Introduction

The VPay-Software introduced by ASI exemplifies the company’s awareness of the evolving Information Technology processes. To this end ASI has developed the Information Technology Architecture that will meet the need of customers willing to invest in E-Business. ASI has utilized its capabilities in the development of a software architecture that integrates all aspects of its bill-payment processes, and has used the hardware architecture that gives total support to the implementation and maintenance of the Software Architecture.

This ASI Architecture provides solutions to the electronic bill-payment software problems. In developing this versatile software and choosing the appropriate hardware, ASI considered the following :-

·         Most versatile Database Architecture

·         Best Technical Support

·         Minimal human intervention during processing

·         End-user ease of use

·         Internal and external communication fail-safe processes

·         Maximum Back-up procedures

·         Quality Control

ASI is acutely aware of the industry standards regarding software implementation, and therefore conducted tests to determine the functionality, quality and security of the software.

The Purpose

1.        To evaluate the relevance of the software as an E-Business Enterprise.

2.        To determine the efficiency of the software architecture.

3.        To evaluate the reliability of the Internet connectivity processes.

4.        To evaluate the user-friendly features of the application.

5.        To ensure that database security measures are in place.

Observations

1. Using the WEB as the major means of connectivity among the components of the hardware architecture is an applicable industry choice. This method allows for seamless processing of payments enhanced even further by the real-time capabilities of the software.

2.    The software architecture presents a full featured bill-payment solution. The architecture, though built for real-time processing can accommodate batch processing in situations of temporary internet-downtime disruption.

 3.     To test the reliability of the software two computers were used to send transaction simultaneously to the Processing Center. Over 30000 transactions were transmitted within a 15-minute period.. The transmissions were accomplished error free. It is noteworthy to state the following activities took place during each transmission.

 1)    File decryption

2)       Check-digit verification

3)       Payment types - cash and check

4)       Bad check verification

5)       Duplicate payment

 4. The Software Architecture required minimal training to operators. This maximized the productivity level during the transition period.

 5. The security features ensure

6. Data analysis is another full-featured aspect of the ASI Software Architecture. Among the reports generated, those relating to account reconciliation and customer payment information per transaction are readily available.