Web Based Information System

Implications for project management and development processes The unique nature of many web-based applications broadens the role of traditional project management and adds a new dimension to the software development process. In addition to the participation and contribution of analysts, designers, programmers, architects, managers, domain experts and so on, web-based applications often contain significant multimedia content (images, movie clips, sound clips and text) requiring specialist resources for their development. Multimedia development Groups separate from the software engineers usually produce multimedia web content in parallel, in a similar way that on-line help is typically produced by a technical writer rather than a software developer. Some recent studies indicate that specialist resources needed to develop multimedia content may outnumber software engineers. For the purposes of estimating software development effort, multimedia content is assumed to exist and the effort required for their production is outside the scope of the software engineering process. However, the effort of integrating these elements needs to taken into account. Furthermore the effort to create the multimedia content itself must be incorporated to produce an overall project estimate. focus on developing business logic The novelty of developing web-based applications can be captivating and may obscure the fact that modelling an application’s business logic, whether it is being implemented in a web page, a component or an object remains the central focus of the project. Web-based application development requires project management best practice as much as any other type of application development. Business networking Business networking is a marketing method by which business opportunities are created through networks of like-minded business people. There are several prominent business networking organizations that create models of networking activity that, when followed, allow the business person to build new business relationship and generate business opportunities at the same time. Many business people contend business networking is a more cost-effective method of generating new business than advertising or public relations efforts. This is because business networking is a low-cost activity that involves more personal commitment than company money. As an example, a business network may agree to meet weekly or monthly with the purpose of exchanging business leads and referrals with fellow members. To complement this activity, members often meet outside this circle, on their own time, and build their own â€Å"one-to-one† relationship with the fellow member. Business networking can be conducted in a local business community, or on a more larger scale via the Internet. Business networking websites have grown over recent years due to the Internet's ability to connect people from all over the world. Business networking can have a meaning also in the ICT domain, i. e. the provision of operating support to companies / organizations, and related value chains / value networks. It refers to an activity coordination with a wider scope and a simpler implementation than pre-organized workflows or web-based impromptu searches for transaction counterparts (workflow is useful to coordinate activities, but it is complicated by the use of s. . â€Å"patterns† to deviate the flow of work from a pure sequence, in order to compensate its intrinsic â€Å"linearity†; impromptu searches for transaction counterparts on the web are useful as well, but only for non strategic supplies; both are complicated by a plethora of interfaces — SOA / XML / web services — needed among different organizations and even between different IT applications with in the same organization). Online business networking Businesses are increasingly using business social networks like XING or professional business networking tools like Boardex as a means of growing their circle of business contacts and promoting themselves online. Since businesses are expanding globally, social networks make it easier to keep in touch with other contacts around the world. Specific cross-border e-commerce platforms and business partnering networks now make globalization accessible also for small and medium sized companies. Face-to-face business networking Professionals who wish to leverage their presentation skills with the urgency of physically being present, attend general and exclusive events. Many professionals tend to prefer face-to-face networking over online based networking because the potential for higher quality relationships are possible. Many individuals also prefer face-to-face because people tend to prefer actually knowing and meeting who they intend to do business with. General business networking Before online networking, there was and has always been, networking face-to-face. â€Å"Schmoozing† or â€Å"rubbing elbows† are expressions used among business professionals for introducing and meeting one another, and establishing rapport. Business networking in the ICT domain Companies / organizations — and related value chains / value networks — need some sort of IT support. Traditionally, it is provided by software applications, software packages /suites, ERPs and/or workflows; presently, also by different types of web-based innovations. A truly â€Å"ICT† business networking approach rethinks — and rebuilds — the operating support from scratch, around two key business features: information contributions, to be provided by the activities involved (whether they are performed by human beings, automated tools or jointly by the two, in a coordinated way); (automated) information exchanges, to be provided by the TLC network. Information contributions and exchanges, in turn, need to be supported by data storage (plain or redundant, with or without automated recovery to grant service continuity) and access security (signature, encryption, authentication, decryption), which both can be provided either as add-on's or as built-in features. Introduction to Novell Novell, Inc. has made news over the years for its business struggles. Novell enjoyed success as a popular vendor of network software — principally the NetWare ® operating system. Today the company is working to build an Internet networking business, but they face strong competition. NetWare The NetWare operating system supports the networking of personal computers (PCs). Installed on a PC, NetWare creates a server environment for the sharing of files, printers, and other network â€Å"services. † One of the first software products designed for PC networking, early versions of NetWare appeared in the late 1980s. NetWare 3 was originally called â€Å"NetWare 386† and released for use with Intel's 80386 processor. Likewise, Novell developed NetWare 4 in the early 1990s for the Intel 80486. NetWare 5, the latest version of Novell's operating system, has been available since September, 1998. Together, NetWare 3, 4, and 5 enjoy an installed base of millions of servers worldwide. NetWare encountered stiff competition from Microsoft beginning in the mid-1990s with the introduction of Windows NT Server products. Some believe the rapid growth of Linux server networking — although difficult to measure accurately due to the open nature of that operating system — is also impacting NetWare's popularity. NDS The media sometimes refers to Novell Directory Services (NDS ®) as the â€Å"crown jewel† of Novell's product offerings. Like NetWare, NDS has benefited from a long development history resulting in mature technology with a large installed customer base. What makes NDS especially appealing is its flexibility and the range of potential applications in network management and ecommerce. NDS is an LDAP directory service. Directory services like NDS provide information repositories for distributed network resources ranging from devices to Web site customer profiles. LDAP — the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol — offers a standard way to access this information. Web sites such as CNN and AltaVista use the NDS eDirectoryâ„ ¢ product. eDirectory tracks visitor activity to these sites, building a special-purpose â€Å"database† of customers that can be used to provide personalization services. While NDS was originally a NetWare-only technology, eDirectory now works with Windows NT and 2000, Solaris, and Linux in addition to NetWare 5 servers. Novell offers several other products based on eDirectory technology. NDS Corporate Edition, for example, implements network resource management. The digitalmeâ„ ¢ service adds more secure personalization capabilities to eDirectory. As with NetWare, however, Novell faces competition in the directory services space from Microsoft Active Directory (not to mention products from other vendors such as iPlanet Directory Server). More Web Services In 1996 and 1997, Novell achieved some success with its IntranetWare product family design for intranet data sharing. Today, Novell continues to offer GroupWise email and calendaring for intranets (and other Web-based networks). Novell also is working with technology for Web content caching. The Novell Content Exchange subscription service brings Internet caching and other software to the data center where Web content is served. Conclusion Novell's low stock price has led to speculation of a possible buyout in the company's near future. These rumors are nothing new. As far back as 1996 and 1997, industry pundits debated various buyout or merger scenarios involving IBM, AT&T, Netscape, and even Microsoft. None of these scenarios came to pass, so perhaps it most likely — layoffs aside — that Novell will continue working to grow its network services business in the months and years ahead.