Thisarchitectureisavendorneutralandbestpracticesapproachtodescribetheflowsandrelationshipsbetweenbusinesscapabilitiesandarchitecturalcomponentsfore-Commerceapplicationsthatusecloudcomputinginfrastructure,platformsand/orservices.Theelementsofthisarchitectureareusedtoinstantiateane-Commercesystemwhetherusingprivate,publicorhybridclouddeploymentmodels.Applicationscomprisingthecorecomponentsofthearchitecturemaybedeliveredasaservice,fromon-premisesorhosted.
Thise-Commercearchitectureexplainshowtosupportenhancedcustomerengagementaswellassupplierandpartnerengagements.ThecustomerengagementcorecomponentsofMarketing,CustomerAnalyticsande-Commercearchitectureenablesenrichedengagementwithcustomersonadeeper,humanlevelandallowsthemtobedelightedwiththerightexperienceattheperfectmomenttobuildlastingloyalty.ThesupplierandpartnerengagementcorecomponentsofPayments,ProcurementandB2BIntegrationenablesenhancedsupplierandpartnerengagementsthatmovebeyondresponsivenesstoasynchronized,predictivevaluechainthatmitigatesriskandrevealshiddenvalueonaglobalscale.
Theinterfacesordependenciesbetweentheseandothersystemsareimportantconsiderationswhendesigningthefinalsystemarchitecture.Inmanycasessomeofthesecoresystemsmayremainonpremises,suchasWarehouseManagementorPointofSale.Oneofthemostimportantdecisionstomakewhenplanningthee-Commercesystemisdecidingifon-premisescomponentsarecandidatesfordeploymentinanoff-premisescloudservice.Resilienceandelasticityareamongtheconsiderationsdiscussedwhenevaluatingon-premisesand“asaservice”components.Theintentoftheevaluationistoensurethatasecure,reliable,highperformancearchitectureispresentacrossthee-Commercesolution.Toensurecompletenessanumberofothercomponentsarerequired,suchasfirewalls,loadbalancers,databases,filerepositories,contentdeliverynetworks,emailandmessaging.
Thearchitecturedescribedinthispapershowsmanysystemcomponentsthatexistinaprovidercloudenvironment.Yetitisimportanttounderstandthatitispossibleforsomeofthesecomponentstoexiston-premisesintheenterprisenetworkandnotinacloudenvironment,particularlywherethereisanexistingcomponentinplacewhichprovidestherequiredcapabilities.Otherconsiderationstomakewhenevaluatingasaserviceofferings,particularlyforSoftwareasaService(SaaS)andPlatformasaService(PaaS),aretheskillsetsandnumberofpersonnelneededforongoingoperationsandmanagementofthecomponent,aswellasthecapitalexpenseofstandinguphardware.
ForthescenariowherethecloudserviceisaPaaSoffering,itisoftenthecasethatmanyelementsofthearchitectureareavailableaspartoftheplatformandonlyconfigurationanddeploymentisrequired.WhenaSaaSsolutionisselectedtheresponsibilitiesformanagementarefrequentlyreducedtoconfigurationandusermanagement.
Theclouddeploymentmodelaffectsthelocationsofmanyofthecomponentsinane-Commercearchitecture.Inparticular,forSaaSandpublicclouddeployment,theelementsareinstantiatedinthepubliccloud.Forprivateclouddeployment,thecomponentsareinstantiatedwithintheprivatecloud,eitheron-premisesorwithinaprivatelymanagedenvironmentmadeavailablebyacloudserviceprovider.ThelikelihoodthatthefinalcloudarchitecturewillbeahybridITdesignishigh.Forhybridcloudarchitectures,thechoiceofwheretolocateeachcomponent,eitherinapublicordedicatedexternalcloudenvironmentoranon-premisesprivatecloudservice,isgovernedbysecurity,complianceandperformanceconsiderations.TheCloudDeploymentConsiderationssectiondescribesoptionsinmoredepth.
Holisticunderstandingofe-Commercearchitecturesisbasedonunderstandingthearchitecturesforthemobile,webapplicationhosting,bigdataandanalyticsandIoTcapabilitiesthatitcomposes.AnappreciationofserviceproviderSLAsisalsohelpful.
Figure1showstheelementsthatmaybeneededforanye-Commercesolutionacrossthreedomains:publicnetworks,providerclouds,andenterprisenetworks.
Figure1:Elementsofe-CommerceSolution
Theenterprisenetworkdomaincontainsexistingenterprisesystemsincludingenterpriseapplications,enterprisedatastoresandtheenterpriseuserdirectory.Resultsaredeliveredtousersandapplicationsusingtransformationandconnectivitycomponentsthatprovidesecuremessagingandtranslationstoandfromsystemsofengagement,enterprisedata,andenterpriseapplications.
Figure2showstherelationshipsforsupportinge-Commerceusingcloudcomputing.
Figure2:CloudComponentRelationshipsfore-Commerce
ThepublicnetworkcontainselementsthatexistintheInternet:datasourcesandAPIs,users,andtheedgeservicesneededtoaccesstheprovidercloudorenterprisenetwork.
Ane-CommerceUserisacustomerwhousesvariouschannelstoaccessthecommercesolutionsonthecloudproviderplatformorenterprisenetwork.
Channelretailingsolutionsaimtoprovideaseamless,personalizedbrandexperiencewhetherthecustomershopsontheWeb,overthephone,usingamobiledeviceoralloftheabove.Notonlycanyoucreateanext-generationWebchannel,youcanleveragetheWebtoimproverevenuesandcustomerserviceinallchannels.
Keycapabilitiesinthisdomaininclude:
WebSite:Capabilitiesnecessaryforadirecttoconsumeronlinestore.Webstorefrontsenhancetheshoppingexperiencewithrichcapabilities—fromadvancedfacetedsearchandminishoppingcarts,tointegratedinventoryavailabilityandproductcomparisons.SeetheCloudCustomerWebApplicationHostingReferenceArchitectureformoreinformation.[1]
Mobile:Supportscommercestorefrontsthattakefulladvantageofmobiledevicebrowsers,touchscreens,andlocationbasedinformationtodeliveranoptimizedandhighlypersonalizedmobileshoppingexperience.SeetheCloudCustomerMobileReferenceArchitectureformoreinformation.[2]
ConnectedDevices:Providestheabilitytohaveconnecteddevicesplaceordersfordepletedproductshelpingretailersdriveanalternatechannelofsaleswhereconnecteddevicesaremakingbuyingdecisionswhenneeded.Thisoptionprovidesconveniencetothecustomerandlowtouchsalestotheretailer.
