Internet Communication

Part of having an online presence for a business is the ability to have ready access to company information and data. This applies to both the consumer base as well as the employees of that company who must manage that information. Before the advent of the Internet, it was necessary for this information to be kept as hard-copy and as such was difficult to share with multiple, simultaneous individuals and much less those in a different location than where the information resided. In 1973, the first RFC (Request For Comments) was published for the ftp protocol; one of the earliest methods of file sharing and transfer to individuals over a network. (2006, Hobbes' Internet Timeline) This protocol enabled users to view files on remote networks and eliminated the need for physical access to the media. However, this had its limitations since downloaded files could not be updated by their originators without the client downloading the file again. This can cause data inconsistency issues. Since this material also had to be kept in a file of some sort, it was also difficult to generate reports against that data or manipulate the display of the data into other formats. The creation of databases which could be accessed across the Internet met many of these concerns.

Inclusion of data in a database allows for powerful manipulation of the data. Storing internal company information is much easier in a database than in a single file since entries can be updated in one place which is then propagated to other systems which might use that data. An example of the sort of information that is ideal for this type of internal storage is employee contact information and employee records. Databases are also very useful to an online business. Product selection and information can be readily entered into a predetermined format which is then automatically picked up by a website front-end, such as a store, to allow for real time manipulation of the store's offerings and prices.

In order to get Flower Euphoria it's supplies the company is able to order from online suppliers. The company will or can have a system in place that can track what type of flowers are in stock. When that type of flower is getting low the database can warn us of what is low and needs to be ordered. From there Flower Euphoria employees are able to access our supplier extranet website and place an order over the Internet. It is a continuing cycle but very efficient. The company is able to fulfill orders on time and keep up to date information on supplies.

Nowadays it is common to go to a search engine website and enter certain key words to pull up all the website links related to the topic that had been entered. Website search engine companies' primary business is to search for links for their customer's desire. This is how they do their business by partnership with other websites. Search engine sites are great for companies' to partnership with because within a second the companies are able to advertise their website and what they have to offer for their customers. Customers are able to browse and learn about their products or services. They have a greater chance to sell by advertising their products or services globally.

A Search Engine Company is not the only one that is able to pull up websites links. Many company websites have links to the other companies' that they do business with. For example, companies usually have links to their vendors or suppliers' website. This way the customers can look up information beyond just the company's website. Websites have many links to anything. It has links to shop, listen to music, watch videos, reading and learning, registering etc.

When browsing through the any Internet website there is a potential for systems to acquire computer viruses in the network. This can cause the network to go down and business could loose vital data. If data is not available then there is no business. This is when the Internet security comes in place. Most of the websites have security protection due to viruses. Internet security seems to be the big issues for businesses now. Businesses are becoming stricter with their Internet protection and users are limited on sending or receiving a file to communicate over the Internet and E-mail. The E-mail file size cannot be too large