Beschreibung

Fraunhofer-Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation

eBusiness Solutions Guide

The eBSN eBusiness Solutions Guide is an online tool developed for the European Commission that provides the possibility to enter and search for software and services offered in all EU-countries. This service has a focus on SMEs which shall be supported at the search process for appropriate solutions.

Overview

The eBSN eBusiness Solutions Guide is an online tool developed by Fraunhofer IAO (Germany) for the European Commission that provides the possibility to enter and search for software and services offered in all EU-countries. This service has a focus on SMEs which shall be supported at the search process for appropriate solutions. The use of the eBSN eBusiness Solutions Guide is free and it is hosted by the European Commission under the eBSN portal. It is offered in three languages (English, German and French). The search area for solutions is specific for every EU-country. You can simple choose your country at the start page.
  • http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/e-bsn/ebusiness-solutions-guide.

    The online tool is accompanied by a booklet “eBusiness Guide for SMEs - eBusiness Software and Services in the European Market” which can be downloaded at the website for free. It includes a folder of providers for IT products and services and also offers information for choosing and introducing suitable products. Furthermore Fraunhofer IAO provides a questionnaire to get feedback of the users and give them the possibility to interact with the developers to improve the tool. The questionnaire can be found here.

    Main functions

    The tool provides two main functions depending on the type of user: the information acquisition from eBusiness solution providers and the eBusiness Guide functionality for SMEs.

    The information acquisition functionality aims at collecting as much information as possible from providers of eBusiness solutions concerning their software and service offerings. This is mainly targeted at producers and distributors of solutions and their consultants. It gives them a great opportunity to promote their offers. Entering data into the eBSN eBusiness Guide can easily be done by registering at the website and giving information by filling out some forms.

    The eBusiness Guide functionality for SMEs will help SMEs or their advisors to find suitable eBusiness solutions tailored for the specific characteristics and needs of the company (for example, based on the number of employees or industry sector). Several search functions are included in the tool.

    If users do not really know where to start with searching for products or in which sectors of their infrastructure they need support, they can assess the company’s eBusiness maturity to see where the company has deficits. This is very easily done by just answering 16 multiple choice questions concerning the IT infrastructure of the company. An eBusiness Competence Index (EBCI) will be calculated showing as a result a number between 0 and 1 and some hints for upgrading the infrastructure. With these hints, the user can search suitable products.

    Different user types

    Users of the eBSN eBusiness Solutions Guide can act in different roles depending on the type of user. The main roles and their features are:
    • SME User and unregistered users: These users can choose between several search functions: text search, detailed search for a product, service or producer or the hierarchical search. Further on, users can calculate the maturity of their company.
    • Producer: Producers are registered users who can additionally enter or delete eBusiness products or services which are developed by their own company.
    • Other: Others include sales partners, service providers, consultants and so on. They can additionally enter products or services from several producers or Open Source projects.

    We are looking forward to welcome you at the eBSN eBusiness Solutions Guide and hope you enjoy using the tool.