e-Business describes the process of doing business with trading partners electronically. This includes processing business transactions electronically; integrating business processes electronically, transferring payments electronically; and delivering services electronically.

Conducting business online, including product display, online ordering, secure transactions and inventory management.

e-Distribution is a type of business model, which enables the distribution of electronic products via the Internet e.g. selling software music, video, photography, magazines and newspapers online. Other words used to describe this method of distribution are e-Fulfillment or downloading. e-Distribution has proved to be an efficient method of distribution for the types of products mentioned above.

Business communities are beginning to form e-marketplaces, enabling them to automate and leverage transactions with one another as a community. By bringing together large numbers of buyers and sellers, e-marketplaces give sellers access to new customers, expand the choices available to buyers and reduce transaction costs.

Purchasing which takes place between companies using services such as the Internet , Electronic data Interchange or Electronic File transfer. Two companies, one the supplier and the other the purchaser, transmit inquiries, orders, invoices, payments etc. directly through their computer systems.

An electronic magazine or newsletter delivered over the Internet via email. A Webzine is a web site that has a magazine format and is not emailed based, client-server, and mainframe computing technologies

The electronic exchange of business documents (for example, purchase orders, invoices, and bills of lading) directly between applications executing on companies' computer systems via standardised forms. A precursor of today's eBusiness systems. Archaic, unwieldy, and about to be made obsolete by XML.

Provide implementation and hosting services to help larger companies reach more of their trading partners through the Web, and to help smaller businesses take advantage of business-to-business electronic commerce.

(Engineering Data Management System, Enterprise Document Management System, or Electronic Document Management System) Alternative name given to a Document Management System (see DMS).

The electronic transfer of money between financial institutions over secure private networks.

These are codes which are attached to information sent across the Internet , most commonly emails. They uniquely identify the author of a message and show if the message has been tampered with while being transmitted. Electronic signatures are especially important in the development of eBusiness, paving the way for electronic contracts, which will have the same legal status as paper contracts.

email is the most commonly used application on the Internet . eMail allows you to send text messages across a network, either an internal network or an external one like the Internet .

By providing a broad range of services to help in transitioning to the Euro, these services help to take advantage of the business opportunities generated by the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). They include evaluation of the business impact on the organisation, possible future markets, customer relations, and products.

A set of hardware and software tools that enable performance management of the entire technical infrastructure, including data storage and retrieval.

Encryption is the translation of data into a secret code to achieve data security. There are two main types of encryption: asymmetric encryption (also called public-key encryption) and symmetric encryption.

A common eBusiness buzzword, end-to-end refers to a streamlined, seamless and real-time flow of information and linkages across a value chain.

A large-scale, organisation wide computer network that may include web-based, client-server, and mainframe computing technologies.

This technology allows applications from different vendors or based on different platforms to communicate with each other.

Business application systems such as Sales Order Administration or Accounts Receivable that are intended for use by larger enterprises, and more specifically multi-divisional enterprises.

Enterprise Data Model is a plan for all of the data used by every department in the enterprise. An Enterprise Data Model helps resolve all of the potential discrepancies and parochial interpretations of the data used.

The act of acquiring/procuring/purchasing via an electronic format i.e. the Internet.

ERP is a business management system that integrates all facets of the business, including planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. As the ERP methodology has become more popular, software applications have emerged to help business managers implement ERP.

This refers to the customer-facing technologies and applications that allow consumers and businesses to "sell themselves" and conduct transactions without the assistance of a salesperson.

Web-based execution of the sourcing process for goods and services.

Electronic retailing. An e-tailer leverages electronic media and Internet technologies to sell goods and products online. Many etailers do not have a brick-and-mortar counterpart. e-Tailing is considered a B2C form of e-commerce.

The integration of trading partners into the processes of an organisation in order to operate more effectively.

Extranets allow your clients to access parts of your internal networks, which are normally inaccessible to people outside the company. They are useful for online ordering and payment systems. In addition, the client can have access to work in progress or training and product information geared precisely toward them.

A list of questions and answers related to a Web site, newsgroup, software, or any kind of product or service. Because these are "frequently asked" questions, most users can find the information they need on a FAQ So, before you send an email to customer service, check the FAQ on the Web site. FAQs keep newsgroup discussions from being overrun by new questions.

A Firewall is a system or a combination of systems, which enforces a separation between two or more networks by limiting access. Rules set up within the firewall decide whether or not to allow specific traffic types to pass between these networks.

Originally developed by Apple, this is an increasingly popular, and very fast, external bus for transferring data between devices. Also known as IEEE 1394 for the name of the standard it engendered.

To send nasty or insulting messages via email or to post them on a newsgroup. This is usually done in response to someone having broken the rules of netiquette. A "flamer" is someone who sends these messages.

A flat file is a file containing records that have no structured interrelationship. It is often referred to as a sequential file.

Forms allow the user to input data on your website so it can be transferred to your server/computer. A script behind the form transfers the data from the user's computer to your server. Many corporate websites use them for a variety of purposes including site registration, survey research and product purchase.

On web pages, a "frame" refers to a part of the screen, which is reserved for a particular purpose. On this web site, there is a "navigation frame" and a "content frame". A frame is the basic 'unit' of data that is transmitted on a network that contain several components - including a source and target address, data and error checking regions. Start and stop signals signify the beginning and the end respectively.

The business systems that interface directly with customers.

The frontend of a website is the part that you see on the screen: the graphics, the fill-in forms, and the overall interface design. If you want to do more than display graphics and text you will also need a Backend

A very common method of moving files between two Internet sites. FTP is a special way to login to another Internet site for the purposes of retrieving and/or sending files. There are many Internet sites that have established publicly accessible repositories of material that can be obtained using FTP, by logging in using the account name anonymous, thus these sites are called anonymous ftp servers.

In the world of e-Business, fulfillment refers to the process of shipping an order to a customer, and the automation of that process.

Organisational units of a company that perform specific functions.