Course: ACTSEC01 Unit III Unit

Paper: E-Commerce Unit III

UNIT III: TECHNOLOGY FOR ONLINE-BUSINESS

INTRODUCTION
Information Technology (IT) is a term that includes all forms of technology used to create, store,
exchange, and use information in its various forms. Hence, we can say that IT refers to the creation,
gathering, processing, storage and delivery of information and the processes and devices that make all this
possible.

IT Infrastructure
An organization’s information technology infrastructure is the base or foundation for the delivery of
information to support the organization’s programmes and management. The infrastructure contains
elements upon which an organization’s IT activities are dependent.

Elements of IT Infrastructure
1. Application System: The applications that an organization adopts to achieve personal productivity
and programme support benefits.
2. Architecture: The guidelines or blueprint that an organization follows in designing, acquiring and
implementing IT solutions.
3. Communication: Local Area and Wide Area Network components including linkage with other
organization.
4. Equipment: An organization’s hardware platforms and components.
5. Facilities: Electrical, ventilation, physical security, fire suppression, wiring etc. to support
organisation’s IT Infrastructure.
6. Funding: Current and projected funding for IT.
7. Partnerships: Relationships with other public and private organization that support the organization
to use IT.
8. People: An organization’s technical staff, executive groups and other human resources.
9. Plans: Detailed designs or methods for aligning IT activities with organization’s business strategies
and accomplishing business objectives.
10. Policies: Rules, conventions and protocols adopted by the organisation.
11. Processes and Procedures: They define steps for planning, approving, acquiring, developing,
operating, maintaining, enhancing and using IT.
12. Service Definitions: The types of services provided, accepted service levels and service delivery
timeframe established for organisation’s IT support organisation.
13. Software: Operating system, utility, communication, user interface and management control
software.
14. Re-engineering the Business Process: This will result in increasing efficiencies, reduction in turn-
around time, improvements in quality and customer services.
15. Contacts and Inter-organization Agreement: The process of aligning oranisation plans for, and
uses of, IT with the organisation’s business strategy.

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 Course: ACTSEC01 Unit III Unit
Paper: E-Commerce Unit III

Characteristics of IT Infrastructure
The desirable characteristics of IT Infrastructure are:
i) Efficient support for the exchange of information within the organisation and with other
organisations.
ii) Reliable availability of information processing capabilities whenever and wherever they are needed.
iii) Preservation of the integrity and confidentiality of information maintained by the organisation.
iv) Sufficient flexibility to allow the timely and efficient addition of new information management
capabilities and modifications of established capabilities.
v) Consistency with a coherent set of technical and managerial standards for the employment of
information technology.

MIDDLEWARE

Introduction
Middleware is computer software that connects software components or some people and their
applications. The software consists of a set of services that allows multiple processes running on one or
more machines to interact. This technology evolved to provide for interoperability in support of the move
to coherent distributed architectures, which are most often used to support and simplify complex
distributed applications. It includes web servers, application servers, and similar tools that support
application development and delivery. Middleware is especially integral to modern information
technology based on XML, SOAP, Web services, and service‐oriented architecture.
Middleware sits "in the middle" between application software that may be working on different
operating systems. It is similar to the middle layer of a three‐tier single system architecture, except that it
is stretched across multiple systems or applications. Examples include EAI software, telecommunications
software, transaction monitors, and messaging‐and‐queueing software.
In simulation technology, middleware is generally used in the context of the high level architecture
(HLA) that applies to many distributed simulations. It is a layer of software that lies between the
application code and the run‐time infrastructure. Middleware generally consists of a library of functions,
and enables a number of applications—simulations or federates in HLA terminology—to page these
functions from the common library rather than re‐create them for each application.

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 Course: ACTSEC01 Unit III Unit
Paper: E-Commerce Unit III

Middleware refers to a software which is required to facilitate client server interaction. It is a software
that is placed between two or more types of software and translates information between them. It can
cover broad spectrum of software and is generally placed between an application and operating system or
a DBMS (Database Management System). Examples of middleware include TCP/IP, Http, etc.

