This is an outstanding book--well organized and well written, it serves as an introduction as well as review.

Highly recommended for beginners because it is very easy to understand and a brilliant introduction to e-commerce security issues. Also highly recommended for experienced users, as it provides a good overview in a concise manner.

A very good starting book to understand the security aspects of e-commence. Correct views(e.g. The auther emphasized the importantance of the security of two communication ends) and moderate knowledge.

This book is an excellent overview of the fundamental problems that need to be solved in order to build a secure internet-commerce system. It covers client-, server-, protocol-, and OS- related security holes and pitfalls. The author did a very good job of both painting the broad picture as well as giving concrete, real-world examples. I'm new to the e-commerce domain and this book did an excellent job of introducing me to the manifold pitfalls awaiting the unaware. I also very much liked how the author recommended concrete but general steps to take in order to avoid or minimize each category of vulnerability which he identified. A fascinating book on a fascinating topic.

The book does not lack interesting subjects, but most of them are not peculiar of ERP systems, and could be suitable for many other kinds of software systems. Gap analysis, costs, human resources and chains are problems people are dealing with since the first computer entered the business word. I would have liked a publication in which briefly summarized process and data issues would be referred to a proper functional, and even technological, architecture of ERP. I do need buy and read a book whose title is ERP in order to get a description of the problems whilst the book is supposed to dissert about their solutions. The latter target has been someway met, but not fully reached.

Because this is a dense read, you won't be surprised to learn that the author, Daniel E. O'Leary, is a Ph.D. If you don't have a conversational grasp of acronyms - including, but not limited to ERP, LAN, WAN, SMEs BOPSE, MAPs, SAP and BAAN - then you'll have to decode as you read. If you're actually interested in using the business resource known as "Enterprise Resource Planning," or ERP, your company should be grossing some $200 million a year, because ERP costs about $15 million to implement. While O'Leary makes a very compelling case in favor of ERP, citing integration of information infrastructure, real-time data, value creation and other wonderful attributes, this is a very expensive and risky resource to pursue. Companies such as Microsoft and Cisco had a hard time implementing it and even they have to worry about cost. We [...] warn that this is serious tech for Big Money companies. Mom and Pop operations need not apply.

This book is more suited as an executive guide for anyone who is considering ERP or evaluating ERP systems. In fact, the book appears to have been designed with busy senior management and executives in mind because it's focused, hits all of the key points and each chapter is treated as a whitepaper that ends with case studies reinforcing the topic and references. Also, the author makes excellent use of window diagrams throughout to convey information. A random example if this is in chapter 11 where the linkage between implementation approach (big bang vs. phases) is shown by impact of the extent of changes to be made to ERP modules (minimal to extensive) vs. Number of modules in implementation (few to many) and how this translates to the preferred method. This is but one of many such examples.

The book is organized into four parts: (1) introduction, (2) ERP systems and capabilities, (3) ERP life cycle (deciding, selecting, designing, post implementation and training) and (4) electronic commerce and risk.

Each section is backed with cited references and necessary facts with which to decide whether or not to opt for an ERP system, and if so, how to select the correct package. The references and citations extend into every chapter, which I liked because when the author cites a fact, such as a typical cost of an ERP implementation ... you know where that figure came from. I normally do not like discussions of specific products in general books, but given the narrow field of ERP vendors the discussion of each of the major players, their company histories and market position is appropriate for this book given the subject and audience.

I personally liked the case studies at the end of each chapter because there were specific to the chapter's topic, were drawn from real life, and were frank about the problems encountered and how they were addressed. This is a gold mine for executive management seeking to determine the true scope, cost and potential value of an ERP project. I also like how each option for implementation was thoroughly covered.

Overall, this book provides complete coverage of all of the issues and factors that need to be examined before taking the plunge into an ERP system. It will definitely allow executive management to make informed decisions, and will also prepare IT and business stakeholders for the realities of an implementation. This book will pay for itself many times over for the intended audience. It is clear, concise and factual.

"From .com to .profit" is a thought-provoking book for entrepreneurs who want to build major, Internet-based businesses or who want to understand more about the business models of larger, Internet-focused companies.

