By the early Nineties Windows had taken off, networking company Novell was flying high with products that linked PCs and servers and then came the Internet. In a short space of time, it would change business software and processes forever. Companies clamoured to connect to the Internet. It made cheap data communications a reality over telephone and high-speed data lines. When Web browsers were introduced, everybody had the same view of everybody online.
Many executives now label e-mail as important as the telephone.
And now businesses are getting around to the serious topic of trading with each other electronically over the Internet. Most large organisations have ERP systems of some sort in place. Smaller and medium-sized companies have also used modern software tools to automate their business processes. The Internet has become a business tool. It's a way for large companies to reach consumers but, more importantly, it's a vehicle for business of all sizes to bring the efficiencies of automation to all transactions that occur between them.