No longer is it necessary to have
armies of salespeople, massive market-
ing efforts and large facilities. Online,
small retailers can compete with the
big retailers. And in the realm of e-
business, small manufacturers and sup-
pliers can compete with the largest in
reaching both potential customers and
vendors.
Stern illustrates his point with the
Internet-based company Covisent,
through which all of the major auto
companies connect with original
equipment manufactures and inde-
pendent suppliers, small and large,
from around the world.

Remote Access

There are applications for business-to-
business Internet commerce in the
service sector as well as manufacturing.
One major insurance company has
developed an Internet portal that
allows its 4,000 agents to log on to the
site in front of customers and display
the variety of benefit plans and calcu-
late costs.
• Long distance communications —
Until recently, the special equipment
and leased phone lines needed to con-
nect a business over long distances was
an expensive proposition. Not to men-
tion the problem of security — valu-
able company data being transmitted
over unsecure phone lines.
Now, remote access is affordable and
secure, even to small companies. New
technologies, including easier-to-
obtain broadband data services, soft-
ware that lets remote workers access
centrally hosted applications, multi-
functional access devices and enhanced
security technologies make it simple
for owners and employees to access
their company's system and work from
home or out-of-town.
In fact, working from home has
become so common, those who do it
have their own name now — telecom-
muters.
The opportunities to use the new
technology for better management,
more efficient use of time, access to
bigger and more diverse markets, bet-
ter customer service and greater pro-
ductivity are available to every busi-
ness, no matter what the size.
Effective use of these technologies
isn't a matter of hardware or software,
according to Stern. "It's a matter of
knowledge, understanding."

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