IBM yesterday announced new Web hosting services for electronic storefronts.
For a $3,500 startup fee, IBM will convert paper catalogues into electronic ones for the Web. A $3,500 monthly fee buys a dedicated NT- or Unix-based Web server maintained round-the-clock in IBM data facilities, various payment-processing options, and integration with the merchant's backend customer databases.
"This is a low-cost way to get started with electronic commerce," said Nancy Faigen, vice president of IBM's global Web solutions division, adding the service will be available beginning March 9th in both the U.S. and internationally.
Each customer's electronic commerce Web server will reside on a dedicated NT or Unix machine as a security precaution.
IBM will also provide a payment-transaction service and encrypt orders, sending it on to the merchant for fulfilment.
IBM will also take care of start-up problems, such as registering domain names with the InterNIC and firewall configuration.
IBM will also be expanding on the Web into the "events management business" with the capability to offer streaming audio and video for corporations that want to use the Web to grab attention at one-time events
IBM: (914)642-5447.
