Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Contents Overview E-Commerce with Microsoft bCentral Services in Microsoft bCentral Components of E-Commerce Web Sites Methods of Implementing Security on bCentral Web Sites Review 11 Information in this document is subject to change without notice The names of companies, products, people, characters, and/or data mentioned herein are fictitious and are in no way intended to represent any real individual, company, product, or event, unless otherwise noted Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation If, however, your only means of access is electronic, permission to print one copy is hereby granted Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property  2000 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved Microsoft, BackOffice, bCentral, FrontPage, Hotmail, LinkExchange, MS-DOS, MSN, PowerPoint, Windows, Windows Media Player, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S.A and/or other countries The names of companies, products, people, characters, and/or data mentioned herein are fictitious and are in no way intended to represent any real individual, company, product, or event, unless otherwise noted Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners Development Lead: P.M Murali (NIIT) Instructional Designers: Sangeeta Nair (NIIT), Vijayalakshmi Narayanaswamy, (NIIT) Technical Contributors: Scott Swigart (3 Leaf Solutions, LLC); Gary Gumbiner (Great Barrier Technologies) Program Manager: Steve Merrill Graphic Artist: Scott Serna Editing Manager: Lynette Skinner Editor: Dennis Rea Copy Editor: Ed Casper (S&T Consulting) Publications Manager: Miracle Davis Test Manager: Eric Myers CD Build Specialist: Jenny Boe; Eric Wagoner Production Coordinator: Marlene Lambert (Online Training Solutions, Inc.); Susie Bayers (Online Training Solutions, Inc.) Manufacturing Manager: Bo Galford Manufacturing Support: Laura King General Manager: Robert Stewart Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral iii Instructor Notes Presentation: 50 Minutes Lab: 00 Minutes This module introduces students to Microsoft® bCentral™ and the services in the bCentral portal The module also describes the features of a typical ecommerce Web site, and briefly discusses the various security aspects of an ideal e-commerce Web site After completing this module, students will be able to: ! Describe the benefits offered by Microsoft bCentral ! Identify the services in bCentral and their uses ! Describe the components of an e-commerce Web site ! Explain the methods of implementing security on e-commerce Web sites Materials and Preparation This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach this module Required Materials To teach this module, you need the following materials: ! Microsoft PowerPoint® file 1933A_01.ppt ! Module 1, “Introduction to Microsoft bCentral” Preparation Tasks To prepare for this module, you should read all of the materials for this module iv Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Module Strategy Use the following strategies to present this module: ! E-Commerce with Microsoft bCentral First, discuss the general concept of e-commerce Then, explain the need for e-commerce in today’s marketplace and describe how bCentral helps companies to establish their online businesses ! Services in Microsoft bCentral Explain the concept of a Web service, and how the various services offered by Microsoft bCentral help businesses to design, create, promote, and manage their e-commerce Web sites ! Components of E-Commerce Web Sites Visit the site specified in the topic, and use this site as an example when explaining the various features of an e-commerce Web site that are discussed in the topic ! Methods of Implementing Security on bCentral Web Sites Explain the need for security on an e-commerce Web site Then, explain the protocols that are required to maintain security during business transactions Finally, explain the various methods of implementing security on an ecommerce Web site Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral # Overview Topic Objective To provide an overview of the module topics and objectives Lead-in In this module, you will learn about the general concept of e-commerce and the various features of a typical ecommerce Web site ! E-Commerce with Microsoft bCentral ! Services in Microsoft bCentral ! Components of E-Commerce Web Sites ! Methods of Implementing Security on bCentral Web Sites In an era of rapidly evolving information technology, even the most complex and time-consuming tasks can now be done within a fraction of a second The latest trend in the field of information technology is the concept of e-commerce, where the speed and convenience of information technology are applied in the business marketplace In recent years there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of online businesses operating over the World Wide Web As electronic markets gradually replace traditional markets, e-commerce has made it possible for even the smallest enterprises to business over the Web and reach out to customers worldwide Various Web-based services are available over the Internet that enable new online businesses to design, create, customize, host, promote, and manage e-commerce Web sites suited to their business requirements After completing this module, you will be able to: ! Describe the benefits offered by Microsoft® bCentral™ ! Identify the services in bCentral and their uses ! Describe the components of an e-commerce Web site ! Explain the methods of implementing security in e-commerce sites 2 Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral E-Commerce with Microsoft bCentral Topic