Servicesneededtoallowdatatoflowsafelyfromtheinternetintotheprovidercloudandintotheenterprise.Edgeservicesalsosupportenduserapplications.
DomainNameSystemServer:ResolvestheURLforaparticularwebresourcetotheTCP-IPaddressofthesystemorservicethatcandeliverthatresource.
ContentDeliveryNetworks(CDN):Supportsenduserapplicationsbyprovidinggeographicallydistributedsystemsofserversdeployedtominimizetheresponsetimeforservingresourcestogeographicallydistributedusers,ensuringthatcontentishighlyavailableandprovidedtouserswithminimumlatency.Whichserversareengagedwilldependonserverproximitytotheuser,andwherethecontentisstoredorcached.
Firewall:Controlscommunicationaccesstoorfromasystempermittingonlytrafficmeetingasetofpoliciestoproceedandblockinganytrafficthatdoesnotmeetthepolicies.Firewallscanbeimplementedasseparatededicatedhardware,orasacomponentinothernetworkinghardwaresuchasaload-balancerorrouterorasintegralsoftwaretoanoperatingsystem.
LoadBalancers:Providesdistributionofnetworkorapplicationtrafficacrossmanyresources(suchascomputers,processors,storage,ornetworklinks)tomaximizethroughput,minimizeresponsetime,increasecapacityandincreasereliabilityofapplications.Loadbalancerscanbalanceloadslocallyandglobally.Loadbalancersshouldbehighlyavailablewithoutasinglepointoffailure.Loadbalancersaresometimesintegratedaspartoftheprovidercloudanalyticalsystemcomponentslikestreamprocessing,dataintegration,andrepositories.
MobileDigital&Store:Enablestheconvergenceofphysicalanddigitalstorestoprovidenewwaysofreachingandsatisfyingcustomerrequirementsforshopping,deliveryandpersonalization.
ProductSearchandPersonalization:Enablescustomerstofindproductsmoreeffectively.Amulti-channelsearchsolutionalsosupportskeywordsearch,type-aheadandsearchsuggestions.Italsoextendsthescopeofsearchablecontentforbusinessusersforbothstructuredandunstructuredcontent.Thesearchisbasedaroundthesearchindexwhichmustbebuiltbeforeitcanbeusedforanysearches.Siteadministratorsandbusinessuserscanworkwithsearchtofine-tunesearchmerchandisingtodisplaypreferredproductstoshoppers.Onceasetofqualifiedproductsarefound,furtherproductselectionand/ordisplayorderofproductscanbepersonalizedbasedoncustomerandproductattributes.Personalizationdecisionrulesandscorescanbeappliedbyrealtimeanalyticalengines(seeMarketingandCommerceAnalytics).
OrderCapture:Enablesthecreationofshoppingcarts,wishlistsforfuturepurchases,shippinginformation,paymentinformation,andtheconversionofshoppingcarttoanorder.Ordercapturealsoallowsordersstartedonamobiledevicetobecompletedinaphysicalstoreoronawebapplication.Italsoprovidesthecapabilitiesofbulkorderplacements-ordersplacedfromamarketplace.Integrationandupdateofthecapturedorderinformationintothecustomer’sexistingdistributedordermanagementprocessesandcomponentsissupported.Italsoprovidesorderinformationtocustomer’sorderinquiriesandintegrateswithcustomercareforprovidingupdatesonthestatusoftheorderusingcustomerpreferences.Itprovidesthecustomerservicerepwithfunctionalityforassistedordercaptureandplacements.
Marketplace:Allowscustomerstoshopacrossmultiplesellers.Themarketplacesareanalogoustophysicalmallswhichprovidecustomersmultipleshoppingexperiencesinoneconvenientlocation.Theonlinemarketplacestypicallyowncustomerdataandcontroltheshoppingexperienceacrossthesellerswithinthemarketplace.Themarketplacedrivesthemarketing,catalog,productplacements,cartmanagement,checkoutservices,paymenthandling,orderbrokeringandorchestrationandaftersalescustomerservices.Thecustomersplacetheorderwithinthemarketplace,andthemarketplacebrokerstheorderstoindividualsellerssellingtheproduct.Orderscanincludeproductfrommultiplesellers.Inmanycases,themarketplacecanalsoprovidefulfillmentservicesthatcanhelpprovideaconsistentfulfillmentexperiencefortheendcustomer.
Arich,meaningfuldigitalexperienceisthekeytoengagingcustomersintoday’sintegrateddigitalworld.
Content:Enablesrelevantpersonalizedcontenttohelpattractandeducatevisitorsonthebenefitsofthebrand.Contentrelatedcapabilitiesincludecontentauthoringtools,contentmanagementsystems,contentsearchandpersonalizationtools(mayrequireintegrationwithmarketingoranalyticaldecisionengines)andcontentservers/portals.
FederatedSearch:Federatedsearchenablescustomerandbusinessuserstofindinformationabouttheproducts,catalog,productreviewsandrecommendations,marketingcontent,howto,knowledgerepository,customerandinternalblogsinaconsistentinterfaceacrossmultipledomainapplications.Thesearchcanbeusedacrosscustomerfacingapplicationswithincommercealongwithinternalapplicationslikecustomercare,ordermanagement,merchandizingandsupplychain.Searchhascomealongwayfrombeingkey-wordbasedtonowbecomingcognitiveandcapableofansweringcustomerqueriesinnaturallanguage.Technologyadvancesinsearchcannowallowcustomerandbusinessuserstointeractwithsystemsthroughnaturalconversations.Searchisalsobecomingakeyplatformtoenablepersonalizationofcontentforendusersbasedoncontextuallearningoftheuser’spastandcurrentinteractionswiththeenterprise.
SocialEngagement:Enablestheprovisionofreviewsandrankingsforengagingthecompanyandothercustomersinmeaningfuldialogs,strengthenstherelationshipbetweencustomersandthebrand,andturnscustomersintobrandadvocates.
