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Intranet Implementation: The Advantages Of A Web-Based Solution

By Michael Scott

The old school method of implementing an intranet is to buy a software package, alter it for your needs, then install it on your system.

Over the past few years, another option has grown in popularity " the implementation of a web-based solution.

As you consider the choice between installed software and a web-based intranet, here are some considerations:

1. Intranets only work when everyone uses them.

To get everyone using an intranet, it must be easy to implement. It also needs to be simple to use. It should be cost-effective to maintain and give each user the power to write, retrieve, and use information in a way that lets them accomplish their job. In other words, the intranet must have value for everyone.

Intranets are often designed around the concept of familiarity. The user interface and navigation tools are similar to a typical web browser so that users feel confident and in control. If you know how to use a Web browser, you know how to use an intranet service.

In contrast, the business world is littered with countless elegant and feature-rich software based intranets that have failed. Why? Because they represented an alien environment into which the user was expected to venture. Few employees had the time or the interest (or courage) to enter, rendering the intranet impotent, with the powerful tools unused.

This is the biggest problem that out-of-the-box software has: they require in-depth training and are unique applications in and of themselves, each with their own methods and means of achieving tasks.

2. Software intranets have higher maintenance costs.

Software based solutions require extensive internal support. The ongoing expense in both staff time and money takes the focus of your IT group away from mission-critical tasks.

Maintenance, system integration, hardware and software upgrades, and user support all are on-going expenses that cost a lot of money.

3. Web-based intranets offer a predictable cost and cutting-edge technology.

Most web-based solutions offer a fixed monthly fee that covers all maintenance, technology upgrades, training and user support. The costs are predictable, the technology evolutionary, and it's all done with minimal involvement of your IT staff. Web-based intranet services cost much less - most charge either a one-time fee of up to $50 or a monthly fee for each user, usually between $5 and $25.

These are only a few of the reasons why more corporations are changing from software based solutions to a web-based intranet.

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