An e-Business's Web site is only as effective as the software that powers it. Yet, companies that know precisely what they would like to do from a business standpoint are often bewildered by the maze of software products, categories and jargon that surround the selection process. The key to success in selecting software is to understand the software market landscape, as well as the specific needs of your business.

	Until recently, many high-end e-Business sites were custom-built, in order to meet unique needs and/or provide functionality not available elsewhere.

Overview of Software Market
Until recently, many high-end e-Business sites were custom-built, in order to meet unique needs and/or provide functionality not available elsewhere. However, software and applications vendors have made significant advances and now offer more complete "off-the-shelf" solutions, including software components, and standards-based extensions. These advances allow Web commerce sites to assemble a selection of best-of-breed applications coupled with selected custom development.

There are two main classifications of software solutions: packaged and customized. Keeping this simple distinction in mind will help in selecting products.

Packaged Software. Web commerce applications typically target a few parts of a complete Web commerce system, such as a storefront that consists of a catalog, an ordering mechanism, and a payment method. These packaged systems reduce programming and development time and enable less-technical individuals to get an e-Business site up and running. Packaged systems provide the basic components and out-of-the-box business logic, and they can be used immediately (with some configuration) to perform useful "turnkey" Web commerce functions, although these functions may not exactly match the requirements of the business.

Customized Software. Commerce software solutions and associated toolkits are intended for e-Business sites that require a great deal of customization and flexibility. They provide base-level services such as session management as well as application programming interfaces (APIs) and a framework for building the modules that e-Commerce applications require (or for plugging in third-party software components such as personalization, merchandising or electronic data interchange capabilities). Although they are powerful, extensible, scalable and full-featured, commerce solutions require sophisticated programmers to implement their capabilities.

Key Questions to Ask
Firms should consider the following questions as they decide what software to purchase:

• Business Goals. What is to be accomplished from a business perspective? What business processes are being conducted? What is the value proposition for each of the parties involved?
• Custom vs. Packaged Software. What are the functional and technical requirements of the software now and in the future? What are the technical skills of the staff?
• Use of ASPs. What are the budgetary constraints? Will the software solutions need frequent updates? What are the internal resources and technical skills? Is it more advantageous to develop internal resources or outsource them?
• IT Interface. What are the existing systems, internal and external, that must be interfaced with (e.g., ERP applications, both internally and externally; belonging to our business partners)? Should the integration be purely technical-connecting APIs and exchanging data-or more process-oriented? Answering this question will affect technology selection, as there are vendors who specialize in business-to-business integration, process automation, and enterprise application integration.
• Vendor Capabilities. What market does the vendor have experience in? Are they trying to sell into an area that is not their primary competency? Does their product provide room for growth and scalability? What kind of support is provided? Will the vendor still exist in five years?
• Technology Standards. How does the vendor technology fit in with current standards for e?Business development and deployment? Is it built on an open architectural framework that will provide future flexibility?
• Pricing. What is the pricing model? Are there revenue and risk sharing options for financing?

	When selecting software, it is helpful to leverage as many sources of information as possible including practical experience, vendor demonstrations, customer ratings, and analyst reports.

When selecting software, it is helpful to leverage as many sources of information as possible including practical experience, vendor demonstrations, customer ratings, and analyst reports. Most important, a firm must understand its business objectives and planned e-Business architecture in order to make the appropriate selection.