Why an Intranet?

Many people have heard it said that an Intranet is an important tool, and surveys conducted in the UK by KPMG show that many companies either have and Intranet, or are contemplating installing one. The problem is that very few companies truly understand why they should implement an Intranet and what benefits to expect.

This question is just as important for the Intranets already operating, since many bring little or no added advantage or savings to the companies owning them. This is at least partly due to an information strategy which has not been fully thought through and implemented as well as a lack of understanding what is possible. Because of this limited vision, corners are often cut, people with inadequate or inappropriate skills are used and the resulting product does not justify the cost.

However, we can learn from history: many sceptics initially questioned the value and relevance of electronic mail, it has by now largely itself as an important personal and business tool as well as a time and money saver.

I see the following areas of benefit for an effective and appropriate intranet:

It is not technology

The discipline of information technology has earned much of the criticism aimed at it. Too much focus on technology, a love of complexity, obscure jargon, forcing the company to fit the computer system; these are some of the 'sins' of the past. One of the most important aspects of the Intranet is that it is not complex, and it is not about technology. It is about delivering information in the form required and when required.

Integration of information

The Intranet can act as a single desktop client to all your database, commercial/financial and technical systems. Because it is a single client, it is possible to integrate information from the various systems in use. For example, it is possible to put recent transactions with a customer on the same screen as some information from a service quality system, which may be completely independent of the financial system. In this way, the information can be used and managed in a way that fits the business, not the IT infrastructure.

Ease of use

The Intranet is based on the same simple technology used for the Internet. This is easy to use and well understood by many people with only a modest level of computing skills and experience. Contrast this to complex systems like Microsoft's Office products. Most people use only a very small part of the huge set of features built into packages such as Word and Excel, because it is too difficult to learn how to use them.

Like the Internet, the Intranet comprises a series of connected web pages and mini-applications (applets), with a minimum of fuss and complexity. Unlike the Internet, the Intranet can deliver information from the company's own files and databases to the desktop of the user.

Ease of use increases the effectiveness of the information delivered via the Intranet, and reduces training costs and errors.

Ease of development

The traditional process for developing computing solutions for companies involves a time consuming and comprehensive specification of requirements, followed by development of the software using computer "languages" that were only understood  by the analysts and programmers, followed by testing and error fixing followed by installation and operation. This complex process was necessary because the computer languages were themselves complex and developing systems required an expensive team of highly skilled people.

This model is expensive, and it takes a long time to deliver the product. The product requires extensive user training and usually falls short of the customer's expectations.

While this traditional model is still appropriate for some systems, there are many more systems that can be developed using a new development model, based on what I would call (I hope Nike don't mind the use of the term), "Just do it" development. Information delivery to the desktop is an example of this. To develop a few web pages or an applet to begin delivering this information may take a few days to a week. Once the users start to use the system, their feedback can be incorporated in further development which can be developed in a day or two and be installed without shutting any systems down or installing anything on the user's PCs.

When this cycle is working most effectively, the users receive a system tailored to their requirements that can be rapidly, and inexpensively, adapted as their requirements develop or change.

Ease of maintenance

One cost that is difficult to control today is the cost of supporting and maintaining the IT infrastructure in the company. Part of this cost is due to the complexity of modern PC's and the amount of software running on them.

An Intranet can replace many, and in some cases all, of the client components running on your PC's. Intranet applications reside on the server. If the software is updated on the server, it is in effect, immediately deployed throughout the network. Bugs or defects fixes and developments need only to be implemented on the server, not on dozens of desktop PC's.

Conclusion

Ease means lower costs

Systems that are easier to use and support lead to cost savings across the organisation. An organisation spending R25,000,000 per year on salaries and wages would need to save only 1% of these costs to justify a R250,000 Intranet. Just because the savings won’t be immediately visible on the bottom line doesn’t mean that they are not there.

Systems that are easier to develop are cheaper systems. Intexnet provides integrated solutions to clients for applications such as ISO 9000 document management and help desk management. These solutions cost less than half the price of traditionally developed systems, with at least 80% of the capability (which is the 80% the customer would use).

Ease means more effective

Systems that are easier to use are easier to use more effectively to achieve the company's goals. Think of the time wasted ploughing through dozens of pages of a financial report to tally up some information (such as the gross margin for customers who are chronic late payers). Now try to extract that information directly from the financial system. If this can be done quickly, then you are fortunate and your organisation is unusual. More commonly, information such as this is so tedious to extract that it is hardly worth the effort.

Because of the ease of development, it is cheap to make a system that provides the information that the organisation needs, even if that means extracting information from various sources to generate the information. This results in more effective decision making and (dare I use some modern speak) more empowered staff and managers.

So where to now?

Intexnet will gladly help your organisation to explore the possible benefits and pitfalls of implementing an Intranet and is able to help implement and support the system, as well as provide user training if you so desire.

Being small, our consulting fees are considerably lower than larger organisations that have to support larger overheads. Because we are small, every client is important to us and receives the care and attention that they deserve.

Intexnet will also gladly work together with your IT department, your 'outsourced' IT functions and other consulting or development companies that you may have contracted. Intexnet will also be happy to discuss the development of tailored web applications or Microsoft office applets that provide solutions for specific business problems.