Microsoft .NET Server Solutions for the Enterprise

Shopper-Centric Security

From the shopper's perspective, there are only a few ways in which security is typically thought. The most visible of these is the password creation when registering on a Web site, and the need to enter a password when returning to that site later.

A less visible security-related feature in retail Web sites concerns the security of private information while it is being transmitted over the Internet. More sophisticated shoppers know by looking at the URLs which ones are secure. URLs beginning with https:// are secure and those beginning with http:// are not. Less experienced users need to be able to find a page with an understandable explanation.

A third security issue that can be of direct concern to shoppers relates to whether their credit card numbers are stored by the Web site in between purchases, and if so, whether or not it is sufficiently secure.

There are other security issues related to retail Web site management that are not of direct concern to shoppers. Generally, this has to do with enforcing the division of the labor related to Web site management into distinct roles, and is discussed later in the chapter.

The next three sub-sections discuss the support provided by Commerce Server for shopper security in each of the three types of functionality: user interfaces, Web sites, and objects.