Intranet

Intranet

What is an Intranet?

An Intranet is an interoffice Web site that serves the employees and management of a business. Intranets use the same communication protocols and hyperlinks as the Internet and thus provide a standard way of disseminating information internally and extending the application to remote business locations. The difference between the Internet and a private Intranet is who is allowed access. The Internet is available to everyone. An Intranet is a private network the uses Internet technology. Information stored within the Intranet is only accessible to individuals within the organization. Those who are allowed access can include management, employees, and customers, and even these individuals can be limited in the amount of information they can access.

Benefits of an Intranet

Centralized location for e-mail

Centralized and standardize database

Coordination efforts among projects and teams

Improved contact between company and customers

Group communication

Document distribution and updates

Technical online manuals

Inventory tracking

Order entry

Account management

Help desk

Reduced paperwork

Organized training

Problems and solutions

Most businesses find that conformity in symbols such as icons, and uniformity of buttons and links, i.e. standardized navigation, within a company’s Intranet provides a less complex user interface.

Some estimate that as much as an hour per employee per week is lost in finding information to navigate a site. While an Intranet may not have the most elaborate graphics, (unless desired), the Intranet provides users with the same overall appearance, and providing the same menus, links, or headings as the Internet.

Most organizations express concern for the integrity and security of their data. Within the Intranet, every employee or customer can be assigned access to only information they need. These parameters are defined and controlled by individuals or teams within the organization.