Introduction

By now you have learned how to design an e-commerce Web presence and what policies you will need to protect it. You also should have an understanding of what managing an e-commerce site will entail and what are the basic roles of your security staff.

This chapter explains how to create the actual infrastructure to build, manage, and maintain your site. Depending on your business idea and the logistics involved, your actual implementation may vary slightly from the designs included here, but the basic concepts remain the same. Whether your site is a basic implementation or a more advanced system with all the bells and whistles, maintaining the security of your clients and your business should be a basic principle.

We explore the process of grouping your systems together in common areas as defined by their requirements for security. These groupings or security zones will be regulated by the control systems (such as firewalls and routers) that you deploy in your site. They will also be monitored against attack by intrusion detection systems (IDSs) and other tools deployed within your environment.

Constant management and monitoring of any site is essential. There are no plug-and-forget solutions or magic silver bullets. In e-commerce, staying alert and keeping knowledgeable about events happening around you will help to ensure your success.

Lastly, this chapter covers some options and considerations for outsourcing your site to a partner at this stage of the project. We will examine how to select the right partner and...