B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

288 B2B Integration — A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce
10.1. Internet Security (E-Security) Critical
for B2Bi
The Internet has revolutionized the ways in which companies do business.
B2B e-commerce is undeniably efficient, inexpensive and flexible. However,
it is vulnerable to a range of security risks. As B2B e-commerce
becomes more widespread, security tends to be critical in achieving
seamless communications between trading partners. It is not just a
requirement, but in fact the foundation on which B2Bi will be built.
Information recorded electronically and available on networked
computers is more risk-prone than if the same information is printed on
paper and locked in a filing cabinet. Intruders do not need to be
physically present at that location and may not even be in the same
country or continent. They can silently steal or tamper with electronic
files and hide evidence of their unauthorized activity.
A recent study on Internet Security, conducted by the Datamonitor
Group, has found that companies have a very low awareness of the
need for e-security. Over 50 per cent of businesses spend 5% or less of
their IT budget on security technology, with just a mere 10% spending
over 20% of their IT budget on security. So, the fact is that many
companies will experience a major loss due to lax security.
Neglecting adequate security measures in B2Bi applications, which
exposes a company's network to customers and partners, may land a
company in hot water. In a B2Bi environment, even simple mistakes
could lead to leakage of data that no trading partner would ever
tolerate. Consider a scenario where a mistake or wrong configuration
in a company's systems causes confidential pricing agreements or
customized catalog data sent by a supplier to leak out. The supplier's
other customers may cry foul, ending their business relationships with
the supplier altogether. The erring company may have to bear the
liability and make up the difference in sales.
Thus, a company participating in B2Bi has to convince its trading
partners that it can be trusted with their data. It has to continuously
detect, correct and eliminate risks to mission-critical B2B systems and
data. In fact, security and privacy controls are becoming mandatory
before access to participation in huge B2Bi implementations.