Sun Microsystems, a leading manufacturer of internet hardware and software development tools, is a case in point.
Transforming into an e-business means more than consumer-based buying and selling on the internet. "E-commerce as we know it is small potatoes when compared with how much businesses will electronically trade with each other," says Jeff Henley, executive vice president and CFO at Oracle.
The internet turns today's best-practices paradigm upside down.
"We will see more change in the way we do business in the next three years than we've seen in the last 30, and it's going to happen using the internet."
The internet's global reach means companies can capitalize on business opportunities anywhere in the world more efficiently, without increasing IT costs or creating yet more fragmented business information.
While the internet eliminates operational barriers, the emergence of the euro tears down trade barriers.