Intranets - not just for large companies 19 May 2005
Though you may have heard of Intranets the chances are you thought they were just for large companies with hundreds of staff. The truth is Intranets can benefit companies of all sizes. The trick is creating an Intranet that suits your unique needs.
What is an Intranet?
An Intranet is a web-based system like a web page that uses Internet technologies and protocols (or rules) to create your own miniature internal version of the Internet.
Just like the Internet, as well as typed documents Intranets can incorporate e-mail, newsgroups and databases as well as multimedia content such as graphics, sound and video. However, it is only accessible by your staff.
How an Intranet can benefit your business
Intranets are first and foremost communications tools. In using an Intranet staff no longer have to search through paper manuals, catalogues, or phone books. It allows you to access all kinds of information, from many different sources, on any computer.
Having an Intranet takes out all the pain of having to address the issue of miscommunication between employees. You can use it to quickly and cheaply publish weekly or monthly reports, meeting agendas and minutes, send memos to the general or individual teams and ensure everyone is working to the same objectives. Appointments diaries can also be synchronised and accessible to all.
Intranets can also save you money. You can avoid a lot of paper processing by making your Intranet interactive with online forms thus saving time, and money. Employees can also share files that are stored online - avoiding the need to produce multiple versions of the same document, which saves space on your server.
Tips for a successful Intranet
Plan ahead - Think about what your business needs and how it will benefit. For example: who will use your Intranet? What information and applications will be useful to them? How they will access it? Consider what facilities and content will be genuinely useful to your business.
Discuss - By definition an Internet will be used by a range of people many with different roles so discuss what staff would like to see on the Intranet and how it can benefit them.
Find a "killer application" - Try and find a "killer application" which will solve a real problem for your company. Think of things such as publishing product specifications, prices and current discounts, or providing staff with instant access to the latest information.
Encourage usage - An Intranet is only successful if it gets used. Encourage staff to use it by referring staff to it at every opportunity. Personal space can also be included for posting their own news, e.g. birthdays, staff trips, nights out, etc.
Consider security - Think about how your Intranet will be used. Do you intend to allow staff to access the Internet and send external email? Will staff require remote access to information on your network? If so then a robust security system should be implemented.
Give it time - An Intranet probably wont change your company over night, but let it develop an it can benefit your business through improved communication and information-sharing, cost and time savings.
