B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

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authentication capability that can process purchases of electrical
power worth millions of dollars. OASIS is a blueprint for commercial,
public-key infrastructure-based electronic commerce.
Source: Condensed from cyberguard-ecom.se-com.com white paper
10.11. Conclusion
B2Bi involves significant security risks, as it involves the use of the
Internet for conducting business. Anonymity, a key characteristic of
B2B e-commerce, also adds a lot to the uncertainty of online B2B
transactions. Security breaches in this environment can cause severe
losses and damages to the reputation of the parties involved. For example,
a security hack, such as denial-of-service (DOS — incapacitating
Web servers by flooding them with nuisance traffic) attacks on any
major B2B exchange can virtually cripple the whole industry and lead
to millions and millions of real dollar losses to corporations, apart from
destroying the credibility of the company running that exchange. As a
matter of fact, the economic damage caused by e-security breaches,
such as hacker attacks, viruses, denial of service attacks and unauthorized
access, exceeds $15 billion annually.
E-security in lieu of B2Bi is not just using a secure connection
provided by SSL or placing a corporate firewall in place. It requires a
whole revamping of enterprise-wide security policies and solutions. The
revamped security solution has to help companies better leverage their
existing infrastructure, be cost-effective and reduce security breach
risks with each dollar spent.
Organizations that offer all the financial services over the Internet
and provide both the technological and operational infrastructure for
secured B2B transactions will thrive in the future.