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B2B is one of the buzzwords you'll hear at any technology conference. Business to business connectivity is one more way that technology has changed the way rural businesses stay competitive. But with more information changing hands electronically, security is at the top of everyone's list of concerns.
Anytime you have a gathering of business people talking about doing business on the Internet, the conversation turns to security. But according to Steve Boland of Minnesota Technology, Incorporated, businesses should not let their fear hold them back from doing business on the Internet.
"There is no such thing as an absolutely secure web presence anywhere," said Boland. "Nor is there the absolutely secure filing cabinet or the absolutely secure safety deposit box. There are ways to get into business information and you need to take sensible precautions about that."
For companies taking their first step in electronic commerce, it's hard to trust a new technology. But more and more, Boland says online is where the customers are, especially in the business to business marketplace. However, he recognizes that online B2B marketing is in its infancy. "We're at the beginning of all of this stuff, business to business, government to consumer," he admits. "This is one of the things we talk about when we get in front of businesses is that the Internet as a commercial entity after all, has only been around since1995. This is not something that's been around a long time and has been well tested, and that everybody's familiar with"
So how can businesses make sure transactions on the web are safe? According to USBank senior vice president Chris Pieroth, even fortune 500 businesses with sophisticated online ordering systems are relying on an old standard - credit cards. "The simplest, quickest, most efficient way to conduct business over the net in a consumer environment is with a credit card."
Despite horror stories about hackers, online buying is very secure. According to Pieroth, USBank has never had a single customer whose credit card number was stolen during an online purchase. "From our perspective," he said, "the encryption software that's out there today to facilitate transactions to date has been very reliable."
With online shopping on the rise, it's clear that rural businesses will have to take the plunge into e-commerce if they want to stay competitive. Boland says it's a matter of taking sensible precautions. "One of the things we have to mention to small and medium sized players is you can't let fear paralyze you … you have to realize what's a reasonable amount of security for the business information because I think that's the most important thing we can do is just be aware of what the options are."
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