The appeal of the Internet as a software distribution channel is obvious. The product is entirely accessible through the software environment via browsers and Web sites. The challenge for the provider is to make sure the product is reliably available at all times to a global marketplace, even through varying conditions that could choke the host hardware and communication bandwidths.

Setting up the hardware infrastructure to host the corporate Web presence is beyond the scope of a software development process. However, the deployment manager needs to know how to add the product offering to the list of products available over the Web and ensure that the product is available for purchase and delivery on demand.