><td>Table of Contents</td></tr> <tr><td></td></tr> <tr><td valign="bottom">Part 1. The Solution</td></tr> </table> <hr size ="1"> <br><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding ="0"><tr><td valign="top"> <h2>Chapter 2. Evolution to e-Enterprise</h2> <blockquote> <p><span>It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. . . . This, in turn , means that our statesmen, our businessmen, our everyman must take on a science fictional way of thinking.</span></p> <p><span>Issac Asimov</span><br><span>Asimov on Science Fiction</span><sup>[1]</sup></p> <blockquote><p><sup>[1]</sup> Asimov, Isaac, <span>Asimov on Science Fiction </span>, Random House, 1981. Used by permission.</p></blockquote> </blockquote> <p>Isaac Asimov was correct in saying that we must not only consider the world as it is, but the world as it will be. This is especially applicable to the Internet age. The Internet bubble has popped. Dotcom stock has become the proverbial swampland in Florida, as in "If you believe that, I've got some dotcom stock to sell you." As we take our fist step in the exploration of Internet-Enabled Business Intelligence (IEBI), we must take heed of Dr. Asimov's advice. We must not only consider the world as it is, but the world as it will be. What will be the fate of the Internet in the world to come? Where have we been, and where are we going? As we understand this, we can understand how to position our organization's IEBI solution for the future.</p> <p>We begin by asking about the nature of the Internet itself. Is it merely a lot of hype? Is it "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"? Or is the hype really wisdom, wisdom that "is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold." We will explore the grandiose claims made by its proponents and the derision espoused by its detractors. We will attempt to decide if the Internet is really all that some say it is.</p> <p>Asimov talked of thinking in a <span>science fictional</span> way. As we go on to discuss the history of the Internet, we will meet such visionaries as J. C. R. Licklider, Ivan Sutherland, Bob Metcalfe, and Tim Berners-Lee, influential people who thought in the future. We will come to see how the Internet was the culmination of many advanced ideas, developed independently and in parallel. We will come to see how truly revolutionary was the dream of an <span>Intergalactic Network,</span> how truly extraordinary that it could become a reality.</p> <p>We then ask, What does all this mean to business? After all, the subject of this book is not just the Internet, but Internet Enabled <span>Business</span> Intelligence. How does the Internet affect business? After reviewing the Internet's history, this chapter discusses how businesses developed over the Internet and the possible future for those businesses. We will travel from the era of <span> brochureware </span>, billboards along the information superhighway, to the integration of supply chains across the Net.</p> <p>Finally, we will discuss the different types of businesses we will encounter on the Internet. Not all businesses have developed their Internet capabilities to the same level. Some have just scratched the surface. These e-commerce organizations are just now developing ways to reach their customers over the Internet. Others have advanced to a stage in which they are integrating their entire supply chain. As these organizations move to the Internet, they all have one thing in common: the need for IEBI. In this chapter, we will survey the landscape in which this intelligence is to reside.</p> </td></tr></table> <hr size="1"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"> <tr><td valign="top" height="5"><img src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/images/pixel.gif" width="1" height="5" alt="" border="0"></td></tr> <tr> <td><b><font size="1" color="#0000FF">Team-Fly<img border="0" src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/Fly-Logo.gif" width="81" height="25"></font></b></td> <td valign="top" align="right"> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td valign="top" align="right">Top</td></tr></table> </td></tr></table></td> <td align="center"> </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3" align="center" valign="bottom"> <br><table width="100%"><tr><td height="25" valign="middle" colspan="4" align="center"> </td></tr></table> </td></tr> </table> </blockquote>