I
know you have noticed it as well. The term e-commerce has almost
gone underground. No longer shouted from the roof-tops or mountain
peaks but rather whispered between sips of strong coffee. Why
has this happened? Did we get it all wrong? The answer is yes
and no.
E-commerce is more relevant today than it ever
was and has the potential to deliver true benefits. The reason
for the whispering lies in caution. An over-excited economy
with a new concept got very much ahead of itself, got promised
the world and failed to deliver. The reason is simple. The location
of e-commerce in the business pyramid is near the top. This
means it needs several layers, including foundations and other
infrastructure to make it work. In the excited rush the fundamentals
were just left behind….
Not so in the lending market. Here we have an
example of a market that recognised the vision but identified
the need to first invest in the fundamentals. LIXI was formed
as part of the e-commerce vision. The lending market has invested
three productive years in defining application and processing
standards whilst rallying support from all the peripheral businesses
such as solicitors, valuers, insurers and so on.
Where are we now? Well, we are ready to take the
next step. We have the foundations in place – and still
working on them – but we need other components. Components
such as identification certificates and a communications framework.
In this way, we can identify and trust each other when communicating
our business data using the LIXI standards.
This is why LIXI will devote a good part of its
efforts this year to investigate initiatives such as Bizdex
that will provide a communications solution to interested parties.
From submitting loan applications to receiving online valuations,
Bizdex provides all the components necessary to get closer to
e-commerce. More information about how Bizdex is simplifying
the B2B landscape is available on their website www.bizdex.com.au.
We will keep you updated with progress in these pages and look
forward to your involvement in the various projects we will
commence in 2004.
I
know you have noticed it as well. The term e-commerce has almost
gone underground. No longer shouted from the roof-tops or mountain
peaks but rather whispered between sips of strong coffee. Why
has this happened? Did we get it all wrong? The answer is yes
and no.