The authors discuss six "value imperatives," which they feel successful Internet companies must have in their business models. These imperatives are:

1) "Perfect Your Logistics"

2) "Cultivate Your long-term relationships"

3) "Harmonize your channels [of distribution] on behalf of the customer"

4) "Build A Power Brand"

5) "Transform Your Capital And Cost Structures"

6) "Become a value-adding intermediary"

The book devotes a chapter to each topic. One of my favorite chapters was "Perfect Your Logistics," where Earle and Keen give many examples of how companies have used the Internet to save money and significantly reduce their operating costs. The Internet allows companies to be more efficient.

Earle and Keen say that improvements in logistics will be a huge advantage of the Internet. While consumer-based Internet companies have captured the most public awareness, the biggest benefit of the Internet to businesses will be greatly increased efficiency in doing mundane things, such as ordering paper clips. Business-to-business transactions will probably create more savings and opportunities than business-to-consumer transactions.

"From .com to .profit" does an excellent job discussing business-to-business hubs and portals (web sites where businesses can come to broker supplies and services).

The book's discussions of branding, value-added intermediation, partnerships, and relationship building are also excellent.

I took off a star for some silly statements about capital structure. Earle and Keen write that the Internet has created a "capital revolution," and if a company can show a "Price/Vision" premium, investors will continue to bid up the price on the company's Internet stock. Wanna bet? The Internet has not created a "capital revolution." It has created an investment mania.

Earle and Keen go on to glibly write, "There is no correlation over the longer term between market value and any standard accounting measure of profitability. ..." Ah, can we have some evidence, please? This seems an incredibly silly remark to make without supporting evidence! Unprofitable companies over the long-term tend to disappear from the stock market. Some apparel companies do manage to limp along for decades without ever being profitable. But, such companies are hardly a good investment.

The authors observe that once you have highly-valued stock, it can be used as currency to acquire intellectual capital and other assets of real worth. This is true. And, as Earle and Keen point out, not having highly-valued shares to trade for intellectual capital is a disadvantage of privately-held companies. But, let's not legitimize funny money as a way to build a business!

Overall, "From .com to .profit" offers a lot of great insight into business models and into what separates customer-focused, successful business operations from less successful operations, making it worth a read.

Peter Hupalo, author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur"

Dot-profit provides a good review of the economics and fundamentals of electronic commmerce. This is particularly needed given the state of the market. While the book is good for understanding the sources of value and benefit found in eCommerce.

The book while strong on rational does not provide enough detail to implement. I like Peter's books so I read his other books on eCommerce. I found the eProcess Edge out at about the same time as a good refernece for building what it takes to move from dot-com to dot-profit. Reading both has given me the high level business strategy and the business operations requirements needed to act on the advice.

This solidly researched and written guide shows you how to move into the next phase of e-business operations: actually making them profitable. The authors call this era .profit (dot profit), and aside from that little gimmick, the book is refreshingly free of space-filling babble. Instead, it concentrates on the elements needed to make a profit on the Internet, and gives plenty of examples from cyberspace so you can learn from those who are already in .profit world. We from getAbstract recommend this book to anyone charged with developing business strategy.

Lets start with the good. Its broad and thorough, covering a range of topics.

If you are looking for a way to understand the basic (I underscore BASIC) economics of EC then this could be for you.

If you are in the business already, and looking to get some depth to your fundemental understanding of how to make money in EC, lets say for a business plan.. You should look somewhere else.

The book covers very elementary topics, and is not appropriate unless you are an undergraduate (e.g. what is a digital certificate, what are the economies of scale in software).

My feedback to the authors would be to take some real business models and include them as case studies. Of course since there are so few companies in the black, perhaps that would just scare off all the folks that read it from starting a business :-)

The book provides some new insights and useful models for both the student and the business person. A little superficial in some of the most exciting areas like virtual processes (process re-engineering based on electronic tools and enablers). Nonetheless, some good solid basics are to be found.

I like the Authors' ability to handle the economic implications of digital versus physical products.

I recommend this book to any one who is interested in the Digital Economy. A must read for Internet Consultants!!!

I have never been more disappointed with a book purchase. I have been a Web project manager since they were just "Web pages" and have grown with the profession to becoming a Web-based "enterprise" manager. Based on the book summary in this and other venues, including its own cover, this book promised to provide an encapsulation of the process and techniques that would help streamline my own processes and enhance my professional library. This could not have been more misguided.

