What Is an E-Business Suite?

Managing information processes within a business is essential for ongoing growth and development. The demands of an ever-changing business environment require a company to adapt its operational structure accordingly. E-business suite applications are designed to provide a solutions-based framework based on company data and business objectives. Its integration of business unit functions promotes an efficient and coordinated work-flow process.

Identification

An E-business suite works as a virtual base of operations. Its job is to integrate a company's data and technology with strategic objectives and operational structure. It's a software application made up of integrative modules--customer relations management, human resources, finance, supply chain management--that work together to meet a company's identified business objective. This framework addresses the needs of a changing marketplace where businesses must integrate their operations, systems and customer relations management, both online and off.

Effects

E-business suites are based on a relational database structure. Data input is organized in clusters, or categories, of related information. An example of this would be product information. The types of clusters derived from product data could be price, customer demographics, dates of purchase and shipping information. Information is presented in table format. Accessing the information in the database requires the user to use a query-based language that is similar to SQL. This makes it possible to retrieve different types of information related to a product, system or process within a company's day-to-day operations.

Function

Through a cross-functional integration of business units, E-business suites work to connect applications, data, hardware platforms and operating systems. The system provides back-end user operation that allows a company to customize the suite according to its operational and business needs. As a result, operational objectives and customer relationship management work together in a coordinated fashion.

Back-end user accessibility can be made available to developers, managers and analysts to provide a multi-tiered bank of information. Integrative modules coordinate this information stream and provide an efficient system for meeting a company's objectives.

Features

An E-business suite is designed to provide solutions-based approaches by defining a company's functions in terms of categories of operation, some of which include manufacturing, marketing, order management, customer data management, financials and supply chain management. Business-to business modules can also be incorporated within the system's framework.

Human resource management modules work to analyze detailed employee data that can be applied towards a company's workforce planning objectives. As businesses begin to incorporate the E-commerce marketplace into their operational plans, web application modules can be integrated as a solutions-based addition to the framework.

Significance

As the global business environment expands onto the Internet marketplace, E-business suite applications have made this transition a little smoother. These applications work to assimilate online data clusters within existing supply chain functions, marketing analysis and customer relations management. The solutions-based nature of the application makes it an effective tool for developing and maintaining business-to-business alliances within the global marketplace.

Resources

• Ebusiness Suite Applications - Vendor Listing
• Ebusiness Suite Integration Tutorial