The Internet for Business Alex Khassin am.net, division of AM Computers

The Big Questions: u What’s in it for you? u How do you go about “getting onto the Net”? u What does that mean, anyway?

Introduction to the Internet u Internet is a worldwide network of computers and computer networks u TCP/IP is the binding protocol (language) of the Internet u Servers (Hosts) u Clients (Browsers)

What Can the Internet Do for My Company? u A leading-edge corporate image u Improved service for current customers u Increased visibility u Market expansion u On-line transactions u Global information distribution at extremely low costs

u Lowest common denominator u 50-million users worldwide! u All programs can: u Create and send electronic messages u Retrieve and read incoming messages u Reply to, save and print messages u Forward messages to other users

, continued u Mailboxes are stored on a mail server connected to the Internet 24-hours a day u Your computer does not have to be on. You just check your mailbox as often as you want u Your looks like: u or

, Advanced Services u Auto-responders u One-to-many mailing list u An unmoderated list server u Moderated List server

Newsgroups u Tens of thousands of newsgroups u Unknown anonymous, non-trackable audience u Messages are NOT delivered into your mailbox. They just wait to be read on a news server u Threads u Newsgroup Address looks like: u comp.sys.mac.misc or u alt.sex.discuss

Newsgroups’ business uses u Prospecting and retaining customers u Market research u Crisis control and prevention u Building relationships u Publicity u Developing an expert image

World Wide Web u Multimedia + Hyperlinks = Hypermedia u Graphical, easy-to-use -- Surfing u Web site is a collection of Web pages u Home page is the front page of a Web site u Uniform Resource Locator (URL): u u Static sites vs. Dynamic sites linked to corporate databases

What Can a Web Site Do for My Company? u Provide an information system for employees, customers and affiliates u Allow access to on-line product documentation u Publish electronic journals and periodicals u Showcase all types of artistic works u Sell products and services on-line u Conduct market research & collect customer data

What Else Can a Web Site Do? u “Virtual” showroom u Deliver your product instantly right on the Internet (for software and information) u Take orders from customers online u Track shoppers and purchasing trends

Internet Business Benefits u Target a defined customer group with precision and develop continuing dialogue u Transact business electronically and at a lower costs u Communicate directly with end-users or direct them to the nearest dealer u Act quickly by adding products and changing selling propositions at a moment’s notice

Business Benefits, continued u Track the sales interaction, steps and results. u Keep an eye on the competition. u Create responsive dialogue with customers. u Distribute software and information products quickly through and file transfers.

Internet Cuts Costs u Deliver your product literature with no printing costs and no space constraints u Provide new product release information in a timely manner at low cost u Obtain direct feedback about your products and services, to prevent litigation and improve product/service design

Cost Cutting, continued u Streamline your procurement procedures u Shrink product development cycles u Conduct inter-company and intra-company collaborative engineering

How Do You Get Started? u Levels of involvement: u Access to the Internet but not presence on the Internet (i.e. no Web site) u A Web site but no access at the office u Both a Web site and access to the Internet

Presence on the Internet u Have your own Web Server located on your company’s premises u Have your own dedicated (for your Web site only) Web Server “co-located” on an Internet Service Provider’s premises u Have your Web site “hosted” by an Internet Presence Provider u Virtual Web Server Hosting

Access to the Internet u Levels of Access: u Having no or extremely limited access u Having access to the Internet on only one or very few computers in your office u Having your internal network be part of the Internet -- every computer has access to the Internet u Routers, gateways, firewalls

Access, continued u Links to the Internet: u Dial-up (part-time) u Dedicated (full-time) u Required for in-house Web Server u ISDN (10 times faster then a modem) u Frame Relay (variable speed from 10 times to 100 times faster then a modem (T1) )

Who Do You Go to for Internet Services? u Commercial Online Services u America Online, CompuServe, Microsoft Network, Prodigy u Internet Service Providers (ISPs) u Internet Access Providers (IAP) u Internet Presence Providers (IPP) u Web Designers, Internet Programmers, etc. u An Internet Services Company

am.net - an Internet Services Company am.net can assist you in any and all aspects of the Internet. Through partnerships with the leading experts in their respective fields, we have gathered under one roof a one- stop source of Internet solutions. We can consult you on the best Internet (and Intranet) strategies for your company, connect your company (with however many locations) to the Internet, design and host your Web site, or integrate a Web server into your in-house computing infrastructure, and develop and implement an Internet marketing strategy for your company.

Copyright 1997 by am.net am.net, a division of AM Computers The Internet Services Company 1040-B N. Dutton Ave. Santa Rosa, CA (707)