Ecommerce is obviously what a lot of people need in their website - in fact, that's ALL some businesses need! Open-source ecommerce solutions are out there and they're robust.

But, how hard are they to learn? Are they secure? Are they difficult to maintain? Who do I call if I run into problems? How do I setup a merchant account so I can take credit cards? What do I have to do to maintain the site? Do I need to have a separate website along with my shopping cart?

In this full-day class, we review four open source options you have for an ecommerce solution: Magento, Zen Cart, OSCommerce and PrestaShop.

We discuss their pros and cons - and then walk through the visual interfaces of each.  We discuss in-depth the steps you need to take to bring your ecommerce site fully online. You will leave class with practical knowledge about the selection and setup process - as well as a CD with further resources and copies of each of the discussed programs.

Chana Schulman is a software architect, instructional designer and writer with over 20 years of IT experience. She has acted as Lead Architect for Accenture and KLM on some of the largest software projects in the world. She has trained developers all over the world, including employees of Accenture, Price Waterhouse, EDS, Freescale and ATOS on advanced technology issues. She regularly speaks at conferences throughout the world on issues dealing with open source software development. She currently focuses her work on educating small and medium size businesses to the advantages of open source software for leveling the business "playing field". She teaches open source technology content management systems and architectural and development strategies for small to medium businesses and sharing her love of technology. Chana is the director of AustinCMS, a company dedicated to providing the best training and mentoring on CMS.