Consider a scenario in which you have decided to start an online business.

Consider the hardware, software networks, and databases necessary for you to validate user identity, manage inventory, process requests and transactions, and log user activity that is important for billing and marketing services.

Then, consider development of the following functionality:

Website design

Hosting

Creation of user profiles and customer files

A dynamic and updated multimedia catalog, a fast catalog search engine

Shopping cart

Credit card processing

Shipping and tax calculations

Email notifications

Usage statistics

Sales and inventory reports

Customer account management

Customer support $($help menus, tutorials, FAQs, etc.$)$

Servers and power

Password protection

Encrypted order processing

Integration with back$-$office software

Consider which elements of the required functionality listed you would develop in$-$house and which you would outsource.