Hardware considerations for Ecommerce

Here are a few of the many hardware-related considerations an architect must keep in mind when creating an e-Commerce solution.
Client hardware is usually a given, meaning it can be assumed that the client will connect to a remote server. Usually the hardware equipment on the client side of the solution is a given. Rare instances where this may not be the case include:

Organizations usually upgrade hardware based on internal policies and budgets, and seldom allocate budgets for project-based client hardware purchases. Choose server hardware for performance and architectural fit
E-Commerce architects should determine hardware based on an organization's:

Twenty years ago companies talked about the hardware they purchased. Today companies talk about their architectures. Hardware is now viewed as part of an overall solution. Organizations with a Microsoft bias will usually possess Intel-based servers. Organizations with a Sun bias will usually possess Sparc-based Unix servers running Solaris. In reality, most large organizations have heterogeneous hardware and operating systems environments.

If an e-Commerce solution requires rich multimedia options, such as streaming media or VRML, specialty hardware choices are usually required. This type of solution is likely to involve Silicon Graphics for VRML-based applications.
Do not ignore organizational preference in software
It is in the best interest of an architect to go with an obvious organizational bias. A rich set of tools and products exist to build and deploy e-Commerce solutions for all major hardware/operating systems pairs. Wintel (Windows NT/Pentium) and Sparc/Solaris have the highest server-side market penetration for Web and e-Commerce solutions.

[1]Streaming Media: Allows client browsers or plug-ins to start displaying audio or video data while the file is being downloaded.

[2]VRML: Specifies rules for displaying 3-dimensional objects on the World Wide Web. VRML is sometimes referred to the 3-D equivalent HTML.