wyrd
Senior Contributor
The story:
Parents are starting a business, and since I owe them money (car payments, rent, school, etc, etc) I get the lovely job of setting up all the programs and online store. Not a small task indeed.
What I'm thinking of doing:
Since there's going to be an online store, I was thinking of having the database on the web server. This will have both the inventory program (on a different computer then the database, mind you) and online store linked to it. That way everything is up to date all the time and there's no hassle of having to update two databases. Sounds pretty logical to me.
So, what advice do I need?
I'm worried about security here since I know nil about it. Should I be worried about linking up the inventory program from the business computer to the database on the web server? One slight problem I thought of is that they MUST be connected to the internet to view the inventory and update it (also the web server will need to be online, god forbid it died or something).
There's also the security of accepting credit cards over the 'net too. Never done this before personally, so this alone should be interesting.
Okay so..
1) Where can I find out about security issues for sending/retrieving info from a database across the internet?
2) Where can I find out about security issues related to CC on web sites.
3) Is having the inventory program directly linked to the web server the best idea or should I perhaps have everything controlled on the business computer (at home) for the main inventory database, then write up some function where they can "update" the online stores database based on the inventory database? Of course I'd also need another function to retrieve items sold etc as well.. hrmf. Yes, much more work involved, but would it be worth it or am I just talking like a crazy man here?
Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.
BTW if anyone would like to call me nutty for taking on such an insane project by myself, feel free to do so.
Parents are starting a business, and since I owe them money (car payments, rent, school, etc, etc) I get the lovely job of setting up all the programs and online store. Not a small task indeed.
What I'm thinking of doing:
Since there's going to be an online store, I was thinking of having the database on the web server. This will have both the inventory program (on a different computer then the database, mind you) and online store linked to it. That way everything is up to date all the time and there's no hassle of having to update two databases. Sounds pretty logical to me.
So, what advice do I need?
I'm worried about security here since I know nil about it. Should I be worried about linking up the inventory program from the business computer to the database on the web server? One slight problem I thought of is that they MUST be connected to the internet to view the inventory and update it (also the web server will need to be online, god forbid it died or something).
There's also the security of accepting credit cards over the 'net too. Never done this before personally, so this alone should be interesting.
Okay so..
1) Where can I find out about security issues for sending/retrieving info from a database across the internet?
2) Where can I find out about security issues related to CC on web sites.
3) Is having the inventory program directly linked to the web server the best idea or should I perhaps have everything controlled on the business computer (at home) for the main inventory database, then write up some function where they can "update" the online stores database based on the inventory database? Of course I'd also need another function to retrieve items sold etc as well.. hrmf. Yes, much more work involved, but would it be worth it or am I just talking like a crazy man here?
Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.
BTW if anyone would like to call me nutty for taking on such an insane project by myself, feel free to do so.
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