Special Edition Using Java™ 2 Enterprise Edition

Creating a B2B Application

Creating a B2B application isn't very different from creating a B2C application—the presentation layer is the only real difference. The presentation layer for a B2B application focuses on the quick, simple exchange of data. Because the two participants in a B2B transaction are usually programs, the presentation layer can assume that the user is an expert.

Digital signatures become very useful in B2B applications. You can use them to verify the identity of a client. In fact, you can often use the signature as the authentication mechanism for a user, eliminating the standard username/password combination. You can use digital signatures and certificates in several ways. The easiest way, from a programming standpoint, is ...