Web Browser Database Server

Server Application

Middleware

World Wide
Web
Middleware

Web-Browser
Client Application

Definition of Middleware
ObjectWeb defines middleware as: "The software layer that lies between the operating system and
applications on each side of a distributed computing system in a network."
Middleware is computer software that connects software components or applications. The software
consists of a set of services that allows multiple processes running on one or more machines to interact.
This technology evolved to provide for interoperability in support of the move to coherent distributed
architectures, which are most often used to support and simplify complex, distributed applications.
It includes web servers, application servers, and similar tools that support application development
and delivery. Middleware is especially integral to modern information technology based on XML, SOAP,
Web services, and service‐oriented architecture.

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 Course: ACTSEC01 Unit III Unit
Paper: E-Commerce Unit III

How does Middleware work?

Today, businesses rely on a lot of network applications, which involve enterprise and database
systems. These network applications need to perform many different functions, such as updating orders,
messaging customers, facilitating payments, allowing customers to track shipments, and so on. All these
functions require real-time transfer of data between different devices. In addition, different devices with
varying processing power, bandwidth capacities, and screen and visual display capabilities need the
network. Middleware steps in to provide a unified means for all these systems to communicate and
interact with each other.
To do this, a lot of middleware is cross-language, which means that it is capable of understanding and
processing several different operating languages, such as Ruby on Rails, Java, C++, PHP, and so on.
Apart from allowing communication between fundamentally different systems, middleware also
performs several other functions.

Choosing a Middleware
With the increase in popularity of the Internet and E-commerce, middleware has become important in
the development of web-based applications. Middleware is employed to enable the seamless integration
of the applications with the various types of databases. In choosing the types of middleware,
consideration must be given to a number of factors including the type of application being developed, the
need for security, quality of service, etc.
The ideal middleware should mass out the difference in network protocols, operating system,
platforms and programming languages, in addition to the quality attributes such as performance,
reliability, safety, security and real time (e.g. live shows shown on television).

Uses of Middleware
i) Transaction Management: Middleware can be used to manage and control individual transactions
and ensure that any problems do not corrupt the system database.
ii) Application Server: Middleware can be used to host an API, allowing other applications to access
and use the main application’s business logic and processes.
iii) Security: Middleware can be used to authenticate client programmes and confirm that the programme
and the user behind the programme are actually who they claim to be.
iv) Message Queues: Middleware can be used to pass messages between different systems or software.
The message can then trigger a transaction or other action.
v) Directory: Middleware can be used as a directory, enabling client programmes to locate other
services within a distributed enterprise.
vi) Web Server: Middleware can also accept client requests from web browsers and channel them to the
main server/database and then deliver the responses to the browsers.

Middleware Services/Types of Middleware

(i) Remote Data Access (RDA): It provides SQL (Structured Query Language) access to DBMS.
(ii) Remote Procedure Calls (RPC): It provides invocation of remote procedures (server-based).

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 Course: ACTSEC01 Unit III Unit
Paper: E-Commerce Unit III

(iii) Message Oriented Middleware: It provides store and forward message between application
programmes.
(iv) Object Request Brokers (ORB): It provides invocation of remote objects (server-based by simply
sending a message to it).
(v) Distributed Transaction Processing: It provides invocation of remote transaction.
(vi) Game Engine Software: Are described as middleware because they provide many services to
simplifying game development.
(vii) In Simulation Technology: Middleware is generally used and applied to many simulation
programmes.
(viii)Multimedia Home Platform: It is an open middleware system for interactive digital television.
(ix) Universal Home Application Programming Interface: It is a middleware for consumer electronic
appliances.
(x) The Miles Sound System: Provides a middleware software driver allowing developers to build
software for sound cards.
(xi) Television, Media and Set-top Box Software: Are referred to as middleware.
(xii) Radio Frequency Identification Software: Is a middleware to filter noisy data.
(xiii)QNX Operating System: Offers middleware for providing multimedia services for use in
automobiles, aircraft, etc.

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