E-business
The process of conducting business on the Internet.
E-commerce
An electronic transaction is the sale or purchase of goods or services, whether between businesses, households, individuals, governments, and other public or private organizations, conducted over computer-mediated networks. The good and services are ordered over those networks, but the payment and the ultimate delivery of the good or service may be conducted on or off-line.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
This is an accepted standard format for the exchange of data between various companies' networks. EDI allows for the transfer of e-mail as well as orders, invoices and other files from one company to another.
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
A method of moving money from one account to another via computer. Withdrawing funds from your account using an automatic teller machine is a good example, as is paying bills using Quicken software on a PC.
E-Mail
The use of software that allows the posting of messages (text, audio or video) over a network. E-mail may be used on a LAN, a WAN or the Internet. E-mail can be used to send a message to a single recipient or may be broadcast to a large group of people at once.
Encryption
Encoding data so that only desired recipients can decode it.
Encryption software
Software that a business organization shares, such as ERP (enterprise resource planning) software.
Encryption/decryption
The process of using an algorithm to translate a message into an unreadable format (encryption) and then back into a readable format by someone with a secret key (decryption).
Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE)
A version of the Global System for Mobile Communication Standard (GSM) that carries messages on broadband networks.
Ethernet (networking)
The standard format on which local area network equipment works. Abiding by Ethernet standards allows equipment from various manufacturers to work together.
Expert system
A system programmed to use logic or rules to answer questions and solve problems.
Extensible markup language (XML)
An authoring language with which organizations design the appearance of and relationship between data. XML may eventually replace HTML as the standard Web language. HTML (hypertext markup language) is one of the building blocks of websites that tells browsers how data should be laid out onscreen. XML goes one step further, telling systems how information should be rendered and, more important, specifying exactly what kind of information it is. It is through XML, for example, that a system can recognize a string of numbers and text as an invoice or a set of computer-aided design images as elements in a parts catalog. With those built-in smarts, applications can share information more easily. And XML is considered highly extensible because developers can tailor the language to their unique data interchange needs.
Extranet
A network of controlled-access Web resources that are available only to specific users, such as customers or trading partners.
eWork
Any work which is carried out away from an establishment and managed from that establishment using information technology and a telecommunications link for receipt or delivery of the work.
