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Along with the benefits of enhanced access that corporate intranets provide lie some risks. Increasing the number of people who have access to important data or systems without supplementary protective measures adds vulnerability to an IT infrastructure. Integrating security mechanisms into an intranet minimizes exposure to misuse of corporate data and to overall systems integrity.
A secure intranet solution implies a seamless and consistent security function integrated among desktop clients, application servers, and distributed networks. It should include policies and procedures and the ability to monitor and enforce them, as well as robust software security tools that work well together and do not leave any gaps in protection.
The following basic functions are necessary for broad security coverage:
Intranets that extend beyond organizational or company boundaries may require integration among various security systems. In addition, because intranets give more people the opportunity to access information, they can cause companies to increase their dependence on computer technology. This increased dependence requires that appropriate backup and emergency recovery measures be in place and that alternative links be available should the network experience an outage.
Costs are another important intranet implementation consideration. Beyond the list prices for hardware and software components lie less obvious costs of administration, maintenance, and additional development.
Intranets are most effective if they include the following attributes:
Unisys is one of the many corporations to embrace the intranet concept. The company has already established a public presence on the Internet (www.unisys.com)and has since put into operation two intranets: the Idea Factory and the Marketplace Insider. Both are run from the server that supports the divisional network of the Unisys Computer Systems Group in Blue Bell PA.
Although each intranet was set up for a different purpose, both can be accessed by all employees from any Unisys location over the same communications links used to access the corporate network, including T1 and T3, ISDN (integrated services digital network), and ordinary dial-up connections using such products as NetBlazer and pcAnyWhere. Protection from unauthorized access is provided by Checkpoint Softwares FireWall-1 software.
The Idea Factory implemented in December 1995 is a virtual gathering place for members of the Computer Systems Groups (CSG) technology-oriented community. The primary goals of the Idea Factory are to provide nearly effortless access to a vast technology resources library, connect thousands of employees with complementary skills dispersed around the globe, and promote the development of leading-edge technology solutions for Unisys customers.
One of the ways these goals are achieved is through chat rooms. Essentially, a chat room is a real-time bulletin board system. Instead of posting messages and replies on a bulletin board, a chat room allows participants to converse with each other in text mode. Organized by topic, the chat rooms provide a convenient way for employees to establish new contacts within the organization and tap into each others expertise. Some of the chat rooms have 400 to 500participants from all over the world who tune in and out at various times during the ongoing conversations.
For example, a customers configuration problem can be discussed in a chat room, allowing participants to brainstorm a possible solution. If the proposed solution proves effective, it is added to a reference database. Should another customer experience a similar problem in the future, a database search will reveal the solution instantly and result in a prompt resolution.
The creators of the Idea Factory focused on a specific community CSGs own technology-oriented employees, who are mostly engineers and geographically as well as organizationally dispersed. Initially, the focus was on such subjects as object-oriented architectures, multimedia, the Internet, and high-speed broadband networks. Access was provided to internally developed content and external links to other sources of information so users could have one-stop access to a vast library of technical resources.
The concept embodied in the Idea Factory was expanded in mid-1996 when the Computer Systems Group introduced the Marketplace Insider, which is intended to have a much broader appeal within CSG. It features a newsstand where employees can stay up to date on company- and industry-related developments. A resource center provides employees access to all the libraries within the division, and a human resources section provides a directory listing of CSG employees. An education area provides links to downloadable education tools. There is also an online organization chart and a swap-and-sell bulletin board.
The Marketplace Insider offers Lotus InterNotes links for the sales and marketing people so they can have intranet access to the competitive analysis database, marketing toolkits, and other resources. It also provides links to the Idea Factory.
The skill sets required for developing an intranet are varied and quite specialized. Technical people need knowledge of systems and network architectures, understanding of the Internet protocol, and experience in developing applications. There is also a need for creative people, particularly graphic artists and HTML coders who excel at making the content visually compelling through the integration of images and text.
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