Objective To define e-commerce Lead-in E-commerce is a business solution that allows you to perform transactions online and expand your business worldwide ! E-commerce is the electronic exchange of products, services, and information over the Internet ! The Microsoft bCentral portal enables merchants to set up e-commerce Web sites ! The bCentral portal enables online businesses to $ Exchange products and services $ Eliminate paperwork $ Advertise products and services The success of a business depends on how effectively its products and services are advertised and marketed to customers Many businesses wish to establish a global presence in order to reach the greatest number of potential customers worldwide In today’s business scenario, e-commerce is one solution that can help a business to achieve this aim A typical e-commerce Web site should have a user-friendly design and should deliver the ordered product, service, or information to the consumer with minimal wait time The site should also be secure from unwanted intruders—all information regarding the company, its customers, and business transactions should be kept confidential and shared only with the authorized e-partners Microsoft offers a portal called bCentral that helps owners of small and medium-size businesses to create, promote, and manage business-to business or business-to-consumer Web sites The bCentral Web service enables online businesses to reflect the real-world shopping experience in the form of electronic malls and virtual storefronts Site visitors can choose from a variety of products and services listed in a Web catalog, and purchase them online by using credit cards Microsoft bCentral ensures security during online transactions Payment details such as credit card or check numbers, and personal details such as addresses and telephone numbers, are kept confidential This helps a business to maintain a relationship of trust with its customers Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral By using bCentral, online businesses can: ! Exchange products, services, and information instantaneously with customers or other companies, significantly reducing communication time ! Eliminate paperwork, because business procedures are now implemented online ! Advertise products and services to a global market Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Services in Microsoft bCentral Topic Objective To identify the various services offered by Microsoft bCentral for creating, promoting, and maintaining e-commerce Web sites Lead-in Microsoft bCentral is a collection of Web services that help businesses to create, promote, and manage Web sites with great ease and convenience ! Allow users to create, build, promote, and manage Web sites easily ! Include the following: $ Site Manager - Web site creation and customization $ SubmitIt! - Submission of Web sites to search engines $ $ $ Banner Network - Submission of advertisement banners to chosen sites ListBot - Collection of e-mail addresses of site visitors PositionAgent - Generation of reports on the ranking of a site on search engines Microsoft bCentral is a collection of services that enable businesses to create a professional-looking Web site, host the site on the Internet, promote the site to a target audience, and maintain the site efficiently The following benefits are offered by bCentral: ! Create a Web site Microsoft bCentral services help you to create and build a Web site to establish your online business You can also use bCentral services to customize your Web site according to your specific business requirements ! Promote a Web site Microsoft bCentral services enable you to increase the presence of your business on the Internet You can register your Web site with a range of search engines and directories, advertise your business worldwide, and send announcements and offers to customers through e-mail ! Manage an online business efficiently Microsoft bCentral services allow you to access information that will help you to manage your business more effectively Microsoft bCentral provides many additional services through its affiliates For example, bCentral links you to MSN® Hotmail® for free Web-based e-mail Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Delivery Tip Access the www.bCentral.com site and inform the students that this is the home page of the Microsoft bCentral portal Take the students on a quick tour of the site At this stage, not sign up for any service Point out the three links: Start, Market, and Manage Click the Start link Emphasize that the Site Manager service mentioned on the Start Online page helps users to create a site Go back to the home page, and then click the Market link Point out that the services in the bCentral Traffic Builder mentioned on the Marketing Your Business page include SubmitIt! and Banner Network, which help in site promotion Go back to the home page, and then click the Manage link Draw attention to some of the services listed on the Manage More Efficiently page You can also show the students some of the links and services mentioned on the home page itself The major services offered by Microsoft bCentral are described in the following table BCentral service Use Site Manager Creates a Web site and customizes it to suit your business-specific requirements SubmitIt! (affiliate service) Submits your Web site to more than 400 search engines and directories of your choice Banner Network Submits advertising banners that you created to the sites of your choice ListBot Collects the e-mail addresses of your site visitors, sends messages to list members, manages mailing lists, and provides demographic data on your visitors PositionAgent Generates