The author used very few specific, real-world Web project examples, and when these were invoked, they almost always referred back to the author's company's own Web site. It would be impressive or at least appropriate had the example Web site been an "enterprise" system of applications, functionality, backend integration, usability and design; however, it was a simple site with HTML pages, which, though the book purports they are dynamically rendered from a database, may as well have been static for the flatness of the content --not customized, not personalized, not data-driven. More sincere would have been to describe the site content as contextual, but certainly not dynamic.

The word "enterprise," although overused these days, has at least kept its generic meaning of some sort of intense undertaking, or a comprehensive, integrated endeavor. So placing the word in the title of the book implies that the content will reflect that same or similar thread. I am appalled that instead, I was treated to oversimplified arguments using non-industry-standard language; the endorsement of entry-level development tools like Front Page and PageMill; less attention paid to content than to hit counters (which have no place on an Enterprise Web system); and pedantic discourses on, of all things, hyperlinks. If a reader needs to be taught that hyperlinks will generally have a different color and be underlined, and that clicking on one will load the page into your browser, replacing the page you're currently viewing, then the reader is not an enterprise-level manager, but is rather your neighbor selling beanie babies on AOL.

Furthermore, the writer is a frames apologist, which raised instant and vivid red flags on my amateur detector. The author acknowledges that there are reasons not to use them, but he pushes for them anyway; he does not say that the reasons are, namely, proven unreliability in search engines, difficulty in printing, and poor usability in terms of bookmarking, nor that frames have been considered "cheats" to creating good, simple, clean, professional code. He mistakenly asserts that download speeds are faster with frames than using single pages, though an expert knows that navigation buttons and other images are cached and reload quickly. He does not pass along for the reader's benefit the idea that though they remain supported by browsers, frames have been widely dismissed in the professional Web development world.

This review may beg the question of why I bought a book like this if I considered myself such an "expert." I maintain an office library for my clients, who often require solid documentation to support decisions that I as a manager, my designers, or my developers may make. It goes without question that when I can point to not my own but a published "expert's" educated recommendations, along with a high-profile, professional Web site to corroborate, the confidence factor for the whole project increases. (In that light, may I recommend Collaborative Web Development by Jessica Burdman, and Creating Killer Interactive Web Sites -- not the similarly titled David Siegel one, but the one by Andrew Sather, Ardith Ibanez, and Stefan Grunspan, who excelled at producing real enterprise sites before they were called that.) These types of books are absolutely valuable to beginners and experts alike.

I don't question that this book could be helpful to a newbie: there are practical guidelines to steer the poor marketing guy thrown into creating a Web page through the morass of questions and confusion and political messes in corporate settings. I think that the inexperienced person who seems to be the target for this book would be a lamb led to slaughter if the project truly were an "enterprise" system. And for the person even barely experienced enough to run an enterprise Web project, this book is not only underwhelming, but it's also misleading, elementary, and poorly supported by professional examples, all of which make it inappropriate to its cover copy, target audience, and cost.

Despite all the gloomy news about e-business, our company is jumping in and this book made it so much easier. We tried to get help from a consultant who cost us many times the cost of this book and was of practically no use at all - talked over our heads most of the time and was not able to say anything clearly even when it was perfectly simple. Skip the "experts" and try this book.

Jesse Feiler has done it again. I have read two of his prior books and was again impressed by his clarity and his special knack for formatting and presenting information - he makes it easy to understand and to apply. Having played a role in a major site launch, I wanted to fill in the holes in my knowledge in preparation for the next go round. Jesse covers all the bases. Although the book is superb for executives approaching this responsibility for the first time, it's also a valuable reference for the already initiated. Best suggestion: give copies to all of the key people in your organization - it will make them more comfortable and enhance their contribution.

Ghosh's lack of reality clearly shows that he's been in academia too long. A nice fancy, eye-catching book title to pull the reader in with little content. For practical guidance, I'd recommend one of Hanson's works on e-Commerce privacy.

In just a matter of hours, a company can literally transform itself from an Internet Luddite to a glitzy e-commerce site. But once a company moves their storefront from small-town Main Street to the often-dangerous alleyways of the Information superhighway, there is a plethora of security and privacy issues that arise. But for many companies, they will take action on those security and privacy issues only after a security breach has occurred.

Security and Privacy for E-Business provides readers with a to get the point look at the issues involved in protecting an e-business from security threats, while having to simultaneously deal with their customer's privacy issues.

