Professor Hofacker

1
What Is an Intranet?

• An Intranet is for internal company purposes,
  usually closed to outsiders
• The ends are employee collaboration, coordination
  and productivity
• The means are the gear and the software that
  facilitate those things
• Typically a client-server model

2
Industrial Age Corporations
3
Network Age Corporations
4
Notes on Designing an Intranet

• Justification to management
• Form an intranet team
• Have a champion
• Obstacles tend to be political, not technical
• Users provide content, techies provide the means
• The importance of prototyping
• Maintenance is harder than construction
• Security cannot be an afterthought

5
Internet Services Harnessed for Company Goals

• Email the killer app
• The Web Browser as kiosk
• Audio-video teleconference
• Whiteboard, netmeeting
• Document sharing
• BBSs, listserves and chat
• Workflow management
• Document management

6
Direct and IT Benefits

• Automate routine intra-organizational info flow
• Platform for enterprise-wide information systems
• Eases process integration
• Easy route to expand systems
• Reduces paper use, storage
• Reduces travel cost

7

An Intranet Facilitates Information Flow

• Provides better access to a companys primary
  resources knowledge experience
• Enhanced Search
• Decision support
• Knowledge management
• Project management
• Prepares and filters raw Internet knowledge

8
Oh That Word Synergy

• Enables virtual teams
• New collaborative computing effects
• Creativity
• Employee empowerment
• Customer focus

9
Human Resource Applications

• Employee handbook
• Benefits information
• Employee surveys
• Internal/external recruiting
• Candidate screening

• Newsletters
• Company calendars
• Training
• Person search, directories
• Organizational charts

10
Sales and Marketing Applications

• Product information, specs
• Market research
• Prospecting
• Managing sales contact
• Sales training

11
Accounting and Finance Applications

• Financial reports
• Expense reports
• Accounts receivable
• Accounts/payable
• Asset management
• Policies procedures
• Payroll

12
Manufacturing Operations

• Inventory control
• Production schedules
• Quality assurance
• Part order/requisition system

13
What Is an Extranet?

• An Internet for collaborating with upstream
  suppliers or downstream buyers, usually closed to
  all others
• System designers must collaborate to make sure
  there is a common interface with the other
  company
• An extranet is a mutual effort to make both
  companies more profitable

14
Key Considerations

• Identifying users
• Listing technology components
• Specifying security requirements
• Discussing administration of extranet
• Understanding usability of extranet

15
The Role of a Champion

• Ensures accountability for the organization
• Promotes effective collaboration with business
  partners, which improves potential for increased
  revenue
• Provides a long-term investment in competitive
  advantage