Transformation into connected economy has increased e-business opportunities and has contributed to the growth of B2B e-business. Customers, in particular, are pushing companies to deliver services in real-time. The extended supply and value chains are necessitating the need for real-time collaboration by linking systems across related enterprises. These trends are giving rise to a new business environment with a new model for success. E-Business systems allow organizations to carry extended businesses virtually with greater agility and seamless collaboration in real-time.

In the light of connected economy, many business models and practices have emerged resulting in increased business scope and distributed nature in todayís environment. This trend has called for inducing the ability to support a seamless ëvirtual enterpriseí that has become a critical factor for success. Above and beyond, capabilities such as agility, innovation and optimization have arisen as cornerstones for enterprises to excel, today and tomorrow. To transform into such Next Generation Enterprise (NGE), businesses should innovate and optimize all dimensionsóproduct, process and service, as well as enhance their efficiency and competitiveness.

Indeed, e-business depends on technology, but until very recently the ìbusinessî side of e-business has got less attention than the highly visible technology that has fascinated normally contemptuous business people. Hence, for achieving e-business agility and optimization, it entails transforming into a process-managed and assetmanaged enterprise, while incorporating the best-of-the-breed capabilities that support broad functional coverage and service enhancements. As innovation is no longer just an in-house activity, crafting a real-time collaborative e-business environment that unlocks the knowledge and the capacities of suppliers, trading partners and customers is becoming vital in fostering innovation.

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