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Nathan J. Muller
Many companies are using intranets internal corporate networks built on World Wide Web protocols in a range of application areas to leverage access to existing information and extend their reach to employees, partners, suppliers, and customers. This chapter reviews the benefits of intranets and the challenges intranets present in terms of information management, integrity, and security; implementation; and ongoing maintenance and development. Implications of the network-centric computing model for reduced cost of network ownership are also discussed.
Companies are establishing intranets internal corporate networks built on World Wide Web protocols at a fairly rapid pace. According to Forrester Research, 16% of the Fortune 1,000 have intranets and another 50% are either in the consideration or planning stages.
Companies that build intranets to improve internal communication, streamline processes such as purchasing, and simplify transaction processing are finding multiple sources of business value. Intranets help reduce communication costs, increase sales and customer response, and significantly improve work quality and productivity.
The appeal of intranets comes from enabling, enhancing, and extending effective communications within and among organizational entities and communities of interest. Intranets have allowed companies to reach new potential customers, enter untapped markets, and expand elements within their businesses. Mutual benefits are also derived from intranetworking between synergistic businesses. Coupled with such innovations as the Java development language and new zero-administration net-centric computers, intranets can become the base around which businesses reinvent themselves.
The foremost benefit that a company derives from an intranet is more cost-effective communications. Attaining cost-effective communications entails making information directly accessible to people who need it without overwhelming the people who do not need it. Intranets provide direct access to information, so people can easily find what they need without involving anyone else, either for permission or direction on how to navigate through the information. At the same time, companies can protect their information from people not entitled to access it.
From the perspective of information management, an intranet extends the reach of distribution and simplifies logistics. For example, it is often cumbersome to maintain the distribution list for a typical quarterly status report sent to a large mailing list. The existence of an intranet simplifies the process of incorporating changes made before the next report is due, because updates are easily developed and posted to give everyone access to the new information.
Publishing information on an intranet is quite simple, especially because intranets use the same protocols as the greater Internet, including the HTTP used by the World Wide Web. There are a number of Web publishing tools, including Microsofts FrontPage, that quickly turn individual documents into the HTML format. Even documents maintained in a Lotus Notes database are easily published on the Web with a complementary product called Domino, which renders Notes data in HTML format on-the-fly and serves HTML documents from the file system. With a feature called Notes Access Control, Domino also keeps the information out of the hands of people who are not authorized to see it.
Not only has Web publishing become much easier, but users are finding it easier to search for the right document just by using key words. It is no longer necessary for people to ask someone for copies of a document or request that their names be put on a distribution list. Users also have more control over what they see. If the big picture is all a person wants, then only that level of information is delivered. When detailed information is desired, such search mechanisms as boolean parameters, context-sensitivity, and fuzzy logic may be employed. Of course, the user also has the option of accessing greater levels of detail by following the hypertext links embedded in documents.
Enhanced, timely information exchange within the organization is another benefit of intranet adoption. As people from various organizations, functions, and geographic locations increasingly work together, the need for real-time collaboration becomes paramount. Teams need to share information, review and edit documents, incorporate feedback, as well as reuse and consolidate prior work efforts. Intranets that enable collaboration to occur without paper or copies of files can save hours and even days in a project schedule.
Electronic collaboration eliminates many hurdles such as distance between co-workers, multiple versions and paper copies of information, and the need to integrate different work efforts. The intranet becomes a unifying communications infrastructure that greatly simplifies systems management tasks and makes it easy to switch between internal and external communications.
Companies are also finding that by extending their intranets beyond their immediate boundaries, they are able to communicate more directly and efficiently with the communities with which they do business. Establishing electronic connections to suppliers and partners can result in key savings in time and money in communicating inventory levels, tracking orders, announcing new products, and providing ongoing support. Intranets are being used in a range of application areas to leverage access to existing information and extend a companys reach to employees, partners, suppliers, and customers.
As companies progress in such methods of interaction, more sophisticated intranetworking can result in increased responsiveness and shortened order-fulfillment time to customers. Suppliers track inventory levels directly, reduce delays in order fulfillment, and save costs in inventory maintenance. More companies are developing this form of information exchange, where the electronic capability actually drives the process.
It is important to note that intranets may introduce new chores in managing information. For example, ensuring that all departments have the same updated versions of information requires synchronization across separate departmental servers, including directories and security mechanisms. Providing varying levels of information access to different audiences engineering, manufacturing, marketing, human resources, suppliers, and customers is also an issue.
An additional task results from the fact that the hypertext links that facilitate information search and retrieval must be maintained to ensure integrity as information changes or is added to the database. Fortunately, there are tools that help database administrators identify broken links so appropriate corrective steps can be taken.
Domino/Notes, for example, supports major data management functions including link management and replication. As more people access data from more locations, the need for adequate security increases. Domino/Notes has a broad range of security facilities that include access control, authentication, and encryption. The product incorporates industry standards for security, such as the secure socket layer (SSL) for encrypting data during transmission.
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