By
September 19, 2000
The Magic Ring
What really puts the squeeze on is the tools and applications in this layer. A few
years ago they were thought of as goals in themselves, but they re
quickly becoming de rigeur foundational elements that the business side
will take for granted in designing their web strategies. Unlike the
Inner Circle, there is no one clear path here in the Magic Ring. Any
particular site strategy might call for a different subset of these
functions, and might require them to be implemented in any order.
- Security and Certification: Beyond security
at the router and firewall level, here is where one gets into such
considerations as encrypting credit card and other personal data,
digital signatures and, in general, proving to customers on a
real-time basis that they''re dealing with whom they think they are.
- Development: There are a wide range of tools,
from simple HTML editors to complete web page development
environments, from simple forms to complicated Java applets or
Active-X components, that can come into play during the construction
of a web site. Even when development is done outside of IT, the IT
department will get involved because some of these approaches have
server and database implications. And, as with the basic server
decisions, this is an area where religious wars can sprout at the
slightest provocation.
- Testing: At web speed there''s never time to
test: Put it up first, and then find the problems; if performance is
slow, throw on another server. Those who are uncomfortable with this
approach, or who want to have an approach more organized than the
Hundred Monkeys Testing Methodology, will want to invest in tools that
test content accessibility, basic functionality, and behavior under
controlled load. For the rest, there''s stress testing - except it may
be that it''s IT and not the web site that gets graded.
- Content Management: If managing network
configuration files and software versions is getting routine, Content
Management may prove a bit more interesting. At the low end there''s
the problem of size. A web site can throw up hundreds of pages per
week on an ongoing basis, but those doing the throwing may be writers
or marketing types who''ve never thought about the problems of cleaning
out dead files and tracing the chain reaction caused by small changes.
At the highest end, companies whose business is content (ranging from
publishers to B2B vendors to catalog sites) may be interested in
tighter control of style and format, and in easy repurposing. There
are high price-tag applications that do content management on a
corporate basis. These may have enterprise-wide benefits; they''re sure
to have enterprise-wide consequences.
- Ad Serving: A critical technology for almost
any web site. Even if your site is not serving ads, one needs to pay
attention to this technology. We''re starting to see products that
support your advertising on other sites. (Even though your ad agencies
will support your advertising efforts, there may be some technology
issues involved with bringing the reports and the control to the right
desktops.)
- Traffic Reporting: You might not believe how
important this is. In theory, the basic
reports could be developed from the web server logs by an intern, but
you''ll find that many different departments want different kinds of
packaging and details. Traffic reports are their clue to what works
and what doesn''t, and the faster they can find out about a page that''s
too boring for people to read, or one that''s a grabber, the faster one
can make changes that have a direct or indirect effect on revenues.
This may be the one piece of web technology that everyone on the
business side will use - and scream about when the reports are late or
inconsistent.
- Data Mining: It isn''t clear what the eventual
name for this area will be, or exactly what its functions will be.
What seems to be evolving is a data warehouse approach - that is,
quick inquiries into a wealth of information. It''s built on traffic
logs, advertising reports, and some kind of real-time analysis that
captures information about user behavior that the other sources miss.
If someone in marketing wants to ask how many people saw the widget ad
on the web newspages exactly three times before they clicked on it, or
how many times people will search for something before they decide it
can''t be found, this is the technology you''ll need. It''s an area that
is intimately associated with Personalization.
- Personalization: This is in part the flip
side of Data Mining. Given detailed knowledge about how individuals
(or groups with certain behavioral characteristics) behave, how can we
personalize their experience? More than a MyPage approach,
personalization refers to serving ads or reordering content in real
time to match these behaviors and get people to stay on the site,
click on ads, or buy. When a site requires registration or uses
technology to differentially identify anonymous visitors, the
potential for using mined data increases many fold.
- Messaging: How many ways can E-commerce
create a message? Automated responses, targeted newsletters, fax
blitz, groupware, IP telephony, paging, and who knows what else.
Communication is still the foundation of a business, and the Web only
multiplies it.
- Help Desk: A necessity for any business over
the web. Naturally, the people at the desk will need tools for
accessing the various databases used by the website, including the
data about user behavior and purchasing.
- Relationship Management: Part Help Desk, part
Personalization, the term is used by some to mean the kind of
customization of user experience that the web makes possible, and by
others a natural web (or intranet) extension of traditional tools for
managing more direct contacts with customers and vendors.
- Extranet: An extranet can be an important way
to create a secure, closed network between you and your business
partners.
- Search: At the very least you''ll need a
search function to help people find things on the site. There are
various options that differ on usability, utility, and the way that
they reflect your content. Some sites will supplement their content
with links to related material that''s found by searching the
web.
|