As Security Management readers know, the Internet is no longer a toy for academia. Billion dollar money transfers, transmission of patient data and other critical actions take place on the Internet daily. Without an effective security infrastructure, companies will find themselves with huge liabilities.

Anup Ghosh does a good job of showing how to build security into e-commerce systems. His style is ideal for those that don't have a background in security. At a little over 200 pages, readers will find enough information to give them a good introduction without being overly technical and abstract.

One of the author's areas of expertise is with writing secure software, and this is discussed at length in Chapter 3, where the book really comes alive. Ghosh's mantra throughout the book is that when it comes to e-commerce security, it's all about the software. Ghosh speaks at length about the need for effective engineering in the software development process. He lists numerous areas in the development cycle where security can be easily compromised, and it is in those areas where companies must ensure is secure.

While the book has privacy it its title, its coverage of privacy, while not as deep as I would have liked is valuable nonetheless.

Those needing a way to defend their networks against internal and external threats will find the book to be quite beneficial.

From the author of E-commerce Security: Weak Links, Best Defenses, the first book on the topic, and now a classic--a must-read for anyone involved in e-commerce. This book is a follow-on companion to that book, and worth the read for Mr. Ghosh's clear and engaging expertise on security issues.

To read this book is a waste of time, to buy it is a waste of money. Too much of it is common sense (given that project management is to a good degree made of common sense) and not specifically adjusted to E-Business/ERP projects. The general approach is to do everything faster, but the authors forget that changing volume or quantity of work is affecting the quality too. To take one step out of a 'normal' project plan (realization) and rename it 'rapid implementation' is not enough to live up to the new (and old) challenges that come with implementing E-business and/or ERP solutions. The title of the book is misleading, as the authors are not presenting approaches that should be taken by project managers faced with such an implementation. No specific risks or solutions are laid out that come with such an implementation i.e. interface development, integrating different applications, data exchange etc. If you are an experienced project manager looking for a guidebook this book tells you nothing new, if you are an aspiring project manager this book is not providing enough.

Implementing new software into your company's core businesses processes is a painful procedure. Technically challenged readers might well find some pain in the pages of this book, but the agony is no fault of the author. The topic at hand, integrating new software applications packages with current systems, is one of the most complex and difficult challenges in all of business. We from getAbstract recommend that you take your medicine like a man (or a woman) and read this comprehensive guide to meshing new software with your old business. You are sure to benefit from its practical strategies and management techniques, as will your company.

This book covers what it takes to successfully manage a rapid implementation project for any enterprise-wide application. It does so in a structured and realistic manner that addresses risks, critical success factors and common deliverables. Project management is much more than common sense - it requires a process and skillful use of PM techniques, such as those contained in PMI's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). This is reinforced by the appalling number of IT projects that either fail or are cancelled. While this book doesn't go deeply into specific PM techniques, nor does it especially align to the PMBOK, it does provide a realistic framework. It also gives a complete list of risks and barriers to success that you'll encounter in ERP and other complex systems projects.

I especially like the way the author decomposes the systems into layers and the project approach into phases. These allow you to step back and see the big picture, and to do a better job of estimating scope, complexity and required resources before embarking on the project. The project management approach itself is solid, and is linked to critical success factors that will make or break any project. He also provides excellent advice on team management, and especially team communications and cross functions.

Managing complex projects are not easy, and this book contains no short cuts. It does show you how to plan and control a rapid implementation project for any enterprise system, and if the advice and general approach provided in this book is heeded and followed your chances for success will be dramatically improved. Just don't let anyone who thinks it's a matter of plain common sense anywhere near the project because you'll find the project to be just another statistic in the boneyard of failed IT projects.

Too many typos mar the information in this book, making me wonder how accurate the information actually IS---and that is if you can find points in the book where the author is willing to take a stand and give his opinion. I'm an experienced eBay seller with over 1500 transactions to date and was expecting some nitty gritty to help me expand and grow my business. Instead I was faced with "try it and see" at every turn....the author seems a bit shy of giving concrete information and instead takes the easy way out. There are far better eBay books on the market...The Dummies series is a great place to start.

I have a large collection of 1930 - 1960 kids' toys and games I want to liquidate. Sinclair's book not only provides the ABC's of selling on eBay, but it shows you the potential business problems and how to navigate (and research) your way around them. This book is a great tutorial for applying important business principles and common sense to a new (for me) marketplace. Selling these collectables, and making good money, on eBay may not be as easy as I once thought, but Sinclair's book is a broad-reaching consultative resource to help me get it done faster, safer, and more profitably.

