Content Management System (CMS) Definition

Content Management System (CMS) Definition

A content management system is what allows company employees to publish new content to their web sites. These systems eliminate the need for content writers to be concerned with the technical details. And while at first glance, content publishing might not seem like it should be difficult, more detailed examination reveals some of the complexity. First, consider that content comes in many forms:

·  articles and white papers

·  press release and company news

·  pictures

·  products information

·  frequently asked questions/answers

·  email archives and newsgroups

·  Flash presentations and online demos

·  streaming audio and video

With all these different types of content, there is a need for systems to first create (author) the content, then describe it (metadata tagging), and eventually update it. On top of these basic tasks, the system should also:

·  let several people collaborate and edit content together

·  provide workflow to let the right people do the right things at the right time

·  have security measures to stop the wrong people from manipulating the content

·  keep track of changes to the content through the use of versioning

·  provide scheduling to control when content is displayed

·  use templates to publish the content in a standard format so that a certain look and feel is maintained across the site

·  personalize the content so user's can customize the viewing experience

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Definition

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is an information industry term for methodologies, software, and usually Internet capabilities that help an enterprise manage customer relationships in an organized and efficient manner. In many cases, an enterprise builds a database about its customers. This database describes relationships in sufficient detail so that management, salespeople, and customer service reps can access information; match customer needs with product plans and offerings; remind customers of service requirements; know what other products a customer had purchased; etc.

eBusiness Definition

eBusiness (electronic business) is, in its simplest form, the conduct of business on the Internet. It is a more generic term than eCommerce because it refers to not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners.
IBM, in 1997, was one of the first to use the term when it launched a campaign built around the term. Today, many corporations are rethinking their businesses in terms of the Internet and its capabilities. Companies are using the Web to buy parts and supplies from other companies, to collaborate on sales promotions, and to do joint research. Exploiting the convenience, availability, and global reach of the Internet, many companies, both large and small have already discovered how to use the Internet successfully.
If it's time for your business to move online or to improve it's existing online infrastructure, then I invite you to review my work with ebusiness solutions to see how I can help you.

eCommerce Definition

eCommerce (electronic commerce) is the buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet, especially the World Wide Web. In practice, this term and a newer term, e-business, are often used interchangeably.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Definition

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the industry term used to describe a broad set of activities supported by multi-module application software that helps a manufacturer or other business manage the important parts of its business. These parts can include product planning, parts purchasing, maintaining inventories, interacting with suppliers, providing customer service, and tracking orders. ERP can also include application modules for the finance and human resources aspects of a business.
Some of the bigger players in the ERP outsourcing market are SAP, Peoplesoft, and J. D. Edwards. New comers include Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft.

HTML Definition

Short for Hypertext Markup Language, HTML is what web designers and developers write when they create web pages. HTML isn't really a programming language as it is missing many of the standard features associated with programming languages. It is more a way to describe how things should appear in a web browser. With it you can make sections of text bold or make the typeface bigger.
Purists believe that HTML shouldn't be used to specify content layout. They feel that the content should flow freely and fill the screen in whatever way best suits the end-user. However, in practice, most web designers do attempt to control layout, feeling that expressing their message in a specific and controlled manner is a worthwhile pursuit.
To build features such as forums, shopping carts, and registration forms requires technologies other than HTML. It is best to think of HTML as the glue that binds all this functionality in to something that a web browser can interpret and display for the end-user.

Extranet Definition

An extranet is a private network that uses the Internet protocol and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a business's information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses. An extranet can be viewed as part of a company's intranet that is extended to users outside the company. Think of an extranet as being a private portion of the Internet. If you were to remove the secure aspects of an extranet then you would in effect have just another piece of the Internet.
An extranet requires security and privacy. These require firewall server management, the issuance and use of digital certificates or similar means of user authentication, encryption of messages, and the use of virtual private networks (VPN) that tunnel through the public network.
Companies can use an extranet to:

·  Exchange large volumes of data using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or XML

·  Share product catalogs exclusively with wholesalers or those "in the trade"

·  Collaborate with other companies on joint development efforts

·  Jointly develop and use training programs with other companies

·  Provide or access services provided by one company to a group of other companies, such as an online banking application managed by one company on behalf of affiliated banks

·  Share news of common interest exclusively with partner companies

Related Terms

·  Internet

·  Intranet

Blog Definition

A blog is a lot like a journal except it is generally intended to be read by others. The topics for blogs vary greatly; some being about day to day activities and others taking a more corporate or political slant. There is no defined or widely accepted format and so blogs range from one liners that the author adds every few hours to relatively long, well thought out arguments for or against a topic of interest.
Usually, users that are interested in a particular blog can subscribe to the blog and receive updates automatically through the use of an RSS feed aggregator (also known as a news aggregator). Unlike mailing lists, you do not need to provide an e-mail address and if nothing else, blog subscriptions protect your e-mail address from spam.

Business Process Outsourcing Definition

Business process outsourcing (BPO) is the act of giving a third-party the responsibility of running what would otherwise be an internal system or service. For instance, an insurance company might outsource their claims processing program or a bank might outsource their loan processing system.
Typically, companies that are looking at business process outsourcing are hoping to achieve cost savings by handing the work to a third-party that can take advantage of economies of scale by doing the same work for many companies. Or perhaps the cost savings can be achieved because labor costs are lower due to different costs of living in different countries.
In exchange for the potential cost savings, the company in question must relinquish control over an aspect of their business which explains why business process outsourcing is often reserved for non-critical, non-core type of work.

Client/Server Definition

The term client/server describes one possible relationship between two software applications in which the client makes a service request from the server. The client/server relationship can apply to two programs running on a single computer or two programs running over a network. In the case of a network, the client/server model provides a convenient way to interconnect programs that are distributed efficiently across different locations. Computer transactions using the client/server model are very common and it is likely you are involved with such transactions almost daily.
For example, to check your e-mail from your computer, a client program on your computer forwards your request to a server program at your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Once the server program has retrieved your e-mail, it forwards them to the client on your computer, which then allows you to read the e-mail.
The client/server model has become one of the central ideas of network computing. Most business applications being written today use the client/server model. A distinction used to be made between client/server applications and internet-based applications. However, that distinction is being blurred such that even internet-based applications are beginning to make use of the client/server model.
Using Visual Basic and SQL Server (or Oracle), I've built complex and highly-scalable client/server based systems for well-known international companies. Read more about the software I wrote and my role as a computer programmer for MasterCard International.

Internet Definition

The Internet, sometimes called simply "the Net," is a worldwide system of computer networks - a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer (and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers). It was conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. government in 1969 and was first known as the ARPANET. The original aim was to create a network that would allow users of a research computer at one university to be able to "talk to" research computers at other universities. A side benefit of ARPANet's design was that, because messages could be routed or rerouted in more than one direction, the network could continue to function even if parts of it were destroyed in the event of a military attack or other disaster.
Today, the Internet is a public, cooperative, and self-sustaining facility accessible to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Physically, the Internet uses a portion of the total resources of the currently existing public telecommunication networks. Technically, what distinguishes the Internet is its use of a set of protocols called Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Two recent adaptations of Internet technology, the intranet and the extranet, also make use of the TCP/IP protocol.
Using the Web, you have access to millions of pages of information. Web browsing is done with a Web browser, the most popular of which are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

Intranet Definition

An intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise. It may consist of many interlinked local area networks and also use leased lines in the Wide Area Network. Typically, an intranet includes connections through one or more gateway computers to the outside Internet. The main purpose of an intranet is to share company information and computing resources among employees. An intranet can also be used to facilitate working in groups and for teleconferences.
An intranet uses TCP/IP, HTTP, and other Internet protocols and in general looks like a private version of the Internet. With tunneling, companies can send private messages through the public network, using the public network with special encryption/decryption and other security safeguards to connect one part of their intranet to another.
Typically, larger enterprises allow users within their intranet to access the public Internet through firewall servers that have the ability to screen messages in both directions so that company security is maintained. When part of an intranet is made accessible to customers, partners, suppliers, or others outside the company, that part becomes part of an extranet.

Title Definition

Supply chain management (SCM) is the oversight of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Supply chain management involves coordinating and integrating these flows both within and among companies. It is said that the ultimate goal of any effective supply chain management system is to reduce inventory (with the assumption that products are available when needed). As a solution for successful supply chain management, sophisticated software systems with Web interfaces are competing with Web-based application service providers (ASP) who promise to provide part or all of the SCM service for companies who rent their service.
Supply chain management flows can be divided into three main flows:

·  The product flow

·  The information flow

·  The finances flow

The product flow includes the movement of goods from a supplier to a customer, as well as any customer returns or service needs. The information flow involves transmitting orders and updating the status of delivery. The financial flow consists of credit terms, payment schedules, and consignment and title ownership arrangements. There are two main types of SCM software: planning applications and execution applications. Planning applications use advanced algorithms to determine the best way to fill an order. Execution applications track the physical status of goods, the management of materials, and financial information involving all parties.
Some SCM applications are based on open data models that support the sharing of data both inside and outside the enterprise (this is called the extended enterprise, and includes key suppliers, manufacturers, and end customers of a specific company). This shared data may reside in diverse database systems, or data warehouses, at several different sites and companies.
By sharing this data "upstream" (with a company's suppliers) and "downstream" (with a company's clients), SCM applications have the potential to improve the time-to-market of products, reduce costs, and allow all parties in the supply chain to better manage current resources and plan for future needs.
Increasing numbers of companies are turning to Web sites and Web-based applications as part of the SCM solution. A number of major Web sites offer e-procurement marketplaces where manufacturers can trade and even make auction bids with suppliers.