Certain software tools vendors would want you to think that you can pop a successful e-Commerce website out of a box. Perhaps, but more likely you would not feel comfortable with the results. We have said for many years "Visual (RAD) tools can automate simple development, simply. World class projects require a great deal of technical effort in the trenches".

E-Commerce is seriously complicated.

Let us take a moment to look at the components, considerations and options that are part of a secured, interactive website development.

• Website and web application objectives.
• The business case, and business logic required of the design.
• The administrative process and interfaces to maintain and review the site transactions.
• The hardware environment.
• The operating systems involved: Microsoft NT, Unix, etc.
• The web servers required of the project.
• The application servers required to create the application.
• Choice of database to backend the data storage - is it scalable?
• Backup procedures and equipment, media.
• Contingency with backup for site failure - Downtime is lost revenue.
• Security requirements.
• Security procedures.
• Security policies.
• Use of a firewall.
• Use of a secured site certificate (SSL).
• Configuration of the security system (firewall, operating system, etc.)
• Security audit procedures.
• Physical security of server, access to website, database, etc.
• Choice of Merchant Services processing software.
• Relationship with Bank for credit card approvals and Merchant Services.
• Accounting, fulfillment, customer service and other administrative interfaces to e-Commerce application.
• Traffic analysis software and analysis functional requirements.
• Site maintainability and maintenance procedures.
• Website documentation.
• Personnel organization to maintain site.
• Look and feel requirements of the website.
• Navigation requirements of the website.
• Graphics requirements for the site (merchandise photos, line drawings, ornaments, navigational objects, etc.
• Written content of the site.
• Page layout templates.
• Server-side application programming.
• Client-side application programming.
• Database design.
• Database creation.
• Database data population.
• Management reviews.
• Design reviews.
• Testing.
• User, Maintenance, and administrative procedures documentation.
• Search engine registration.
• Website advertising.
• Website marketing & promotional plan.
• The resource and budget to complete all of the components listed above.