DigitalMessaging:Improvesthecreation,delivery,storageandretrievalofoutboundcommunications,includingthoseformarketing,newproductintroductions,renewalnotifications,claimscorrespondenceanddocumentation,andbillandpaymentnotifications.Theseinteractionscanhappenthroughawidespreadrangeofmediaandoutput,includingdocuments,email,ShortMessageService(SMS)andWebpages.oEmailService:Keepcustomersinformedofnewproducts,clearancesandspecialopportunitiesthatarebeingofferedatthestore.Dynamicemailallowstheretailertocustomizeemailimpressionswithtailoredprogramsforeachindividualcustomer.
oNotification:Notificationshelpdrivecustomertouchpointsbyallowingnotificationsofstoreactivitiestobesentviaemailorcellphone.
Stridesincognitivecomputingandnaturallanguageprocessinghaveenhancedcustomercarefunctions.Customercarecannowbeprovidedanytime,anywherebyusingcognitivecustomercareapplicationsthatprovidenaturallanguageinteractionsfromthemobileorwebapplication.Understandingthecustomer,thehistoryofinteractions,transactionsandcurrentcontextcanallbeusedtoofferapersonalizedcustomercareexperience.
CustomerRelationshipManagement(CRM):Providesbroadanddeepvisibilityintoaconsumer’scurrentandhistoricbehavior.ThisisaccomplishedthroughthecollectionandaggregationofinformationfromtoolsandsourcesthatmakeuptheCommerceAnalyticsdomain.
LoyaltyManagement:Allowsthee-Commerceprovidertobuildandtrackcustomerloyaltyacrossthecustomer’sinteractions.Thesesystemshavethecapabilitytoenablevariouskindsofloyaltyprogramstiedtocustomerprofiles.ThesystemsprovidecapabilitiestotrackloyaltyeitherdirectlyorthroughtransactionalfeedbackfromtheOrdere-Commerceapplication.Inadditiontocreating,trackingandmanagingloyaltyprograms,thesesystemsmanagevariouskindsofrewardprograms.Loyaltyprogramsplayakeyroleindefiningtheinteractionsbetweenthecustomerandthee-Commerceprovider,helptobuildbrandawareness,andalsocontributetocustomerretention,e.g.,specialoffersforVIPcustomers,freeservicestoplatinummembers,etc.
PaymentProcessing:supportspaymenttransactionsusingcreditcardsorelectronicfundtransferswhichincludesatleasttheseroles:
oMerchantoCustomer
oMerchantpaymentprocessingserviceprovideroMerchantbankifdifferentthanpaymentprocessoroCustomer’sbankorbankissuingcreditorpurchasecard
Paymentprocessingcanbeaforfeeservice-merchantsarechargedpertransactionprocessed,typicallyapercentageoftheindividualpurchase.Thecostoftheserviceisoffsetbythebenefitsofafastersettlementprocess;themerchanthasmorecashonhand.Forcustomers,thebenefitsincludesecurityandconveniencecomparedtomailingchecksortheadditionalcostofmoneyorders.
Becauseofthecomplexityofthetransactionprocessandthestringentdatasecurityrequirementsandregulationsitcanbemorecostefficientandlessriskyformostcompaniestooutsourcethisfunctiontoapaymentprocessorwhoisanexpertintherelevantstandardsandfrauddetection.ThepaymentprocessorisresponsibleforauthenticatingthevalidityoftheeCheck,credit,debitorgiftcardwiththecardissuer,sendingtheconfirmationtothemerchant’sbankandultimatelycarryingouttheelectronicfundstransfer(EFT)fromcustomertomerchantbanktocompletethepayment.ThepaymentprocessorcoversonlypartoftheoverallSecurityandFraudDetectiondomain.
IntheU.S.,paymentprocessorsinitiatetheEFTthroughtheUSFederalReserveBank’sAutomatedClearingHouse(ACH).Thereisnosinglecounterparttothissysteminotherpartsoftheworld.Theglobalstandardforhowcompaniesprocess,storeand/ortransmitcreditordebitcardinformationisknownasPCIDSS–PaymentCardIndustryDataSecurityStandard.Thisstandardcoverspaymentprocessors,pointofsalesandtheinterchangesystemsoperatedbythecardbrands.
Tokenizationandend-to-endcardencryptionareessentialtoprotectcardholderdataandtoensurethee-CommerceprovidersadheretothePCIstandards.End-to-endcardencryptiononthecardscandeviceisusedatPOSandstores,ascustomerscanphysicallypresent/scantheircardsthere.Tokenization(internalorexternal)isusedonwebandmobilechannelswherephysicalcardscansarenotpossible.ThepaymentprocessoroftenprovidescreditcardmachinesorotherequipmentforprocessingcardsatthePOS.
ThereisalsoanincreasingadoptionofnewerformsofelectronicpaymentslikedigitalwalletslikeApple-pay,Android-pay,PayPalandothers.Thesedigitalwalletsprovidesecureandconvenienttransactionsoptionstotheendcustomerandalsosignificantlyreducetheriskoffraudandassociatedchargebacksfore-Commerceproviders.Inaddition,e-Commerceproviderscanhavetheirownvirtualcurrencieslikevirtualcoins,points,loyaltyrewards;eachofwhichrequirespecialhandlingduringpaymentprocessing.
PaymentGateway:ThePaymentGatewayisthemediatorbetweenthee-CommercetransactionandthePaymentProcessingService.SecurityrequirementsforpurchasecardtransactionsprohibitthedirecttransmissionofinformationfromthewebsiteorPoSsystemandthepaymentprocessor.PaymentGatewaysmaybeofferedasaservicebypaymentprocessingvendorsorcontractedfromavendorwhoonlyoffersagatewayservice.
OrderManagementandOrchestration:Manages,aggregates,andmonitorsordersfromvirtuallyallchannelsusuallywithanintelligentsourcingenginethatcoordinatesfulfilmentacrosstheextendedenterprise.Supportingavirtualsingleorderrepositorygivescustomers,channels,suppliers,andtradingpartnersaccesstomodify,cancel,track,andmonitortheorderlifecycleinreal-time.Flexiblefulfilmentgivesthecapabilitytocheckforinventoryavailability,providerule-baseddynamicallocation,enabletransferswhenarequireditemisout-of-stock,selectlocationsbasedoninventoryavailability,splitordersasneeded,andsourceordrop-shipfromachannelpartner.
