The Internet Revolution
The explosive growth of the Internet is a revolutionary phenomenon in computing and telecommunications. The Internet has become the largest and most important network of networks today and has evolved into a global information superhighway. The Internet does not have a central computer system or telecommunications centre. There are 13 root servers that are used to handle the bulk of the routing of traffic from on computer to another.
Internet Service Providers
Nobody owns the Internet. An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet to individuals and organizations.
Internet Applications
The most popular internet applications are e-mail, instant messaging, browsing the sites on the World Wide Web, and participating in newsgroups and chat rooms.
Business Use of the Internet
Business use of the internet has expanded from an electronic information exchange to a broad platform for strategic business applications.
The Business Value of the Internet
Most companies are building e-business and e-commerce Web sites to achieve six major business values:
- Generate new revenue from online sales.
- Reduce transaction costs through online sales and customer support.
- Attract new customers via Web marketing and advertising and online sales.
- Increase the loyalty of existing customers via improved Web customer service and support.
- Develop new Web-based markets and distribution channels for existing products.
- Develop new information-based products accessible on the Web.
