The Gartner Magic Quadrant for E-Commerce defines Leaders as "technology providers that demonstrate the greatest degree of support for B2B and B2C Internet sales." According to the report, "These providers lead the market in e-commerce by consistently demonstrating customer satisfaction, strong support and professional services, leading to the implementation of a successful e-commerce site." In addition, these leaders should also have "demonstrated longevity in the e-commerce market, as well as a commitment to new product innovations for Internet sales. In addition, leaders represent technology providers with the strongest capability to meet Internet selling requirements."
More than 1,000 companies worldwide, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Harry and David, Staples and Home Depot, are using WebSphere Commerce as a powerful platform for cross-channel, online and mobile commerce -- supporting all of a company's business models while providing a rich, differentiated customer experience. For example, the IBM WebSphere Commerce solution is a critical component in Harry and David's initiative to grow Internet sales.
"The world of e-commerce has gone through several major transformations over the past decade and we've always tried to keep our clients ahead of the competition," said Tom Rosamilia, general manager, IBM WebSphere. "WebSphere Commerce provides retailers with a wide range of features and capabilities to help sell goods and services through various channels to an increasingly global and mobile marketplace."
WebSphere Commerce is designed to enable deployment and management of multiple e-commerce sites through a single, unified platform, thereby maximizing performance, scalability and adaptability. Last year, IBM enhanced Web 2.0 functionality in WebSphere Commerce, and also added the capabilities to track and analyze cross-channel behavior to gain insight for sales and interactive marketing to increase conversion rates, basket size and return visits. The latest enhancements also extend search functionality, protect online shoppers' credit card information and ensure compliance to the latest Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Viruses, Worms, Trojan Horses and Zombies
Few aspects of computer security have achieved the notoriety of malicious software that preys on unsuspecting computer users. Viruses, worms, Trojan horses, logic bombs, zombies, password grabbers - the list gets longer and longer. The different types of malicious software work by a variety of methods, and they have different potentials for causing damage.
The Chernobyl and Melissa viruses and the Worm.Explore.Zip program caused extensive PC damage after spreading themselves around the world through e-mail last year. The denial-of-service attacks that brought major e-commerce Web sites to their knees earlier this year were launched by malicious software hidden on hundreds of Internet-connected computers without their owners' knowledge.
A mini-industry of organizations, professionals and volunteers has sprung up to categorize malicious software, issue warnings and market software designed to detect, locate and eradicate such programs. New malicious code appears monthly, generated by an underground community of programmers apparently motivated by the desire to cause damage, steal information or sometimes just prove their technical prowess.
Viral Threats
Viruses are the best-known type of malicious software. These programs secretly attach themselves to other programs. What makes them dangerous is that, before they do whatever damage they may be programmed for, they first copy themselves to additional program files. Thus, computer viruses infect and reproduce in a fashion somewhat analogous to biological viruses.
The scope of the threat has changed significantly in the past few years, says Sal Viveros, director of McAfee Active Virus Defense at Network Associates Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor that develops programs to protect against malicious software.
"Five or six years ago, viruses were spread by floppies," Viveros says. "They were called boot-sector viruses because they booted off the floppy drive. At that time, virus infections were very regional; they spread, but (they) took longer than they do today.
"Then came the applications with macros - programs like Microsoft Outlook or Word - that attracted a huge number of macro viruses," he adds.
"Last year came Melissa and the other mass-mailing e-mail viruses," Viveros notes. "And at the end of last year there was a virus called BubbleBoy that you could get just by opening your e-mail because it used the Visual Basic scripting language in the e-mail."
Viruses are still the biggest computer security problem. According to The WildList Organization International, an independent group that tracks viruses, there are more than 300 viruses "in the wild" that represent a threat to computer users. That's only a fraction of the 50,000 known malicious software codes, Viveros says.
The Chernobyl and Melissa viruses and the Worm.Explore.Zip program caused extensive PC damage after spreading themselves around the world through e-mail last year. The denial-of-service attacks that brought major e-commerce Web sites to their knees earlier this year were launched by malicious software hidden on hundreds of Internet-connected computers without their owners' knowledge.
A mini-industry of organizations, professionals and volunteers has sprung up to categorize malicious software, issue warnings and market software designed to detect, locate and eradicate such programs. New malicious code appears monthly, generated by an underground community of programmers apparently motivated by the desire to cause damage, steal information or sometimes just prove their technical prowess.
