Towards interoperable frameworks for e-business

E-business is not just about e-commerce or exchanging information about goods and services between companies and customers and between companies and suppliers. It is about using the Internet for the transfer of information between employees using the company's in-house systems, between branch offices, between remote users, and between business partners, customers, suppliers and the public. E-business is also about automation. It is possible to automate many in-house procedures using new sources of information. Standardization and specification of common data models and protocols are an evident need. The interoperability frameworks are needed to offer a set of services that allow systems based on different standards and specifications to interoperate with each other.