Step 3: Intranet

Step 3 takes only a little more effort. An intranet uses Internet technologies to publish, distribute and display information and applications to anyone directly connected to that network. It typically enables access from a variety of hardware and software platforms via a web browser.

An intranet might, for instance, hold your customer database so that your salesman can check your client’s payment history before he agrees to extend credit to close a deal. It may hold all of the Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) used by your company so that production staff and emergency services all have fast access to the latest information from a single place. It might simply be a list of internal phone numbers, staff skills profiles, preferred suppliers and standard templates for documents.

Intranets offer improved internal communication of information, improved efficiency and more efficient teamwork. Whilst it is not easy to quantify these benefits, except perhaps in cost savings through reduced reliance on paper, intranets play a key role in an effective e-Business approach.

Gordon Bishop, NetComposites. First Published in Reinforced Plastics