Internet usage, specifically web usage, is increasing at a rapid pace and infiltrating most aspects of our lives. Indeed, Internet technologies are pervasive and the Internet is significantly changing the way we do business. This column will discuss how the transformation of businesses to e-businesses impacts the disciplines of data management and database administration. The First Important Issue is Availability Because an e-business is an online business, it can never close. There is no such thing as a batch window for an e-business application.
Customers expect full functionality on the Web regardless of the time of day.
It must be prepared to engage with customers at any time or risk losing business to a company whose Web site is more accessible. Some studies show that if a web user clicks his mouse and does not receive a transmission back to his browser within seven seconds he will abandon that request and go somewhere else. On the web, your competitor is just a simple mouse click away. The net result is that e-businesses are more connected, and therefore must be more available in order to be useful. So as e-businesses integrate their Web presence with traditional IT services such as database management systems, it creates heightened expectations for data availability .