GlobalInventoryVisibility:Providesaconsolidatedviewofinventoryinwarehouses,stores,andthirdpartyvendors,helpingtocoordinateinventoryacrossmultiplesites,enterprisesandsellers,allowingmanagerstotrackinventoryanywhereatbothinternalandexternalshipnodes.GlobalInventoryVisibilitysolutionsprovideasynchronizedreal-timeavailabilityviewofvirtuallyallsupplyanddemandfrommultiplesystemsandchannels,includinginstore,inwarehouses,atdistributors,atsuppliers,andintransit.GlobalInventoryVisibilitysolutionsutilizeanintelligentsourcingenginethatoptimizesinventoryuseacrosstheextendedenterprisetoprovidethebestavailable-to-promise(ATP)datesandthemostefficientfulfilmentoptionsavailable.Italsoidentifiesshortagesandallowsinventoryplannerstoresolveproblemsbymanipulatinginventorybalancesthroughtheallocationofsalesordersandexecutionofpurchasesormovementofinventory.Datacanbesharedwithexternalsystems,customers,suppliers,andpartnersfordemandandsupplymanagement.
ReturnsManagement:Providesallofthecapabilitiesthatareneededtomanagetheentireorderreturnsprocess.Thiscapabilityenablesthebuyerandthesellertoeffectivelytrackitemsthroughoutthereturnandrepairprocessandautomatestheproceduresthatreturnitemstostock.Real-timestatusupdatesfromserviceandrepairorganizationsalsoenablesellerstoleveragethereturnsprocessingcycleasasourceofsupply.Returnsmanagementlinksmultiplereturnsorrepairrequeststotheoriginalsalesorders,providingrepairlifecycletrackingtotrackitemsthroughoutthereturnsandrepairprocesses,includingexchangeorders,refurbishmentandrepairrequests,andreturndisposition.
Enablessystemstoplanandmanageproductlifecycle,supplynetwork,inventoryincludingreplenishments,distributionstrategies,partneralliancesandrelatedanalytics.Logisticsmanagementhelpsmanagetheinternallogisticsforpurchasing,production,warehousing,andtransportationwithintheenterprisetoensureproductsareavailabletoendcustomersinthemostefficientandcosteffectivewaypossible.
SupplyChainManagement:Enablesprocurementofrawgoodsandmaterialstotheeffectivedeliveryofthefinishedproducttoacustomer.Traditionally,theSupplyChainoperatedindependentlyfromMarketing,Provisioning,orInventoryManagementandoftenhadconflictinggoals.Withtheadventofdigitalmarketingandfocusonomni-channel,thesupplychainhasbecomeanintegralandcriticalpartofserviceanddeliverytoacustomer.Forexample,weatheranalyticscanimmenselyaffectSupplyChainManagementandshouldbepartofitskeyconsiderations.
ProductLifecycleManagement(PLM)&Manufacturing:Supportsallaspectsofaproductfrominceptiontotheultimateendoflife.Phasesincludedesign,engineering,manufacturing,distribution,andmarketing,includingpeople,processandtechnology.EfficientPLMsystemsassistretailerswiththeeverincreasingcomplexityrealizedbyaglobalmarketplace.Ithelpsretailerseffectivelymanagecomplexsupplychains,ever-changingcustomerpreferences,anddesignchallenges.
Sourcing&Procurement:Sourcingsupportsthecomponentoftheprocurementprocessthatdealswithsupplierselectionandmanagement.Withaglobaleconomyandabilitytosourceandmanufacturerproductsacrosstheglobe,anefficientandintelligentsupplychainhasbecomecriticalforthesurvivalandsuccessofaretailer,aswellastheirabilitytoefficientlypersonalizeanddelivertherightproductattherightprice.Procurementsystemshaveadvancedsignificantlyandformthepivotallinkbetweencommerce,ordermanagement,andultimatedeliverytotheendcustomer.
SupplierandPartnerDataCommunications:Enablesretailersandothercommerceconstituentstosecurelycommunicatebusinessdocumentsonshipments,inventory,invoices,purchaseorders,acknowledgments,contracts,etc.Suchsystemsshouldhavetheabilitytoextract,classify,encrypt/decrypt,transformandtransmitdatawithothercommerceconstituentsthatareexternalorinternaltoaretailer.Inherentinsuchdatacommunicationsaresecurity,highperformance,audit,verification,automation,transportlayerindependence,andauthenticationfortheretailerandtheirbusinessandtradingpartners.Theuseoftheblockchaintechnologyforsupplychainmanagementwilldramaticallyreducetimedelays,addedcosts,andhumanerrorthatplaguetransactionstoday.Itallowsmoresecureandtransparenttrackingofalltypesoftransactionsacrossthesupplychain.
TransportationManagement&Optimization:TransportationManagementprovidesaretailerwiththeabilitytosource,transport,anddelivergoodseffectivelywhilemanagingcustomerdemandacrossmultiplemodesoftransportationandproviders.TransportationOptimizationprovidesthecapabilitytocapitalizeonthemostefficientandcosteffectivemannerneededtodeliverproductsandservices.Itprovidestheretailerwithoptionsallowingthemtomakecriticalbusinessdecisionsaroundprofitabilityorcost,whileprovidingthemtheabilitytomaintaindeliveryschedulesintheeventofafailurewithintheirsupplychain.
Thisdomainenablesefficientmanagementofwarehouseoperations.Combiningawarehousemanagementsystemwithawirelessnetwork,mobilecomputers,radiofrequencyidentification(RFID)technology,voicepickingapplications,andbarcodingcanhelpfullyextendyourenterprisetothemobileworker,whileincreasingoperationalefficienciesandenhancingyourcustomerservice.
Inomni-channelcommerce,storesareincreasinglybeingusedasfulfilment
centerstoenablepickupinstore,shipfromstore,andprocessreturnsatstores.Inadditiontotheirrolesascenterstocapturecashandcarrysales,storesareparticipatingextensivelytoenablecommerceforotherchannelssuchasonline,mobile,andcallcenters.
WarehouseInventoryManagement:Supportssystemstoreplenishstock,trackcostsofinventory,trackprofits,forecastinventory,forecastprices,forecastdemandandmore.Theprocessinteractswithsystemstotrackorders,shipping,costs,stock,andsalesandsoftwarethatmaybeusedtopredictinventorystatusandtrackmaterials.Optimizedinventorymanagementwillhelpkeepcostsincheck,maintainapropermerchandiseassortment,settargets,andmonitorprofitsefficiently.
InventoryOptimization:Optimizescapitalinvestmentconstraintsorobjectivesoveralargeassortmentofstock-keepingunits(SKUs)whilemanagingdemandandsupplyvolatility,andprovidingthecorrectproductsonshelves.
