What We Will Need to Get Started

One of the ways in which the Internet is said to have revolutionized the world of business is that it has lowered the barriers of entry．In cyberspace we can open up a shop without paying rent for premises．We can put our company's name in front of a global audience without spending a penny on advertising．We can even link with other businesses to create，in effect，a worldwide sales team at no extra cost．However，while property，advertising and sales staff may be optional extras，there are some things we really cannot be without in the e-Business era．First and foremost，we will need a computer．

A computer

Although the Internet is now available via phones and the TV as well as the desktop computer，a computer is still essential if we plan to do business online．The Mac/PC debate is not really that important any more．The main issue we need to consider is that of the computer power．We will need a speedy computer with a lot of memory or，more specifically，random access memory(RAM)．The more RAM a computer has，the better，as it will mean our computer will be able to work more quickly，support more software and crash less often than one with less RAM．Ideally，we should have a computer with at least 128 Mb of RAM．

A modem

We will need a modem to connect our computer to a phone line，and therefore the Internet．Increasingly，computers come equipped with internal modems，although we can still buy external ones．Essentially，most modems do the same job—the only way to tell them apart is in terms of transfer speed．This is how quickly data can be transferred into audio files and other formats．This speed is measured in kilobytes of information per second(Kbps)．For business purposes，our modem should run at a minimum of 56 Kbps．

The word“modem”comes from combining modulate/demodulate，which means the technical process of connection to the Internet．

A browser

A browser is the most essential piece of Internet software as it allows us to browse through Internet pages and download useful information．Without it，our computer will not be able to display Web pages．

In addition，browsers include significant extras，such as e-mail and newsreader programs．Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are the most popular browsers available，and one of them is likely to come free with our computer or via our ISP．

A high-speed connection

A fast Internet connection is essential if we are going to set our e-Business efforts off on the right track．The arrival en masse of broadband and asymmetric digital subscriber line(ADSL)technology now means that speedy and powerful Internet access has become affordable for even the smallest of businesses．

Here are the tow main high-speed options．

●ISDNS　tanding for Integrated Services Digital Network，ISDN is available from BT and most other telephone companies．ISDN is，in effect，an extra powerful phone line that can be used for faster Internet access．It also means we can make a phone call and surf the Web simultaneously，using the same line．

●ADSL　Like ISDN，ADSL uses an upgraded phone line．However，ADSL appeared much more recently than ISDN and is potentially much more powerful．This is because an ADSL line is asymmetric，which means it focuses more on data received by our computer(graphics，video，audio，software and so on) than data we send(such as e-mail and browser commands)．This uneven upload/download balance means that downloaded images appear much more quickly and also that audio-visual elements received are of a much better quality．As Net users both at home and the office tend to download more than they upload，the deliberately asymmetric nature of ADSL means there are fewer problems(more information on ADSL connections can be found at the ADSL forum on the Web at www.dslforum.org，Figure 1)．

Figure 1:www.dslforum.org

Practical Task

Now that you are ready to surf on the Internet，have a good time on the WWW．