LINKS
IN THIS SECTION
- Introduction
- Customer/Partner
Communication
and Management Systems
- Payment Processing
Services
- Certification and
Security Services
RELATED
SECTIONS
-
Taxation
of Offshore E-commerce
- Regulation
of Offshore E-commerce
- Offshore
Professional and Financial Services
-
Offshore E-commerce Applications
If your company
is thinking of offshore e-commerce then it is
highly likely that your internet site and/or
payment processing will be hosted in an IOFC
(International Offshore Financial Centre). By
and large, the most developed hosting facilities
in offshore jurisdictions are offered by the
incumbent telecommunications supplier(s). Until
recently, this was often a monopoly (for example
Cable and Wireless in many Caribbean jurisdictions)
but there are now increasing numbers of competing
suppliers in most jurisdictions. However, in
locations in which competition is absent or
limited, telecoms costs can be high.
Internet service
provision is not usually subject to monopoly
restrictions, and in many jurisdictions a number
of small, local ISPs have sprung up. They can
provide usually only limited (or expensive)
international connectivity, because they are
dependent on the local telecoms operator for
long-distance connections.
Choice of ISP
or host is evidently a vitally important part
of setting up offshore, since the ISP will be
the sole link between your company and your
clients. A number of important points need to
be checked:
Good
connectivity – this means
that the ISP or host should have stable connections
with a telecoms provider, using high quality
equipment with spare bandwidth available. Ideally,
back-up connections via a secondary telecom
provider offer the best guarantee of 100% availability
for your site. As noted above, this will be
unachievable where there is a monopoly telecommunications
provider.
Secure
facilities – your business
data will be stored at some stage on equipment
at an ISP's facilities; if you are using co-location
with a hosting service your own equipment, whether
real or virtual, will be vulnerable along with
the data itself. The host or ISP's premises,
equipment and systems must therefore be secure.
Qualified
personnel – the equipment
and systems needed to provide ISP and hosting
services are complex and require maintenance,
not to mention ongoing development to stay abreast
of Internet techniques; the ISP's staff must
have the necessary skills, which may be in short
supply in an IOFC.
Scalability
– the expanding nature of
e-commerce means that your site will probably
grow; at least, you hope so. Your ISP or hosting
partner should have room for growth in terms
of physical space, equipment capacity and funding.
Jurisdictions
vary in their suitability as locations for e-commerce
operations; for further assistance with choosing
a suitable jurisdiction please see the Location
section in E-commerce Jurisdictions.
OFFSHORE
E-COMMERCE FACILITIES
- Introduction
- A quick overview of the tools, solutions and
facilities needed by companies locating e-commerce
or e-business operations in an offshore jurisdiction.
- Customer/Partner
Communication and Management Systems - The
front-end systems you will need to communicate
with your customers or trading partners including
sales and exchange tools.
- Payment Processing
Services - How to offer efficient payment
processing world-wide from an offshore jurisdiction.
- Certification and
Security Services - Supporting e-commerce
and e-business services with certification and
security facilities from an offshore jurisdiction.
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