Inventory:Holdsthecompletelistofmerchandisingitemsorgoodsinstock–onhand,intransit,orreturned.
Merchandisingplanningisinvolvedinmarketingtherightmerchandiseorserviceattherightplace,attherighttime,intherightquantities,andattherightpricewiththegoalsofoptimizationofmargins,grossrevenue,orshelflife.
AssortmentManagement:Managesproductvariationsandmakesthemavailabletothecustomerinameaningfulway.Enablescustomerstoeasilyidentifyproductsbasedonfamiliarcategorieswhileshopping,helpsmerchantsworkwithdifferentcustomerprofilesfittingtheircategories,andenablesthemerchantstomaketherightdecisionsofwhatproductandassortmentstosellinaparticularchannel.
PricingManagementandOptimization:Involveswaystosetandmanagepricingandpromotionofproductandservicesbasedonpricingpolicies,strategies,goalsandobjectives.Thepricingandpromotionoptimizationallowsmerchantstosetappropriatepricepointsandpromotionstoachievegoalslikeincreasingmarket-share,maintainmarginsandprofitability,respondtocompetitivepressuresandvolatilecosts,andmaintainchannelpresence.Recentadvancementsallowcommerceproviderstoenabledynamicpricingandpromotionstoprovidepersonalizedpricingandpromotionalofferstoendcustomers.Thepricingandpromotionoptimizersalsoenablethemerchantstorun“what-if”simulationstounderstandtheimpactofcertainpricingstrategiesandtactics.
ProductPlacement:Enablesmerchantstofigureoutwhereandhowtodisplaytheproductsandservicesacrosscustomerchannelstohavemaximumpositiveimpactonsales.Theproductplacementsonthesitetremendouslyinfluencesales.MerchanttoolsshouldallowmerchantstodoA/Btestingandevaluatetheimpactofproductplacement,contentselectionwithinasiteorpartnerchanneltoachievetheirobjectives.Statisticalexperimentationtocarryoutvariousschemesandapproachesarebeingdrivenbycognitivesystemsthateasetheburdenofmanualtrialanderror.
Enablesoptimizationoftheshopper’sjourneyandimprovesthesalesandrevenueforthebusiness.Varioustypesofanalyticsareusedtoachievethis,suchasdigitalanalytics,crosschannelanalytics,socialcommerceandsentiments,andmerchandiseanalytics.CommerceAnalyticsshoulddrivethe“nextbestaction”solutiondeliveringthemostappropriateactionattherighttimeacrosschannelsmaximizingcustomerandbusinessvalue.Personalizedinteractionsareenabledbyacomprehensiveviewofcustomers,real-timepredictiveanalyticstoanticipatecustomerbehavior,preferencesandattitudes,andcross-channeldeliveryofbestactiontoaddresscustomerneedsandenhancelong-termbusinessrevenue.
DigitalAnalytics:Enablesthemonitoringofcustomerinteractionsonlinewithdifferentwebpagesincludingthetimecustomersstayonaspecificsectionorproductpageandclick-throughsforaspecificwebsite.Digitalanalyticsimprovesthecustomer’swebexperienceanddirectstheirattentiontospecificproductsorserviceswhichtheyhavelikedinpastvisits.Theuseofdigitalanalyticshelpsinrenderingadynamicofferforthecustomeronthewebsite.
CrossChannelAnalytics:Enablespredictive,cognitiveandprescriptiveanalyticsacrossallchannelsinwhichcustomersengage.Predictiveanalyticshelpstodelivertargetedcustomermessagesbyusinghistoricaldataaswellasfuturepredictionsinspecificmarketsandregions.Cognitiveandprescriptiveanalyticsarebasedonhistoricaldatatopersonalizeeachshopperinteraction.
SocialCommerce&SentimentAnalytics:Enablesthefeedingofinformationaboutspecificproductsorservicesfromsocialmediasites,suchasTwitterandFacebook,intocommerceanalytics.Forexample,duetoaweatherpatternincertainregions,specificitemsmaybeingreaterdemand.Areasexperiencingbadweathermayneedextrainventoryofgenerators,umbrellas,andemergencyfooditems.
MerchandiseAnalytics&Optimization:Ensuresthatinsightscanbedrawnfromthecustomer’sjourneyandfurtheroptimizationcanbeachievedformaintaininginventoriesandimprovingsalesandrevenues.
Thisdomainsupportscustomerexperiencesfromproductexplorationtopurchasedecisiontotransactioncompletionwithpersonalizedoffers,content,andproductpresentationsviaavarietyofcommunicationchannelsincludingtraditional,directmail,email,aswellasemergingmobileandsocialmedia.
Digitalmarketingalongwithmobileandsocialchannelshasalteredtraditionalmeansformarketingandcampaignmanagement.Understandingwhatdrivesconsumptionandshoppingbehaviorisnowkeytomaintainingandgrowingmarketshare.
MarketingResourceManagement(MRM):Supportsplanningtodeterminestrategicmarketingchannels,messages,andinitiativesandtheallocationofappropriatebudgetsandresources.Executionofmarketingactivitiesinvolvesmanagingtimelinesandcosts,aswellasinternalandexternalresourcesforimplementinginitiativesaccordingtothemarketingplan.
CampaignManagement:Enablesthepresentationofpersonalized,timelyandrelevantmarketingmessagingacrossmultiplechannelsbyusingdynamicmicro-segmentationwithricherconsumerdataandsophisticatedmarketinganalytics.Executionofanoutboundmarketingcampaigninvolves:
oDefiningandsegmentingthetargetaudience
oDefiningcontentandoffers/messagesforeachsegment
oSendingoutcommunicationsandtrackingresponses
oDefiningmeasurementstrategy(controlgroups,A/B)testing
Inaddition,locationawarenessisbecomingevenmorecriticalinaretailer’sabilitytoreachoutandpersonalizeacampaigntoitscustomers.Bycombiningtheuseofmobileappsandalsolocation-basedservices,campaignscanbepersonalizedandtheiraudiencetargetedspecificallywithcontentthatisrelevantandincontextofthecustomer’ssituation.
RealTimeRecommendations:Supportsdefiningcustomer/visitorexperiencesininteractivedigitalchannelsbydefiningrulesforpersonalizingoffer,content,andproductrecommendations.TheRealTimeRecommendationengineprovidesacentralizedmechanismforselectionandprioritizationofmarketingoffers,content,andproductsacrossinteractivedigitalchannels.Product,content,andofferrecommendationsarebasedonthecustomer’scurrentshoppinginterests,searchqueries,wisdomofthecrowd,predictivemodels,historyofthevisitor’sbehavior,anddatacapturedinthevisitor’sprofile.
