Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Management issues.
Although the Internet is a huge, global network, it is managed at
the local level; no centralized governing body controls the Internet. Preventing attacks is
always an important management issue. Increasingly, states are proposing legislation to
help collect sales tax from Internet sales.
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Service and speed issues.
The growth in Internet traffic continues to be significant.
Traffic volume on company intranets is growing even faster than the Internet. Companies
setting up an Internet or intranet Web site often underestimate the amount of computing
power and communications capacity they need to serve all the “hits” (requests for pages)
they get from Web cruisers.
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Privacy, fraud, security, and unauthorized Internet sites.
As use of the Internet grows,
privacy, fraud, and security issues become even more important. People and companies
are reluctant to embrace the Internet unless these issues are successfully addressed.
Unauthorized and unwanted Internet sites are also problems some companies face. A
competitor or an unhappy employee can create an Internet site with an address similar
to a company's. When someone searches for information about the company, he or she
might find an unauthorized site instead. While the business use of the Web has soared,
online scams have put the brakes on some Internet commerce. Many Internet users have
cut back on their Internet shopping and banking because of potential Internet scams and
concerns about privacy and identity theft. In a business setting, the Web can also be a
distraction to doing productive work. Although many businesses block certain Web sites
at work, others monitor Internet usage. Workers have been fired for inappropriate or
personal use of the Internet while on the job.