Viral Threats
Viruses are the best-known type of malicious software. These programs secretly attach themselves to other programs. What makes them dangerous is that, before they do whatever damage they may be programmed for, they first copy themselves to additional program files. Thus, computer viruses infect and reproduce in a fashion somewhat analogous to biological viruses.
The scope of the threat has changed significantly in the past few years, says Sal Viveros, director of McAfee Active Virus Defense at Network Associates Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor that develops programs to protect against malicious software.
"Five or six years ago, viruses were spread by floppies," Viveros says. "They were called boot-sector viruses because they booted off the floppy drive. At that time, virus infections were very regional; they spread, but (they) took longer than they do today.
"Then came the applications with macros - programs like Microsoft Outlook or Word - that attracted a huge number of macro viruses," he adds.
"Last year came Melissa and the other mass-mailing e-mail viruses," Viveros notes. "And at the end of last year there was a virus called BubbleBoy that you could get just by opening your e-mail because it used the Visual Basic scripting language in the e-mail."
Viruses are still the biggest computer security problem. According to The WildList Organization International, an independent group that tracks viruses, there are more than 300 viruses "in the wild" that represent a threat to computer users. That's only a fraction of the 50,000 known malicious software codes, Viveros says.
MAVRIC Media Revolutionizes E-Commerce Delivery of Games and Huge Digital Media Files Enabling Companies
MAVRIC Media, a provider of web-based digital asset management and content delivery tools, today announced that Noesis Interactive, a developer of training tutorials for the video gaming community has adopted MAVRIC Media’s SalesBOOST electronic delivery service to enable consumers to digitally download Noesis products. This technology will facilitate all e-commerce related delivery of these massive files.
“SalesBOOST facilitates digital downloads of huge files through our e-commerce engine, and for the first time, we have the ability to electronically deliver our tutorials to the video gamer who does not want to wait for their DVD to arrive in the mail,” said Dave Larson, Chairman of Noesis Interactive. “Hard media delivery can take from several days for U.S. customers to one or two weeks for international shipments, so SalesBOOST is a huge financial benefit for us and the customer because we both save time and money, further, it eliminates the daily hassle involved to produce, package or ship hard media. The technology in SalesBOOST accommodates huge files and delivers extremely fast downloads over the Internet to our consumers – this streamlines the sales process and positively impacts our profit margins.”
SalesBOOST is designed to provide easy-to-implement order fulfillment for companies who sell digital media content such as game titles, films, music videos etc. Whether using e-commerce engines or traditional sales methods, SalesBOOST streamlines the sales process, eliminating the cost of producing, packaging, shipping, and time wasted in delivering content to customers, and is up to 100X faster than FTP. Companies using SalesBOOST simply upload titles to their hosted account once where it is securely stored in the MAVRIC Media datacenter for unlimited number of single purchase downloads at accelerated transfer rates. SalesBOOST features a full tracking mechanism with download notification and return receipt so the electronic delivery can be efficiently managed. Traditional shipping methods can be eliminated altogether, saving tremendous cost for both the merchant and customer.
“MAVRIC Media has chosen to call on industry veterans like Dave Larson to help us design and implement our product strategy so we can solve real world problems for real customers,” said Donald D. Smith, Vice President of Sales and Business Development for MAVRIC Media. “SalesBOOST accommodates video files which typically range from 300MB to over 10 GB, and is an ideal solution for anyone who is selling content over the Internet, but has been inhibited by slow internet connection speeds, unreliable FTP transfer services or delays in shipping hard media.”
After setting up a SalesBOOST account with MAVRIC Media, companies can upload content to secure servers where it is stored for purchases. When an item is selected and purchased through the company storefront and shopping cart, the order can be fulfilled automatically using an API, or manually by simply logging into a SalesBOOST account that contains pre-loaded content. The selected sales item is then authorized for a single download delivery and an activation email is sent to the purchase recipient. Upon completion of the download, a return receipt and confirmation of delivery is sent to the merchant. Implementing and managing a SalesBOOST merchant account can be handled exclusively through an easy-to-use browser interface where content is typically uploaded using MAVRIC Media’s self-serve high speed file transfer service called BOOST. Content for uploading can also be shipped on hard media directly to MAVRIC Media if the merchant’s bandwidth connection is slow and limited.
