Net Ready by Amir Hartman

Description

It is hard to open a newspaper or listen to a news report without being innundated with information about Internet business. The opportunites are endless, but the realities are harsh. One of the most brutal is that few companies, regardless of size or reputation, have truly succeeded in e-commerce. A rare exception to this is CISCO Systems. This volume shows business managers how to exploit the potential of the Internet based upon CISCO System's strategic approach.

Editorial Review

Is your business ready for the Net? Amir Hartman and John Sifonis say it better be, and they aren't just talking about a snazzy corporate Web site when they ask that question in Net Ready. Instead, the two managing directors at Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group are referring to “seamless interactivity” organization-wide, the recognition that manipulating customers is no longer easy–nor, for that matter, desirable–and other realities and requirements in the still-evolving commercial climate they've dubbed the “E-conomy.” Their book's opening section offers real-world trends and scenarios as a “framework to which emerging network-based businesses can map themselves,” along with a “Net Readiness Scorecard” to measure preparedness in the core areas of leadership, governance, competencies, and technology. The second explores “using the Net to exploit new opportunities” by transforming products and markets, business processes, and entire industries. (They show, for example, how AOL reconceived itself from ISP to media company, how Ford connected with suppliers online, and how Schwab countered competitors by redefining the cyberbrokerage.) The third examines how everything comes together at Cisco Systems, and summarizes lessons learned–in 11 guiding principles. This is a serious book for those serious about doing business in the 21st century. –Howard Rothman