e-Business Risk Management Issues

E-business is an electronic form of business conducted over the Internet. This business model has increased in popularity as technology has advanced with smaller and better forms of computer equipment. Many businesses started today conduct operations solely via the Internet, and may never open a traditional brick and mortar storefront. Although e-businesses may be easy to start and require little upfront cash, they are still subject to the normal risks of any businesses.

1. Systematic Risk

Systematic risk is the risk a company faces from the entire market or market segment in which it operates. A classic example of systematic risk in the e-business market is the dotcom crash of 2000 and 2001. Several e-businesses started and went public, then were purchased by other e-businesses. Most of the e-businesses had little cash flow and were unable to make profits; these companies valued growth over financial stability, creating an unsustainable economic bubble that burst, destroying many dotcom companies. While this type of systematic risk may not occur again, most market segments may tend to operate in business cycles, growing, reaching a plateau and contracting. Owners and entrepreneurs of e-businesses must be able to assess their market segment and plan for each stage in the business cycle.

2. Security Risk

E-businesses face many different types of risks related to the security of their business information and customer information. Computer viruses and hackers are constantly trying to tap into online companies and steal customer identities and financial information. These security risks force e-businesses to use software and encryption codes that limit an outsider’s ability to hack into their secure systems. Online security risks can also lead to legal issues for e-businesses, as they are obligated to protect consumer information by federal and state law. Breaches in an e-business’ system will also increase the company’s insurance risk, as insurers require higher premiums for companies with legal issues, if they decide to take on the e-business as a client.

3. Business Risk

Business risk relates to the risk companies face from conducting business operations every day. These risks include inventory, labor, overhead or supply-chain problems. Because most e-businesses do not have large physical locations or warehouses, they must rely on a supply chain for getting goods to consumers. Anytime a business must rely on individuals or other businesses to help distribute goods, risk may increase. Business risk also occurs if the e-business is unable to purchase inventory and move it through the supply chain quickly and efficiently.

4. Hidden Costs

One of the biggest selling points of e-business is the low start-up costs. Domain names and web hosting incur comparatively low costs when considered against renting or buying a physical space. While some business owners choose to build a website in house, many hire a third party to build the site. The costs of a custom site can run into the thousands of dollars. Maintaining and updating the website also requires time, which can mean either hiring someone to do that work or using your own time to do so.

5. Data Security

Every business faces the problem of data security, and e-business maximizes these challenges. Customers enter a considerable amount of sensitive information, ranging from phone numbers to credit card numbers, on your site. As the site owner, you take responsibility for protecting that information with appropriate security measures, such as Secure Sockets Layer encryption or contracting with third parties to provide secure transaction processing. Failures in data security can lead both to fines and loss of faith on the part of your customers.

6. Marketing Failures

Online and offline business both rely on effective marketing to drive growth and sales. Unfortunately, the techniques and strategies for online marketing diverge radically from offline techniques. Business owners can find themselves lost in talk of pay-per-click, viral techniques and social media. Businesses new to e-business may find it necessary to hire an individual or company that specializes in online marketing, in addition to any offline marketing services they already use. Without effective online marketing to drive traffic to the website, the entire project can turn into a waste of time and financial resources.

7. Website Availability

Even if a business manages costs, employs top-flight data security and uses online marketing best practices, a bad web hosting service can destroy an e-business. No web host can guarantee a website will remain available 100 percent of the time. Anything from a crashed server to insufficient bandwidth causes websites to go down. Businesses with bad hosting services experience persistent website downtime. Customers who find your website unavailable on a regular basis will stop going to it. You can avoid this problem by sticking with well-known hosting providers and asking other business owners about their experiences with hosting providers.