The internet is transforming society and business. The current wave of this technology revolution, called web 2.0, followed the initial wave (web 1.0) that collapsed with the dot com boom and bust.
Today, ‘always on’ pervasive broadband is making access to the internet easy enough for it no longer to be considered ‘technology’ but a part of the fabric of modern living, like telephone and television. The key advantages of using the internet can be summed up as ‘always on and everywhere’, reachable from mobile devices, laptops, to desktop machines.
The web is increasingly important for business. A measure of how business has turned to this medium is revealed by the latest advertising expenditure figures from PricewaterhouseCooper. They show that, for the first time, online advertising in the UK has passed that of national newspapers, at GBP2 billion in 2006. Furthermore, the web is almost the equal to TV in holding on to peoples’ time, making it the place to reach out to new and existing consumers. This business activity is just one indication of why the web is important for business.
Innovations in modern browsers allowed vendors to build the first rich web applications (RWAs); applications that could split the application logic between presentation logic that runs on the client-side and business logic and data models that run on the server-side. The rich web application user interface (UI) is as rich as in desktop applications, and runs in the browser using a combination of languages.
One approach uses asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax). All modern browsers support JavaScript and this means that, with Ajax, all that is necessary to run the application is a small JavaScript rendering engine that is downloaded and held in memory while the application is running.
Today, additional technologies compete with Ajax to provide a similar concept of desktop-like behavior, but with superior multimedia capabilities: browser plug-ins such as Adobe Flash Player, and the recent entrant to the market, Microsoft Silverlight. In addition RWA solutions are also possible with the Java platform and with Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.
Businesses need to devise a web strategy and the question of using RWA, as well as experimenting with web 2.0 concepts, needs to be part of the consideration process. The implications of RWA for business are multi-fold and can be summarized as follows:
* Internal use of RWA for providing the presentation layer to SOA.
* Internal use of RWA for providing the presentation layer in composite applications, such as mixing web services and other data sources, including enterprise applications and legacy systems.
* Helping re-engineer business processes for rapid reaction to business opportunities.
* Moving application development from siloed, departmental activity, to a web-based one with greater potential for re-use. For example, an internal software-as-a-service model.
* New security risks related to RWA that need addressing.
The drivers behind consumer-led web 2.0 are also relevant to businesses. These concepts are being transferred to what is called ‘enterprise web 2.0.’ The distinguishing features of web 2.0 compared with the first wave of web development include:
* Multimedia content in contrast with document-centric HTML.
* Facilities for users to upload as well as download; for example, the growth of Flickr, Friends Reunited, MySpace, Wikipedia, and YouTube are all due to user-added content.
* The internet becomes the ‘platform’ with mashups that combine web services to create new applications, for example Bikely mashes Google maps to help plan bicycle routes, and Zillow mashes maps and real estate information.
* Applications are no longer constrained by HTML and single channel response/request, with RIA a second channel can be used to work in the background, managing data more efficiently between client and server, while the user interacts with the UI.
* Web 2.0 allows a web strategy to go beyond simply exploiting reach, now web services and web applications can be used in unforeseen ways leading to emergent value.
The move within enterprises to SOA and internal web services creates opportunities for intranet mashups, exploiting re-use to good effect and allowing business power users to rapidly respond to business opportunities. With enterprise web 2.0 power, users can transform and re-combine internal business processes in new ways.
Most businesses today have some presence online, such as a company website, but the potential with RWA and web 2.0 suggests that, if your organization has not yet considered these developments, then it should.
