What most people don't realize is that the impact of the growth of the World Wide Web that everyone has been experiencing is really just in its infancy. The foundation of the World Wide Web—Web technology— is just beginning to be applied within corporate environments. And Intranets and Web technology are "the new religion."
What is an Intranet?
Whereas the Internet is a global worldwide network of networks open to all, an Intranet is a private network within a company, separated from the outside Internet by "firewalls" that can permit employees to look out, but keep others from looking in. Intranets use the same Web technologies and tools as the Internet. Its advantages over client/server technology include truly open standards, lower costs, simplicity and ease of use. Its open standards include TCP/IP, HTTP, HTML and CGI, which do not commit organizations to proprietary technologies and significant costs. Preliminary results from organizations that have implemented Intranets report costs of around $40 per user, compared to several thousand dollars for an architecture based on a two-tiered client-server structure. Intranets provide ease of use through the use of a single common enterprise-chosen browser. Web applications developed from a single browser reduce corporate expenditures through decreased training requirements and deployment costs.
Content, Content, Content
The applications and content that can be contained on a corporate Intranet are bound only by the limits of the human imagination. In the first Intranets that are being built, the majority of the content comes from two obvious areas: Human Resources and Corporate Communications. The more popular Intranet applications have included company-wide telephone books, human resources and benefits information (e.g., benefits brochures, announcements and newsletters), job posting, expense reporting, and industry competitive data.
Please note that Human Resources and Corporate Communications, which historically have made heavy use of press technology for printing manuals, forms and other documents, have the easiest time showing Return on Investment (ROI). But content structures vary depending upon the industry and the product or service delivered by the corporation. This week I viewed a small Intranet developed by a firm specializing in providing Web site design. Large areas of the firm's Intranet were dedicated to a collaborative work space to work on proposals, a detailed client/customer database, and an area dedicated to new technological developments.
Where are Intranets headed?
As far as content is concerned, the sky is the limit. As enterprise managers discover how others are using Intranets, the complexity and types of applications will increase. For example, a company that had originally planned functionality that would permit employees to browse benefit and 401k information will learn of others who are permitting their employees to perform the annual benefit sign-up online, and desire that same level of complexity.
The use of Intranets as strictly content repositories will expand very soon as corporations change their perceptions about what information is and how it can be used. As enterprises perceive their information as "databaseable," the cost of maintaining static Intranet Web pages will be reduced substantially. Static, high- maintenance Web pages will evolve into dynamic, low-maintenance Web pages.
Existing tools are evolving, and new tools are being developed as you read this article. The strongest trend with the greatest impact is that of some client/server vendors offering Inter/Intranet-enabled versions of their products. This will allow Web technology to take full advantage of existing database engines and supporting software.
For further information on Intranet technologies, refer to the list of Links for Intranet technologies.
Links for Intranet Technologies:
Intranet Journal
Intranet Exchange
The Intranet Company
Australia Intranet
Netscape at Work