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PA e-Comm News MAY 3

Basically Useless Information – Who were the characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street named after? (Answer later)

The Klez.H computer virus is using multiple vectors to spread and now sits atop the threat lists of many security companies. Symantec has received more than 9,000 infection reports in two days while former virus list-topper SirCam spurred about 1,500 submissions per day when it was spreading last year. Klez.H is referred to as a blended threat, combining a computer virus with hacking techniques designed both to infect users and to spread through various ways: the traditional e-mail vector using an attachment; an old Microsoft Outlook vulnerability that allows the worm to activate even if the user has not clicked on anything; and network-shared drives, which allows it to reinfect users. Cisco Systems has warned users that this virus is using its Product Security Incident Response Team's e-mail address to fool users into opening the mail.

Instant messaging can help e-commerce sites capture potential sales, but cost, service and technological hurdles must be cleared first. A recent Gartner report indicated that live, instant help could help e-tailers address the problem when shoppers avoid an online purchase just before hitting the pay-now button because they are unable to get an immediate answer to a simple question. This is not a problem shoppers are used to facing in the bricks and mortar shopping world.

Home products retailer Williams-Sonoma has launched an application to more closely target catalog customers as part of their CRM initiative. This is expected to reduce costs associated with catalogs. The system will build 100 to 120 different models to match the right catalog to the right customer. Staples has found that, regardless of which channel customers purchased through, multichannel customers were more profitable than their counterparts. So, Staples has begun adding marketing strategies to encourage customers to shop through different channels and hopes to actually change their shopping behavior.

Although credit cards remain the predominant mode of payment in e-commerce, other online transaction methods have entered the market. Some, like Flooz, which attempted to emulate online currency, did not fare well. But another type of transaction system, in which a company serves as an intermediary between buyers and sellers to ensure that goods are paid for and received, has done much better. This is called mediated payment service and is particularly successful at online auction sites, where thousands of buyers and sellers come together daily. The clear winner in serving this market has been PayPal. As eBay's customer base has grown at a rate of 20 to 30 % a year, PayPal has steadily built its own following and now boasts more than 15 million users. 

To build better trust in such systems, online payment companies may need to set up an end-to-end verification system in which financial institutions confirm the identities and business status of buyers and sellers or set up escrow services in which buyers and sellers could place funds pending resolution of disputes. But these services still cannot approach credit cards -- which offer built-in fraud protection, limits on liability in cases of theft and overall consumer familiarity. 

Cendant, a real estate and travel company, has announced it will invest $40 million in a marketing blitz to promote its Trip.com site. Ramada Inn, Days Inn, Howard Johnson, the RCI time-share network and Avis are members of the group. Trip.com hopes to distinguish itself by focusing on personalization since each traveler has different needs. The site will feature 24/7 telephone support and unpublished discounted rates on hotels and airfare. Last year, Cendant purchased Cheap Tickets and Galileo. Overall, travel sites have been among the best performers in terms of Web traffic in recent months according to Nielsen//NetRatings.

AWS Convergence Technologies, a Maryland company that provides weather data and analysis to energy companies and television stations through a network of weather centers that are run out of schools, has developed a software program called OnTarget. Its purpose is to help public schools track the use of technology in their schools and help identify exactly where money needs to be spent.

Companies continue to list cost as a secondary concern to comprehensive coverage when it comes to wireless service according to a recent Gartner survey. The survey ranked AT&T Wireless in the top spot when it comes to network coverage followed by Cingular, Verizon Wireless and Sprint PCS.

ANSWER: Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver from the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

TECHNOLOGY PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The following is a listing of recently published technology procurement opportunities with various governmental entities. We hope our readers take the opportunity to investigate these postings and increase their business:

GSA - Federal Technology Service (FTS)
Information Technology Service (10TR)
70 -- ERP Automated Data Collection
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/GSA/FTS/10TR/SD0430/listing.html

NASA - George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
Procurement Office
70--REFLECTIVE MEMORY BOARD
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/NASA/GMSFC/POVA/8-1-2-E1-D8055/listing.html

NASA - Langley Research Center
Office of Procurement
70--COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN SOFTWARE SYSTEM
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/NASA/LaRC/OPDC20220/1-011-RBG.1229A/listing.html

USAF - United States Air Force Europe
423rd Operational Contracting Flt
70 -- EMAIL SYSTEM PROTECTION SOFTWARE AND ANNUAL MAINTENANCE
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/USAFE/423OCF/
Reference-Number-FFJACB21120200/listing.html

FEMA - Office of Financial Management
MWEAC Satellite Procurement Office
70 -- Various computer equipment
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/FEMA/OFM/MWEAC/Reference-Number-W317370Y/listing.html

DISA - Acquisition Directorate
DITCO-Scott
D--INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INCLUDING COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/DISA/D4AD/DITCO/VARIOUS-30-Apr-2002/listing.html

USDA - Office of Procurement and Property Management
Procurement Operations Division
D -- Time Perfect PC Software/Services
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/USDA/OPPM/POD/029E10000/listing.html

VA - Mountain Home VAMC
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
60 -- Telecommunications Equipment
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/VA/MHVAMC621/MHVAMC621/621-02-5967/listing.html

HHS - Program Support Center
Supply Service Center
70--ELITESERIES SOFTWARE LICENSE RENEWAL
Synopsis
http://www.eps.gov/spg/HHS/PSC/SSC/284-R-02-0001/listing.htm

Source: www.eps.gov. For direct assistance, contact your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center at www.PaPTACs.com

E-COMMERCE CONFERENCE BEING OFFERED IN MONROEVILLE

LATROBE, PA – A seminar for businesses seeking to implement e-business strategies into their daily operations will be held on Tuesday, May 14, 2002 at the Holiday Inn, Monroeville. The seminar, titled Beyond Bricks and Mortar, will include several presentations from experts in e-Commerce issues, covering such areas as Marketing on the Internet, Managing IT Resources, Legal and Security Issues of E-Commerce, and Technical Issues of E-Commerce.

While the event is open to anyone who has questions about or is interested in implementing e-commerce processes into a business, those encouraged to attend include Public and Private Sector CIOs, CSOs, MIS Managers, IT Security Staff, IT Security Auditors, and individuals responsible for protecting an organizations IT assets. Participants will learn about the technical issues to be addressed when creating an on-line business presence; marketing strategies to promote your company's products and services; legal and security issues as they apply to operations, employees and customers; and managing IT resources - how to augment internal IT operations with the services of outside consultants.

Beyond Bricks and Mortar is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers, PENNTAP, the Pennsylvania e-Commerce Association, Keystone Development Center, and Rhoads & Sinon LLP. The fee for the event is $35, which includes continental breakfast and lunch. To register or to obtain more information about the event, please contact the Saint Vincent College Small Business Development Center at 724-537-4572.

The seminar is also being presented on May 7 at Temple University Fort Washington, 

401 Commerce Drive, Fort Washington, PA 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Contact is Dianne 

Pearce at 215-204-3856. e-mail is dpearce@temple.edu Cost is also $35 per person.

NEWS & NOTES is a service of the PA e-Commerce Association. Please forward this e-mail to anyone else who might be interested in the content or in learning more about the Association. Remember to visit our website @  www.paecomm.org or call 717-238-9366.

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