Providestheabilitytoaccessdataandreplicateandsynchronizethedata.Dataservices,suchasaweatheranalyticsservice,willhelpinadjustingmerchandiseinventoryandoptimizingtransportation.Otherdataservicescanbeusedtogenerateandaggregatethereportsfromtheenterprisedataandapplicationsviabusinessperformancecomponentsintheprovidercloud.
Enablesdescribingandunderstandingthealerts,metrics,andkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)anorganizationusestomonitorday-to-daycommerceactivity,keeptrackofprogressagainstdefinedgoals,andadjustofferingsacrosscommercechannelsinresponsetomarketdemand.Tofacilitatetheoutputfrommultiplesystems,thedataisoftencombinedinsimple-to-view‘dashboard’formatstailoredforaspecificLineofBusinessorbusinessrole.CommerceAnalyticsandDataServicessupporthighlygranularandreal-timevisibilityacrossoverallcustomeractivity,aswellasthecapabilitytodrilldowntoindividualtransactions.
Theadventofdigitalchannelscombiningmultipletouchpoints,technologiesandplatforms,plusthequestforoptimalomni-channelretail,hascomplicatedthelandscapewhenitcomestoaccuratelymeasuringaretailer’sbusinessperformance.
Whiletherearemanymoreconsumertouchpointsandinteractionstomeasure,retailersstillrelyonsimple,fundamentalmetricstoprovideanaccurateviewoftheirperformance.These5areasareacommonpartofretailKPIs:
1.Numberofcustomersinastoreortraffictotheirwebsite
2.Conversionrates–ofpeoplethatcomeintoastoreorvisitawebsite,howmanyactuallypurchase
3.Averagesalesvalueofitemspurchased
4.Thesizeofashoppingbasket
5.Grossmargin
Thetransformationandconnectivitycomponentenablessecureconnectionstoenterprisesystemswiththeabilitytofilter,aggregate,modify,orreformatdataasneeded.Datatransformationisoftenrequiredwhendatadoesn’tfitenterpriseapplications.
EnterpriseSecureConnectivity:Monitorsusageandsecuresresultsasinformationistransferredtoandfromthecloudproviderservicesdomainintotheenterprisenetworktoenterpriseapplicationsandenterprisedata.
Transformations:Transformdatabetweenanalyticalsystemsandenterprisesystems.Dataisimprovedandaugmentedasitmovesthroughtheprocessingchain.
EnterpriseDataConnectivity:Enablesanalyticssystemcomponentstoconnectsecurelytoenterprisedata.
ExtractTransform&Load:HelpsinbatchdataloadfordigitalcatalogupdatesinB2B2C.
Theenterprisenetworkiswheretheon-premisessystemsandusersarelocated.
Abusinessuserormerchantwhoaccessesthecommercesolutionsonthecloudproviderplatformorenterprisenetwork.
InternalChannelRetailingsolutionsprovideaninteractiveexperiencewhetherthecustomershopsinthestore,overthephonewithCSR,orusingaweb-basedcallcenter.Notonlycanbusinessescreateanext-generationWebchannel,theycanleveragetheWebtoimproverevenuesandcustomerserviceinallchannels.
InStore:Integratestheonlinechannelwiththestore’schannel,toofferthebestofbothscenariosandpropeloverallrevenuegrowth.Retailersareworkingtodifferentiatethemselvesbydeliveringoutstandingshoppingchoicesandservicesinstores.Bydeployinginnovativepointof-salesolutions,informationalkiosks,Webtabletsandwirelesscommunications,theycangainacompetitiveadvantage.
CallCenter:Providescustomerservicerepresentatives(CSRs)withasinglepointofaccess,webbasedcallcentersolutiontoaccesscommerceinformation.Itenablesmoreinformedomnichannelinteractionswithcustomerstohelpincreasesales.
EnterpriseApplicationsarekeydatasourcesforacommercesolution.Enterpriseapplicationsleveragecloudservicesandhostlegacyapplications.Threekeycapabilitiesaredescribedhere,andthelistcanbeexpandedtoincludeotherlegacyapplications.
Finance:Supportsfinancialsystemsthatareanintegralpartoftheoveralle-Commercesystem.WhetherastandaloneapplicationoramodulewithinanEnterpriseResourcePlanningapplication,itisconnected,atminimum,topaymentprocessinganddistributedordermanagement.Assuringtimelyrecognitionofrevenueandreconciliationofaccountsandinventoryareamongthereasonsintegrationofthisbackendsystemisarequirement.
HumanResources:Supportsthecommerceworkforceincludingemployeesandcontractorsandallaspectsofhumanresourcesmanagementsuchashiring,training,safety,retaining,payroll,benefits,etc.EffectiveHRmanagementisanimportantpartofanysuccessfulorganization.
Thiscomponenthostsanumberofapplicationsthatdelivercriticalbusinesssolutionsalongwithsupportinginfrastructurelikedatastorage.Suchapplicationsarekeysourcesofdatathatcanbeextractedandintegratedwithservicesprovidedbytheanalyticscloudsolution.
ReferenceData:Masterdatainformationaboutproducts,location,supplier,customer,storeassociatesandemployees.Masterdatamanagement(MDM)providesatrustedviewofcriticalentitiestypicallystoredandpotentiallyduplicatedinsiloedapplications-customers,suppliers,partners,products,materials,accounts,etc.Sometimesmasterdatamanagementisseparatedforcustomerdatasolutionsandproductdatasolutions.Masterdatamanagementalsohelpstomatchifacustomerisanexistingornewcustomer.
TransactionalData:Thisdatadescribeshowthebusinessoperatesandincludestransactionalmasterdatasuchaspurchaseorders(POs),advanceshippingnotices(ASN),salesorders,shipments,receiptsandreturns.
Activity/BigData:Includescustomertransactionhistory,webactivity,ratingsandreview,socialchatter,marketdata,weatherandevents,andcontextuallocation.
OperationMasterData:Includesprice,promotion,inventory,cost,carrier,digitalcontentandserviceproviderinformation.Italsomaintainsthemasterdigitalproductcatalog.