reports on the ranking of your site on various search engines 6 Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Components of E-Commerce Web Sites Topic Objective To identify various components of a typical ecommerce Web site Lead-in A typical e-commerce Web site consists of a few basic components, each of which is discussed in this topic ! Electronic catalog - list of products and services ! Shopping cart - collection of items chosen for purchase ! Registering shoppers - shopper profiles ! Flexible payment mode - online (credit card) and offline (check or cash) ! Security - authentication of customers An ideal e-commerce Web site should follow certain basic design considerations when it is created Adherence to design standards ensures that the Web site is: ! Easy to read and understand ! Visually appealing ! Simple to navigate ! Fast-loading ! Error-free (no broken links, misspellings, or inaccuracy in data) ! Complete with all relevant information Web sites built by using bCentral services conform to the above design standards, thus helping to draw more visitors The basic components of a typical e-commerce Web site are discussed in the following sections Electronic catalog Just as in brick-and-mortar business, online businesses also need to implement product and service catalogs on their sites The only difference is that the catalog of an online business will be in an electronic form The electronic catalog enables site visitors to either browse through the available items, or instantaneously check the availability of a particular item in the catalog A feature like this ensures a higher level of customer satisfaction as compared to normal brick-and-mortar business Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Electronic catalogs should have certain added built-in features, such as advanced search capabilities that help site visitors to quickly search the catalog for desired items The catalogs should display the products and services offered by the companies in a clear and easy-to-search format An online catalog can also be used to promote special sales and product offers Shopping cart In a typical brick-and-mortar store, such as a supermarket, customers place the items they wish to purchase in a shopping cart In an online virtual storefront, site visitors can similarly place all of the items they wish to purchase in an electronic shopping cart An e-commerce Web site that offers products and services needs to provide an electronic shopping cart where shoppers can place the items that they have selected to purchase The electronic shopping cart should allow shoppers to both add and remove items The shopping cart feature should also indicate the quantity of items being purchased and the per-unit cost of the items placed in the cart Registering shoppers Another feature of typical brick-and-mortar stores that has been extended to online businesses is recognition of regular customers Just as a neighborhood grocer recognizes regular customers and gives them special prices, online businesses also maintain a record of site visitors and their purchase details, and reward loyal customers with special offers and discounts Maintaining a “user profile” of site visitors facilitates communication between a company and its customers User profiles also enable a company to monitor customer traffic patterns and site usage E-commerce Web sites created by using bCentral register site visitors when they make a purchase at the site All of the information provided by visitors— such as name, address, e-mail address, payment details, and areas of interest— are stored in a database Therefore, the company can modify its Web site to suit customer preferences Note A customer’s e-mail address can be used to implement personal notification services The company can keep a record of the various items bought by a particular customer on previous occasions This makes it possible for the company to make personalized recommendations to customers based on their prior purchases Finally, registering site visitors enables the company to provide shoppers with receipts, resolve customer queries, provide information on the latest products and services, and announce changes to the Web site Flexible payment mode E-commerce businesses need to be flexible in terms of customer payment options E-commerce sites created by using bCentral support both online payment through credit cards and offline payment by check or cash Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Security Web sites created by using bCentral implement security features to prevent intrusion by unauthorized visitors These security features allow only authorized consumers, business trading partners, and operators to access the site Microsoft bCentral enables online businesses to implement an efficient login process for site visitors, who must supply a login name and password to access the shopping facilities provided by the business E-commerce Web sites created by using bCentral ensure confidentiality and security of critical consumer information, such as password and credit card numbers, which is transmitted over the Internet during transactions This ensures a relationship of trust with the consumers Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Methods of Implementing Security on bCentral Web Sites Topic Objective To identify the various methods of implementing security on e-commerce Web sites Lead-in E-commerce Web sites use various methods of ensuring the security of critical information during online business transactions These security measures are explained in this topic ! Customer authentication - login ID and password ! Customer registration - shopper profile ! Data encryption - confidentiality of customer information Security is the most critical aspect of an e-commerce Web site Customers of an online business not like their credit card numbers, check numbers, or personal details to be accessible to third parties who might misuse the information Online businesses should ensure confidentiality regarding information about themselves, their customers, and transaction details Web sites created by using bCentral implement security features that allow only authorized customers and trading partners to access such critical information In an e-commerce scenario, information is exchanged between a company and its e-partners across the Internet When passing sensitive data across a network, it is critical to authenticate both the sender and recipient to ensure the security, confidentiality, and integrity of the transferred data Web sites created by using bCentral implement the following security measures during an online business transaction: ! Customer authentication ! Shopper registration ! Data encryption Customer authentication One of the most vital methods of ensuring security on bCentral Web sites is customer authentication Authentication prevents unauthorized access to restricted information on an e-commerce Web site Customer authentication on bCentral Web sites is implemented through customer use of a login ID and password Microsoft bCentral Web sites provide the option of creating user accounts for site visitors based on login name, password, and other personal details 10 Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Once site visitors are registered, they can access all of the products and services offered by the site by supplying their login ID and password The server verifies the login ID and password of the site visitor against the user account The merchant’s private Web site can be accessed only if the login information supplied by the customer is valid Customer registration Web sites created by using bCentral register site visitors when they make a purchase Personal details, payment details, and areas of interest provided by site visitors at the time of purchase are saved in a database Data encryption Microsoft bCentral also implements data encryption, a security feature that ensures that data passed over the network is read and altered only by authorized users For example, you can freely browse through a catalog on an e-commerce Web site, but when you are ready to make a purchase, you enter a secure section of the site that is closed to unauthorized visitors Confidential information supplied by customers at the time of purchase, such as credit card details, is encrypted before being sent to the merchant’s server This ensures that a third party does not intercept the confidential information Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral 11 Review Topic Objective To reinforce module objectives by reviewing key points Lead-in The review questions cover some of the key concepts taught in the module ! Describe the benefits offered by Microsoft bCentral ! Identify the services in bCentral and their uses ! Describe the components of an e-commerce Web site ! Explain the methods of implementing security in ecommerce sites How does e-commerce reflect the real-life shopping experience online? E-commerce reflects the real-life shopping experience through features such as electronic markets, virtual storefronts, electronic catalogs and shopping carts, online payment, and online delivery of the desired item to the customer You have created a site by using Site Manager You need to register your site with the Infoseek and Yahoo! search engines and specify keywords for searching You then need to see how your site is ranked on these search engines after a few days Identify the bCentral services that will help you accomplish these tasks The bCentral services are: • SubmitIt! registers your site with search engines and enables you to specify keywords for searching • PositionAgent generates reports on the ranking of your site on various search engines on the Web Emily wishes to set up an online business She needs to create a Web site, customize it according to her business needs, and promote the site across the Web Which bCentral service will help her to start her online business? Microsoft bCentral Site Manager 12 Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Identify a method that enables a company to distribute its data and software online to the customers? Electronic markets List two features of an electronic shopping cart • Items can be added or removed • Quantity and per-unit price of selected items is indicated What method enables an online business to communicate with its customers, monitor customer traffic patterns, and analyze site usage? Registration of customers and trading partners and maintenance of their user profiles Identify the method used to authenticate customers of an e-commerce business Verification of the customer’s login ID and password by the Web server THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ... Stewart Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral iii Instructor Notes Presentation: 50 Minutes Lab: 00 Minutes This module introduces students to Microsoft? ? bCentral? ?? and the services in the bCentral. .. services to a global market Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Services in Microsoft bCentral Topic Objective To identify the various services offered by Microsoft bCentral for creating,... Preparation Tasks To prepare for this module, you should read all of the materials for this module iv Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft bCentral Module Strategy Use the following strategies to present