B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

B2B to P2P Evolution 479
geographically dispersed locations. In crux, it enables one to build a
system that can encompass multiple organizations, architectures, operating
systems and physical locations.
16.4. Benefits of P2P-Based Applications in
B2B Integration
All enterprises — small, medium and large — can effectively use P2P
applications for several B2B related tasks. For instance, buyers can use
P2P networks to search and find suppliers, products, etc.; suppliers can
easily distribute their catalog information, complete a B2B transaction
with their trading partners and use P2P for effective customer relationship
management. Cycle sharing, collaboration, knowledge management and
secondary e-commerce are some of the distinct benefits of P2P
Benefits and applications of P2P in B2B include:
16.4.1. Collaboration
P2P applications enable internal and external product design and
development groups to communicate, share data and work transparently,
over the Internet or behind the firewall. Clients always have access to
fresh data, which can be stored locally, thereby reducing the network
traffic. P2P-based collaborative environments are very flexible as there
is no need of a central server, any device can act as a peer, and they can
be disassembled as soon as the group goal is achieved.
For instance, Ford will use peer-to-peer technology as a way to
produce more fuel-efficient cars. It plans to connect design teams
located in multiple sites that are using different operating systems and
applications, which will save them between $5 million to $15 million
per vehicle design program.
16.4.2. Enhanced performance
B2B integration requires real-time exchange of data in the form of
messages among the participating companies. P2P-based applications
distribute the resources and computation over the network, thereby
reducing the distances (less latency) for messages and data to travel. In