Thiscomponentprovidesaccesstotheuserprofilesforboththecloudusersandtheenterpriseusers.Auserprofileprovidesaloginaccountandliststheresources(datasets,APIs,andotherservices)thattheindividualisauthorizedtoaccess.Thesecurityservicesandedgeservicesusethisdirectorytodriveaccesstotheenterprisenetwork,enterpriseservices,orenterprise-specificcloudproviderservices.
Supportsrigoroussecurityneededateachstepinthelifecycleofcommerceapplications—fromrawinputsourcestovaluableinsightstosharingofdataamongmanyusersandapplicationcomponents.Securityservicesenableidentityandaccessmanagement,protectionofdataandapplications,andactionablesecurityintelligenceacrosscloudandenterpriseenvironments.Itusesthecataloganduserdirectorytounderstandthelocationandclassificationofthedataitisprotecting.
IdentityandAccessManagement:Enablesauthenticationandauthorization(accessmanagement),aswellasprivilegedidentitymanagement.Accessmanagementensureseachuserisauthenticatedandhastherightaccesstotheenvironmenttoperformtheirtaskbasedontheirrole(thatis,customers,employees,partners,supplychains,andbusinessusers).
Capabilitiesshouldincludegranularaccesscontrol(givingusersmoreprecisionforsharingdata)andsinglesign-onfacilityacrossbigdatasourcesandrepositories,dataintegration,datatransformation,andanalyticscomponents.Privilegedidentitymanagementcapabilitiesprotect,automate,andaudittheuseofprivilegedidentitiestoensurethattheaccessrightsarebeingusedbytheproperroles,tothwartinsiderthreats,andtoimprovesecurityacrosstheextendedenterprise,includingcloudenvironments.Thiscapabilitygenerallyusesanenterpriseuserdirectory.
ApplicationandDataProtection:Servicesthatenableandsupportdataencryption,infrastructureandnetworkprotection,applicationsecurity,dataactivitymonitoring,anddatalineage.
oDataencryption:Securesthedatainterchangebetweencomponentstoachieveconfidentialityandintegritywithrobustencryptionofdataatrestaswellasdataintransit.
oInfrastructureandnetworkprotection:Supportstheabilitytomonitorthetrafficandcommunicationbetweenthedifferentnodes(likedistributedanalyticalprocessingnodes)aswellaspreventman-in-the-middle,diskoperatingsystemattacks.Thisservicealsosendsalertsaboutthepresenceofanybadactorsornodesintheenvironment.
oApplicationsecurity:Ensuressecurityispartofthedevelopment,delivery,andexecutionofapplicationcomponents,includingtoolstosecureandscanapplicationsaspartoftheapplicationdevelopmentlifecycle.Applicationsecurityidentifiesandremediessecurityvulnerabilitiesfromcomponentsthataccesscriticaldatabeforetheyaredeployedintoproduction.
oDataactivitymonitoring:Tracksallsubmittedqueriesandmaintainsanaudittrailforallqueriesrunbyajob.Thecomponentprovidesreportsonsensitivedataaccesstounderstandwhoisaccessingwhichobjectsinthedatasources.
oDatalineage:Tracestheorigin,ownership,andaccuracyofthedataandcomplementsauditlogsforcompliancerequirements.
Securityintelligence:Enablessecurityinformationeventmanagement,auditandcompliancesupportforcomprehensivevisibility,andactionableintelligencetodetectanddefendagainstthreatsthroughtheanalysisofeventsandlogs.High-riskthreatsthataredetectedcanbeintegratedintoenterpriseincidentmanagementprocesses.ThiscomponentenablesauditingcapabilitytodemonstratethattheanalyticsdeliveredbythebigdataplatformsufficientlyprotectsPersonallyIdentifiableInformation(PII)anddeliversanonymity.Italsoenablesautomatedregulatorycompliancereporting.Security/frauddetectionisanimportantpartofthepaymentprocessingstepsandiffraudisdetecteditgetsreporteddirectlytotheenterpriseforimmediateaction.
Figure3providesamoredetailedarchitecturalviewofcomponents,subcomponentsandrelationshipsforacloud-basede-Commercesolution.
Figure3:DetailedComponentsDiagram
Acustomerwantstobuynewgarmentstoattendaweddingin4-5weeks.Hesearchesforaspecificretaileronline.Theretaileroffersthemerchandiseonlineandinretailstoresinthemall.Theretaileralsomaintainsnewdesignerclothesforspecialoccasions.Figure4illustratesthee-Commerceflowofthistypicalscenarioenabledbycloudcomputing.
Figure4:FlowfortheDigitalTransformationofRetailer’sCommerce
1.Thecustomerbrowsesinformationabouttheneededgarmentusingamobilephoneasthechannel.Thecustomerfindsthatanewdesignofthegarmentwillbeavailableinacoupleofweeks.Thecustomerregistersonthewebsitetoreceiveinformationabouttheavailabilityofthenewdesign.Thecustomer’spresenceonspecificmobilepagesandpreferencesenteredaspartoftheregistrationprocesswillalsobecapturedviathecommerceanalyticsandmarketingcomponents.
2.Afterafewdays,themanufacturer/retailmerchantintroducesthenewdesignintheirproductcatalog.Theproductlaunchisdonethroughamarketingcampaignonvariouschannelsincludingane-Campaign.Theupdatede-Commercecatalogsareavailableforaccessonvariouschannels.
3.Thecustomergetsanemailfromthemerchantaboutthenewgarmentdesign.Thecustomeropenstheemailandclicksonthelinktogotothewebsitetolearnmoreabouttheproduct.Digitalexperiencecomponents,suchasdigitalmessaging,areusedtoengagethecustomer.
4.Basedonthecustomer’sprofile,threedifferentvariationsoftheproductareshownonthewebsite.Whenthecustomerappearsonthesite,marketingdynamicpreferencescanberenderedusingthecustomer’spreferences(capturedin#1and#3).
5.Thecustomerusesaspecialpromotionofferedtohimasapreferredcustomer.Thisisachievedbasedonpastpurchasesandtheordercapturecomponentofe-CommerceApplications.
6.Thecustomerplacestheirorder(paymentprocessingoccurs)usingthee-Commerce
Applications.Thespecificcustomerordercaptureinformationisforwardedtodistributedordermanagement.
7.Themerchantfulfillstheorder,shipstothecustomer,andsendsanemailtothecustomerwithtrackinginformation.Supplychainmanagementiscalledbydistributedordermanagementtofulfillthecapturedorder.
8.Themerchantalsocheckstheinventoryinordertoreplenishfromtheircontractsupplier-usingwarehousemanagement.
