Intranet Advice

But wait a minute. The data sheets are at least one revision out of date. HR hasn’t updated information since its Webmaster left the company three weeks ago. And the guy who is supposed to upload the new sales information just hasn’t had the time to do it. The employees may have everything at their fingertips, but they don’t use it because it’s not accurate and up-to-date.

This is a familiar scenario for many companies that have implemented Intranets, and a prospective scenario that has kept many smaller and medium-sized companies from pursuing an Intranet of their own. Despite the challenges, however, companies are driving towards Intranets faster than ever. International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates the total number of Intranet users worldwide will reach 133 million by 2001. IDC believes the corporate Intranet will become the standard infrastructure companies use to communicate and conduct business transactions — both within and outside their organizations.

There are two fundamental shifts fueling the growth. Large companies that already have implemented static Intranets are bringing mission-critical applications onto their Intranets, incorporating dynamic, transactional capabilities. Smaller companies that have not considered Intranets due to cost and complexity are beginning to implement them as the cost of deployment declines. Until now, the Web focus for most companies has been on data access, connecting their users to the ever-expanding base of information available via the Web. Now, however, the focus is shifting towards content management — how to organize and make sense of the information that is available, and do it in a way that makes it easy for users to find the right information at the right time on the Intranet site.

Fortunately, the rise of Intranet deployments is accompanied by the emergence of more sophisticated and affordable content management applications that will help companies build and support an Intranet infrastructure that is flexible and easy to use. You should be making plans now to deploy an Intranet or enhance the one you have to make sure you can take advantage of the opportunities. But building a successful Intranet involves more than just deciding to do so. It requires a careful assessment of user requirements, analysis of your business processes, and an effective system for content management to ensure your Intranet delivers its full potential for return on investment.

Bill Rogers is founder, president, and CEO of Ektron, Inc., provider of dynamic Web authoring and content management software. Ektron is located in Amherst, New Hampshire, USA. +1(603)594-0249, ektroninfo@getresponse.com. www.ektron.com.