SKIP TO SITE NAVIGATION | SWITCH TO GRAPHICAL VERSION
By Randy Hinrichs
Intranets: What's The Bottom Line?
Think of an Intranet as a high tech Swiss Army knife, providing you with a set of tools for almost every function within your organization. Most organizations rely on information, knowledge and intelligence to create products, services, education and entertainment. Information is power. In the past, it was always difficult to get a hold of. Either you couldn't get reliable information, or you couldn't get it on time. This was either by intent or by cumbersome mainframe or networked systems. Now, information is managed directly at the desktop with no particular worry about platform or software compatibility. Each user purchases the tools they need to do the job they need to do. Some are still using mainframe connections, with client/server software solutions. They still, however, cannot rely completely on the accuracy of the information, because the source may or may not have fed the information up to the server.
With an Intranet any user, at any level, can publish information. This makes information reliable because it comes from the source. The individual can serve the information that can be read in any browser, and make itself linkable to any other server. This linkage creates process flow within your organization. You can secure information and share information in the best way you see fit. With Intranets, everyone in the company can access information, knowledge and company intelligence and design it in any way that improves your business models.
Intranets can be used for so many different functions within your organization. Applications that you've been using for years are finding their way to the Intranet. Every developer in 1996/97 is creating new Web applications, or retrofitting existing applications to run seamlessly in Intranet environment. Uses include executive decision support systems, sales cycle automation tools, financial systems, online analytical processing (OLAP) applications, personal productivity applications, financial trading floor systems, procurement and business-to-business commerce applications, document management systems, and customer support and help desk applications. The list just goes on and on.
A decision making tool - The Intranet links together all of the information in your organization. Either you can look at pre-determined information, or you can use interactive forms or report writers to prune and graft information to help you analyze market trends, or business behavior. You can share results with colleagues, clients and partners, and modify your business decisions accordingly.
Learning organization tool - When information can be pulled instantly, decision makers are able to analyze business processes, business opportunities, and business goals much faster.
A complete communication tool - Imagine integrating all corporate communications, all departmental communications, all group communications, and all individual communications into a place that provides up-to-date, quality, instant information to anyone in the organization, whenever and wherever you wanted it. Imagine a single place like a magazine cover that would easily allow everyone in the company to get any information from the Executives, Human Resources, Marketing, Sales, Training, Finance, Partners, Operations, Facilities.
A collaboration tool - Think about what happens when an easy to use, easy to learn, powerful tool for collaborating, project managing, data collecting, managing knowledge and information, is handed to everyone in your networked organization. Imagine a tool that empowers people to put their best foot forward, proudly displaying their quality products, sales tips, marketing messages, internal customer services, technical procedures, processes, departmental goals, frequently asked questions, shortcuts, tips, tricks and self-images in a place where anyone who subscribes can access them.
An expert's tool - Who knows their job the best in any organization? The individual or group(s) performing the jobs. Imagine experts responsible for sharing their expertise, and responsible for communicating it to others so it can be understood. And, imagine being linked to real-time on-line expert support by experts who add depth and breadth to their site, while you incorporate their levels of expertise into your workflow.
A single invention tool - Imagine employees finding information when they needed it, and available to cut and paste it into their presentations, sales pitches, marketing messages, or training modules.
A 21st century telephone - The Intranet is a tool that has already become a utility in many companies, much like the telephone. Use it, and you are empowered to accelerate production cycles, to focus on expert information, to customize products and services for customers, to educate yourself immediately, to get a hold of anyone in the organization.
Human resource tool - It takes a systematic rethinking about the nature of employee-to-corporation and employee-to-employee relationships now that every employee has the ability to instantly communicate work, thoughts, gripes, experiences, and solutions to every other employee. The power of the employee also creates a set of responsibilities for all members of the corporate community. You're going to have to start thinking about infrastructure, policies, procedures, roles and responsibilities, templates, legal issues.
A process identification and process improvement tool - Ever wondered how your sales cycle really worked? Or have you ever dreamed of a system that would show you where any transaction was within a sales cycle, so you could make the most appropriate move?
A partnering tool - It seems every company in the world has created at least one page on the Internet. Surely many haven't yet, but are planning on it. You'll find Internet statistics at IDC , Dataquest a Gartner group company (also–www.dataquest.com), The Burton Group , Zona Research , and Forrester Research Group , if you want a real taste of what millions of people are doing on the outside Internet.
A customer tool - As well as partners, your customers have gone on-line as well, describing their processes, their services, their products, and often their competition.
An ISO tool - The Intranet can satisfy a lot of your ISO 9000 requirements. First of all you can provide all information on-line in a single location. Secondly, you can identify processes, metrics, and project contacts on-line. Since everyone can access the Intranet, it becomes a solid singular source or repository which enables many of the ISO requirements.
A target marketing tool - Steve Finnegan, President, The Huntington Group, Inc. says 'The elements of traditional business-to-business marketing and sales programs can be integrated within the Web environment in order to create target marketing, which attracts highly qualified customer/client prospects and engages them in an ongoing product/service sales dialogue. The end result can be more profitable, long-term customer/client relationships.
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