9.Themerchantsendsoutappropriatepurchaseorders,dropshiprequests,andservicerequests,andreceivesshipmentnotices,acknowledgements,andinvoices.Thesupplychainandlogisticsmanagementcomponentsenablethesesteps.
10.Informationobtainedfromsocialanalytics(includingasurveyfromthecustomer)suggeststhatthenewvariationoftheproductismorepopularthantheoriginal.Thecommerceanalyticssubcomponents(SocialCommerce&SentimentAnalytics)areusedforthispurpose.
11.Informationobtainedfromsocialanalyticsispassedtomerchandiseinventoryforfurtheranalyticsandoptimization.Themerchandisinggetsadjustedbasedonfeedbackfromcommerceanalyticsandwarehousemanagement.
Organizationsshoulddefinetheirowndecisioncriteriaforselectionofpublic,privateorhybridcloudcomponentsbasedonthespecificneedsoftheirbusiness.Cloudtechnologyisafastchangingspace.Astechnologiesevolve,cloudserviceproviders(CSP)willlikelyoffernewservicesandmorenegotiableSLAsthanarenowavailable.Keytoinitialdeploymentandsuccessfullysustainingaviablee-Commercesolutionisassurancethatthegovernancemechanismsforkeepinguptodatewithcloudchangesandothertechnologyandbusinesschangesareinplace.TheseincludeupdatingthedecisioncriteriaforCSPselectionandwhethercommerceworkloadsbelonginpublic,privateorhybridcloudsonaregularbasis.
TheE-CommercearchitecturedefinedinFigure2canbeappliedinmostindustries:banking,retail,manufacturing,communications,industrialproducts,etc.Thedeploymentconsiderationswillvarydependingonthematurityandinvestmentsmadebyorganizationsinexistingapplications,customerexpectations,thegoodsorservicesofferedbythemerchantandtheelasticityoravailabilityrequirementsneededtomeetpeakusageforthemerchant.Thekindsofsystemsintegratedandthepeakusagewillvaryconsiderablybetweenaconsumer-orientedselleroftoys,aB2Bsitefordrillbits,andtheonlinebookingtoolfora24x7cartowingservicesprovider.Ifnodataisavailabletodefinepeakusageorperformancerequirements–perhapsbecausethebusinessisastart-upornewtoe-Commerce–thencollectingthisinformationisessentialtolongtermviability.Includeanalyticcomponentsupfrontinthedesignasthedatacollectedwillprovideguidanceforfuturearchitecturaldecisions.
Customersecurityconcernsareuniversal.WhetheracommerceapplicationisB2CorB2B,usersneedtohaveconfidencethattheirpersonaldataandpaymentinformationisheldsecurelyandthattheirprivacyismaintained.ThecostandefforttoimplementPCIordatasecuritycomplianceframeworkswillguidedecisionsonwhatclouddeploymentandservicesmodeltoadopt.
ThesecondstepinthedeploymentconsiderationistheevaluationofexistinginvestmentsineCommerce.Thisisalsothetimetolookcloselyattheresponsivenessofthosedevelopmentpracticesandchangemanagementprocessesinplacethatsupportthee-Commercesystem.Beingabletomodifycatalogues,content,andapplicationsrapidlyisaconsumerexpectationforallbutthesmallestonlinemerchants.OrganizationsmayfindthatadoptingDevOpsisneededtomeetcustomerexpectationsgoingforward.WhentheautomationorinfrastructuretoadoptDevOpsisnotalreadyinplace,private/publiccloudservicescanfillthevoid.
Thesenewcloudcapabilitiesthenneedtobeintegratedwithexistinginvestmentsincommercerunninginthemerchant’sdatacentercreatingahybridcloud.
Oncethereisanunderstandingoftheknownandpotentialpeakusagescenariosandtheviabilityofexistingtechnologyinvestmentstosupportthedesiredfuturestate,thethirdstep,theselectionofcloudadoptionpatternsforinfrastructure,platformandsoftwareinthepublic,privateorhybridmodelcanbemade.Amongthecommoncriteriaforselectionofcloudadoptionpatternsareservicelevelagreements(SLAs)likesecurity,resiliency,scalability,theresourcesandskillsetsofpersonnel,whethertheorganizationbudgetswithapreferencetowardsOPEXorCAPEX,andtheoperationandgovernancestrategyinplace.Theseconcernsapplyequallytoallcloudservicemodels:IaaS,PaaSandSaaS.Whetherornotacommercearchitecturecomponentisavailableacrosscloudadoptionpatternsandon-premiseswillalsodictatethechoiceanduseofapublic,privateorhybridcloud.ThepapersreferencedinthisguideprovideguidanceonSLAsaswellasconsiderationsforresiliency,interoperabilityandthelike.Guidanceonhowtodefinecloudgovernanceforpublic,privateandhybridarchitectureisalsoprovided.
Onceadecisionhasbeenmadeonacloudpatternafinalreviewofallsystemintegrationpointsisessential.HarmonizingSLAs,assuringend-to-endchangenotification,andupdatingsecuritypoliciesareamongtheareasdeservingofthoughtfulanalysis.Integrationpointsarealsoapotentialareaofbottlenecks.Assurethatmiddleware,APIappliances,PaaS,servicebussesetc.arecapableofmeetingpeakusage.Continualtransactionmonitoringofintegrationpoints,frombothasecurityandperformanceperspective,ishighlydesirable.
Thearchitectofane-Commercesystemneedstomatchbusinessrequirementstotoolsandtechnologiescapableofsatisfyingcustomers,merchants,complianceentitiesandfinancialservicesproviders.Theubiquityofsocialmediaasavehicleforcriticismmeansthatanunsatisfactoryexperienceforanyoneoftheseconstituentscouldturnintoaviral,real-timepublicrelationsproblem.CloudservicessuchasSaaSandPaaSaretypicalapproachestomeetingtherequirementsofrapidupdates.Cloudelasticityandresilienceassuresunanticipatedburstsintrafficcanbesupported.Thefollowingarekeyconsiderationsforarchitectsaimingforanoptimaluserexperienceacrossalle-Commercechannels:
Designtomeetneedsforrapidchangeandupdatesincustomerfacingcomponents
Assurehighperformanceacrossallcomponents
Takecareinanalyzingsysteminterfacesanddependencies
Assurefutureinteroperabilitybychoosingopenstandards-basedcomponentswhereverpossible