IBM's WebSphere Commerce Suite Version 5.1

IBM's WebSphere Commerce Suite Version 5.1

When companies decide to take their business online or simply increase their current web presence, they usually want two things—speed and efficiency. It can take quite a bit of time and expertise to build an online store from scratch and many companies simply don't have the necessary resources. That's where e-commerce software comes in. There are now a number of software packages available that make building and maintaining an online store quick and easy.

One such software package is IBM's WebSphere? Commerce Suite Version 5.1. The suite is based on the WebSphere software platform for e-business, which offers security, scalability, and reliability. The software is written entirely in Java?, allowing for a customizable environment for the development of online stores. The internationalization features allow companies to create stores based on different languages and cultures.

Components

WebSphere Commerce Suite Version 5.1 offers the same main components as earlier versions with some enhanced features.

WebSphere Commerce Server
One of the key components is WebSphere Commerce Server, which provides the functionality that makes the online store work. Tools such as the store services, the loader package, and the system administration console allow users to create, customize, and maintain their stores and catalogs, as well as perform configuration tasks.

The commerce server also offers subsystems for managing catalog, member, negotiation, and order information. Through these features, users can search catalogs, perform member registration and authentication, make products available for auction, and process orders.

The messaging services available in the commerce server allow order notification through e-mail or SMTP server. The common server runtime feature supplies the framework in which the commerce applications are deployed and executed.

WebSphere Application Server
The basis of a company's e-commerce site, the application server uses Java technology to provide flexibility, portability, and extensibility. Servlets, Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs), and Java Server Pages (JSPs) are used to provide increased functionality in your online store, including request and response services over the Web, multi-tiered functionality for applications, and dynamic web page content.

Other components
Commerce Suite also includes a web server (IBM? HTTP Server is shipped with the suite but Lotus? Domino? and Netscape? iPlanet are also supported), a database (IBM DB2? is shipped but Oracle8i? is supported), a payment server (WebSphere Payment Manager Version 2.2), and bundled software to complement each company's basic components.

New features

Global e-commerce support
This version of the WebSphere Commerce Suite includes support for a number of languages and currencies. This allows companies to display their online store in different languages, perform transactions in currencies other than US dollars while taking into account multiple taxation laws, and adjust content based on cultural preferences. Such features are seen as an important addition to the suite, as e-commerce attracts customers from all over the world.

WebSphere Commerce Suite Accelerator
Attracting customers is only a first step, but the Commerce Suite has features that enable companies to better serve their customers. The Commerce Suite Accelerator helps a company's marketers design personalized, targeted promotions to enhance customer loyalty. This feature of the commerce suite allows merchandisers to use customer information to offer products that particular customers have an interest in.

Wireless access
Customers with wireless devices can access a company's web site at any time from anywhere through the Commerce Suite's enhanced mobile commerce features. The wireless features in version 5.1 include notification messages, and automatic content selection. These are tailored to each type of device, whether it's a cell phone or a PDA.

The WebSphere Commerce Suite Version 5.1 is available for Microsoft? Windows NT?, with support for the Windows? 2000, IBM AIX?, and Sun? Solaris? operating systems available by the end of March 2001.

For more information, please see the IBM WebSphere Commerce Suite page at http://www.ibm.com/software/websphere/commerce.