“I have known and worked with the founders of MAVRIC Media for many years and I am excited about the direction they are going and that we have participated in helping develop products and services which increase my company’s efficiency and profitability,” explains Larson. “Our business is about developing tutorials, not spending our time on shipping, so we appreciate being able to deliver content so easily – and, MAVRIC Media’s download connection speed of 100mbps makes our clients very happy too.”
SalesBOOST gives both small and large companies a better way to monetize content over the Internet, to track it, and to integrate it into their sales process no matter what Internet connection speed is available. MAVRIC Media creates lower cost of sales while facilitating increased sales to both domestic and international markets without having to increase overhead, DVD production, shipping and logistics costs. SalesBOOST dramatically shortens the delivery cycle to the consumer, gives a merchant the ability to store once and sell many times, and provides immediate sales income. It truly brings e-commerce to the digital age.
“SalesBOOST facilitates digital downloads of huge files through our e-commerce engine, and for the first time, we have the ability to electronically deliver our tutorials to the video gamer who does not want to wait for their DVD to arrive in the mail,” said Dave Larson, Chairman of Noesis Interactive. “Hard media delivery can take from several days for U.S. customers to one or two weeks for international shipments, so SalesBOOST is a huge financial benefit for us and the customer because we both save time and money, further, it eliminates the daily hassle involved to produce, package or ship hard media. The technology in SalesBOOST accommodates huge files and delivers extremely fast downloads over the Internet to our consumers – this streamlines the sales process and positively impacts our profit margins.”
SalesBOOST is designed to provide easy-to-implement order fulfillment for companies who sell digital media content such as game titles, films, music videos etc. Whether using e-commerce engines or traditional sales methods, SalesBOOST streamlines the sales process, eliminating the cost of producing, packaging, shipping, and time wasted in delivering content to customers, and is up to 100X faster than FTP. Companies using SalesBOOST simply upload titles to their hosted account once where it is securely stored in the MAVRIC Media datacenter for unlimited number of single purchase downloads at accelerated transfer rates. SalesBOOST features a full tracking mechanism with download notification and return receipt so the electronic delivery can be efficiently managed. Traditional shipping methods can be eliminated altogether, saving tremendous cost for both the merchant and customer.
“MAVRIC Media has chosen to call on industry veterans like Dave Larson to help us design and implement our product strategy so we can solve real world problems for real customers,” said Donald D. Smith, Vice President of Sales and Business Development for MAVRIC Media. “SalesBOOST accommodates video files which typically range from 300MB to over 10 GB, and is an ideal solution for anyone who is selling content over the Internet, but has been inhibited by slow internet connection speeds, unreliable FTP transfer services or delays in shipping hard media.”
After setting up a SalesBOOST account with MAVRIC Media, companies can upload content to secure servers where it is stored for purchases. When an item is selected and purchased through the company storefront and shopping cart, the order can be fulfilled automatically using an API, or manually by simply logging into a SalesBOOST account that contains pre-loaded content. The selected sales item is then authorized for a single download delivery and an activation email is sent to the purchase recipient. Upon completion of the download, a return receipt and confirmation of delivery is sent to the merchant. Implementing and managing a SalesBOOST merchant account can be handled exclusively through an easy-to-use browser interface where content is typically uploaded using MAVRIC Media’s self-serve high speed file transfer service called BOOST. Content for uploading can also be shipped on hard media directly to MAVRIC Media if the merchant’s bandwidth connection is slow and limited.
“I have known and worked with the founders of MAVRIC Media for many years and I am excited about the direction they are going and that we have participated in helping develop products and services which increase my company’s efficiency and profitability,” explains Larson. “Our business is about developing tutorials, not spending our time on shipping, so we appreciate being able to deliver content so easily – and, MAVRIC Media’s download connection speed of 100mbps makes our clients very happy too.”
SalesBOOST gives both small and large companies a better way to monetize content over the Internet, to track it, and to integrate it into their sales process no matter what Internet connection speed is available. MAVRIC Media creates lower cost of sales while facilitating increased sales to both domestic and international markets without having to increase overhead, DVD production, shipping and logistics costs. SalesBOOST dramatically shortens the delivery cycle to the consumer, gives a merchant the ability to store once and sell many times, and provides immediate sales income. It truly brings e-commerce to the digital age.
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