As the owner of a bookkeeping/computer programming company in a remote area of Texas I have many clients who have a problem disposing of excess inventory, marketing their products, or finding needed items at a reasonable cost.

While I have been aware of Ebay for sometime, I never really thought it could benefit me or my clients. Sinclair's book is an eye-opener.

I see how excess invntory can be sold, and Texas Hill Country crafts can be made available to a huge market at a very low cost. I also see how many necessary items can be purchased at prices well below those in this area. When you are 125 miles from the nearest large city your market is small, and your choices are few. Ebay changes the market dynamics for us.

After reading ebay Business the Smart Way, I have been looking at Ebay in a different light, and I am working with several clients developing marketing plans using Ebay.

There is no doubt that Peter is a genius and a unique thinker in the digital age. However, this book requires some huge leaps of faith as it is based on unsubstantiated assumptions.
One also has to question Peters credentials for writing this book - what is his relevant hands on experience? He is an academic, a great thinker, but with little experience.
A great book if you are the sort of person who can ask why and question the assumptions, as you will be capable of sifting the dross from the gems (which are there!)
To summarise, if you want your ideas deeply challenged, and want to discover new outlooks on the new economy, this is a great book. If you want to actually create a viable business, be prepared to take a leap of faith.

I found this book disappointing and self regarding. Although promising to look at the 'new world', set aside from 'bricks and mortar', without concrete examples of his strategy, it remains wistful thinking. Connections and collaboration are fine - up to a point. When real money is involved one has to be much more certain of the pedigree of one's collaborators. I for one need a great deal more convincing.Until he has a successful business built upon his ideals, they remain ideals and should be regarded as fodder not fact.

This is one of the better books I have read on e-Business and Entrepreneurship. Two of the previous reviews lament the lack of practical ideas. However, the author states that this is not a "how-to" book, but a book on ideas. If your purpose is to find specific strategies and to be walked through the implementation, then you will be disappointed. If you are looking for new ways to think about business in order to create your own ideas, then the book will serve its purpose.

Some key take aways were the concepts of growing solutions, cooperative game theory(which is validated in Coopetition), communication strategy and new venture probability. I am using the concept of growing solutions via listserves and virtual teams to create a strategy for a deregulated electric utility. In trying to start my own company, I have been stumped on how to get started. The author addresses this problem by using the Hilbert Space/Green Frog concept to get started, which is half the battle in itself. It's been said that the definition of an entrepreneur is a person who brings together resources. This book discusses ways to do this utilizing the Internet.

The book is not without it's drawbacks. The reading tends to get bogged down as you get into the latter half of the book, though the author summarizes everything in the last chapter. Some of the explanations do get academic(Hilbert Space and Game Theory). Finally, better examples and cases would have been nice.

Overall, the ideas sparked by this book was worth the price and the 5 star rating.

I thought this book is on investing on stocks in the internet. It is not. It is mostly a theoritical book talking about "internet stocks". It was not even clear to me what he meant by the internet stocks. I am sorry to rate it as single star. I am returning this book because it does not serve my purpose.

There is a new type of stock on the market, the Internet stock, which are unlike any other type of stock. You need new evaluation methods and analytical techniques to evaluate their potential and risk. In his book, the author gives you ideas on how to analyze Internet stocks.

After a few spectacular boom-and-bust cycles it has become clear to most sensible observers that Internet stocks are real, and will be an essential part of the economy in the future, but also that many highly-touted stocks are terrible investments. The old accounting rules and valuation theories don't apply, but the new rules don't work any better. Companies founded and backed by people who were yesterday's success stories end up tomorrow's disasters. Other companies that break all the rules hit it big. Finally there is a book that offers every investor practical guidance on how to separate winners from losers. This isn't one of those play-it-safe books that tells you to look for companies so perfect you'll never find one; Professor Newton understands that you are buying Internet stocks to win big, and therefore have to take the chance of losing big. But this is also a book that takes risk seriously, and steers the reader away from the insubstantial stocks without sound business models. The book assumes nothing but some common sense, yet teaches an investment discipline that is every bit as professional as you will find anywhere on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley.