E-commerce Glossary - I

IANA

Acronym for Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Was responsible for the orderly assignment of Internet numbers established under Dr. Jon Postal and the National Science Foundation. Replaced by a non-profit Corporation ICANN for the management of the Internet through the use of domain names independent of Internet based technology.

IAP

Acronym for Internet Access Provider. Provides access to the Internet via cable, DSL, or phone.

ICANN

The acronym for Internet Corporation for Assigned of Names and Numbers established to replace IANA as per Executive order. Suffers from a difficult strategy at managing the Internet using Top Level Domains.

ICS (Internet Commerce Services)

The services an Internet e-commerce provider offers to enable clients to handle business on the Internet.

IETF

Acronym for Internet Engineering Task Force responsible for scientific research processes in development of the Internet. IETF Worked in conjunction with IANA, NSF, ISO, W3C, and others.

Index

A means of managing information. Not currently addressed in Internet function and use so human being could use the Internet more effectively nor used in managing site navigation.

Infomediary

An infomediary is an online resources that collates data from a variety of sources and acts as a middleman between those distributing the information and people who want the information.

Information Superhighway

Term used by Al Gore and Bill Clinton to describe the Internet during their 1996 Presidential Election campaign leading to the premature use of the URL with the WWW without an effective plan in its management and use for the proper development of the Internet's commercial structure.

Interchange

A standard format for sharing or transferring data electronically between parties that do not share a common application. Usually a format that is platform-independent is agreed upon as a standard. Examples of common interchange formats include EDI (electronic data interchange), ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange), and GIF (graphics interchange format).

Internet

A worldwide network of computers.

Internet Commerce

A broad term covering all commercial transactional activities on the Internet. Internet e-commerce can range from vendors selling software from a Web storefront (Web site) to large corporate procurement systems using an Internet-based VPN (virtual private network) to deal with trading partners. Internet commerce is not synonymous with e-commerce, which covers all electronic commercial activities.

Internet Failure

The failure of a site to meet its expected objectives. Currently a rising statistic due to the poor navigational capabilities on the Internet. The Great Dot Com Failure, The Domino Affect, etc. are the more noted examples.

InterNic

A former Internet authority. Formerly NIC.

Intranet

Private network using the same protocols as the public Internet for internal use by the staff of a single company or enterprise.

IP Address (Internet Protocol Address)

A designation for a particular location on the Internet, such as "140.23.719.6." IP addresses are associated with domain names.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat)

A system that enables Internet users to talk with each other in real time over the Internet rather than in person.

ISO (independent service organization)

A firm or organization that offers to process online credit card transactions, usually in exchange for transaction fees or a percentage of sales. Merchants must generally establish a merchant account before contracting for ISO services, although some ISOs claim not to require separate merchant accounts. See also factoring.

ISO 9000

A set of standards for electrical and electronic products, formulated by the International Standards Organization. Product quality standards in most nations must either meet or exceed ISO 9000 standards.

ISP (Internet service provider)

A firm that provides access to the Internet, including Web browsing and e-mail and sometimes e-commerce. ISPs often offer connections that can be accessed by dialing a telephone number through your computer's modem.

Issuing bank

The bank that maintains the consumer's credit card account and must pay out to the merchant's account in a credit card purchase. The issuing bank then bills the customer for the debt.

Itanium

A 64 Bit processor produced by Intel that will become available for PCs bring the majority of the computer technology to a stabilization period.

IVL (individual validated license)

Written declaration by the U.S. Department of Commerce granting permission to export specified products to a specified foreign recipient. See also general license.