Using the broadest definition, online business began with providing information about products and services on a World Wide Web page. New technologies made online purchasing possible. As hardware and software continue to improve, companies are expanding their offerings. At first, Corel used the Internet to support its traditional business model by providing online technical support. ASPs are part of a growing movement toward the thin client model of networks, where applications reside on a server, or in this case on the Web, rather than on individual desktops.
Users access the applications as they are needed.
They are horizontal applications that plug into a vertical market. Confidence in this prediction has led the company to determine its third phase. In the future, the company plans to extend this second step by providing content to thin-client devices such as cellular telephones. The firm both develops and uses Internet technologies that facilitate interaction between the retailer and the customer. The abundance of product information on the Web has produced a few results that companies need to respond to, Brock says.