Instituting an eBusiness strategy in your company (whether to sell directly to consumers or deal electronically with your vendors and VARs) takes a considerable amount of planning. From budgetary requirements to resource allocation to brand management, there are a number of considerations that need to be addressed.

We don't propose that we have all the answers for every issue. What we do have, though, is an understanding of the issues related to how you are going to securely transmit business data between your parties.

To help you plan the "secure electronic communication" component of your eBusiness strategy, we have provided a downloadable "eBusiness Planning Form" to help you track decisions, estimate cost, and select a solution to meet your overall needs. Some of the topics covered in this form include

• Network Design
• Security Requirements
• Cost Estimation