Terminology

 

In order to facilitate the comprehension of the following discussion, a number of terms are clarified and an example is given (see also Chapter 2).

• An application is a specific problem (for example: a security problem) which could be solved using competitive and/or collaborative technologies.
• A product is the integrated hardware and software customised for an application.
• A system is a generic component designed to be integrated in products.

Service providers take the responsibility (and the risk) of installing specific products in response to market demands for applications. They acquire the selected technology from system manufacturers and can contract integrators to supply the actual products.

Example: A bank (service provider) decides to set up a telephone service to facilitate the transactions of its clients (the application). Such a decision is usually governed by economic factors and compromises cost and client satisfaction. The bank is responsible for the specifications of the product that will be installed. It may produce a call for proposals describing these specifications. System integrators will answer the call with specific solutions (potential products) made of system components integrated with a user interface. The bank will select the ``best'' solution.