Intranet applications - several projects ( at least 10!)

Intranet applications - several projects ( at least 10!)

In many businesses the ability to capture, share, distribute and utilise corporate knowledge is a critical success factor and it is claimed that intranet technology has the power to improve business performance dramatically. It is claimed that over 70% of major corporations have, or currently are developing, at least one intranet application.

To achieve the business benefits that intranet use can bring, it is necessary to address the management and organisational issues that go hand in hand with intranet use, as well as the technology itself.

There are several projects here involving both technical and management issues:

Issues such as knowledge management, cultural change, behavioural issues, training requirements, information management, HR implications, technical implementation issues.

This involves research for example in:

What an intranet is., primary purposes, Intranets, internet, extranets, internet tools and methods, groupware, WWW

How leading companies are using intranet technology to boost their business performance. Who they are, what have they done, what problems they have encountered.

Key business implementation issues which can make or break intranet success.

Many companies adopt intranet technology and assume it is a simple extension of information management, it isn’t. What changes in process, culture, technology, infrastructure are necessary for effective intranet use?

How intranets compare with similar and alternative systems - reference librarires, e-mail, groupware and WWW

Frameworks for effective knowledge management - intranets are gradually emerging as the dominant technology for effective knowledge sharing and creating. Many organisations rely on an information infrastructure which does not encourage comunication and collaboration. To achieve the maximum business benefits intranets must be usedand managed within an information management architecture which has its foundations in knowledge sharing. How can this be achieved?

Intranet design choices - identify the features of basic intranets designed for information dissemination, more advanced applications with information gathering and collaboration capabilities, more elaboarte intranets designed as business support systems. Provide practical guidelines on how you can match intranet design features to business objectives.

Essential technical implementation issues - technical issues including client hardware and software, server hardware and software, search engines, discussion servers and groupware servers, network standards and capabilities, protocols, user access: intranets, extranets and the internet, design trade offs: choice of hardware, web server, browser, push swrver, e-mail client and server, groupwre servers, development tools, security, insourcing, outsourcing , support requirements, main success factors etc

What the future holds for intranet applications - intranet technology is not standing still. Product and service providers are constantly updating their products and services to capitalise on new capabilities. Who are the companies at the cutting edge of intranet use, what are the future trends and capabilities? Extranets - merging of intranets and internet commerce, EDI, e-commerce

Carry out research and produce case studies focussing on companies using intranets from basic information dissemination to full business process support. Answer questions such as:

What was the implementation time frame?

To what extent was there custom development?

Were there any sepecial infrastructure requirements?

What were the most significant security issues and how were they dealt with?

Who is responsible for content and how much effort is required?

How was user training handled

What costs have resulted from the intranet?

What was done to encourage use?

Investigate the intranet applications market to produce product profiles of intranet related tools, facts figures and guidance to make intranet choices and decisions. Companies and products such as:

Lotus :InterNotes, Domino, Smartsuite,Weblicator

Microsoft: Exchange server, netmeeting, Office 97, Internet Information server, Internet Explorer, Frontpage

Netscape Communications Corporation: Netscape Navigator Gold, Netscape Communicator, Fast Track Server

Novell: Intranetware, Groupwise

Oracle: Oracle applications for the web, Oracle Interoffice

Another angle might be to concentrate on a particular sector, eg financial services, retail, education etc.

Virtual offices - several projects

Some organisations(Cisco Systems, Ernst & Young, IBM, BA) are eliminating offices and allowing employees to work from any location they like. Some employees are supposed to work in "virtual offices" - in any place such a car, plane, train or home where they can get work done. Non territorial offices, hot desking, hoteling , teleworking are just some of the ideas in the "virtual office". Virtual offices cut down costs reduce travel time employees have more flexibility and control over there time. But is the virtual office a better way of working? What is its impact on individual identity, worker satisfaction, and corporate community? Does it lead to downsizing , part time working, loss of jobs? How does it effect productivity, morale? What management, organisation, and technology issues must be addressed when converting to a virtual office? Can all companies use virtual offices?

Telecommunications applications that can provide competitive advantage to organisations.

Using information systems for strategic advantage increasingly depends on telecommunications technology and applications such as e-mail, voice mail, fax, digital information services, teleconferencing, dataconferencing, electronic data interchange (EDI) and groupware. Firms should develop strategic telecommunication plans to ensure that their telecommuniations systems serve business objectives and operations.

Investigate the ways that telecommunications technology can provide a firm with a competitive advantage. What management, organisation and technology factors would you consider to develop a strategic telecommuication plan?.

Videoconferencing on the internet

The internet has opened many news ways for people to communicate, and videoconferencing is one of the most exciting. One leading internet videoconferencing tool is CU-SeeMe. Who is using it, and for what purpose? What business processes can be streamlined through videoconferencing? What management, organisation and technology factors would you consider to decide whether to use Internet based videoconferencing.

Reviving the centralisation versus decentralisation debate

Along standing issue among IS managers has been the question of centralisation. Should processing power and data be distributed to departments and divisions, or should they be concentrated at a central location? Enterprise networking facilitates decentralisation, but the use of network computers and Java favours a centralised model. Which is the best for an organisation? How does an IS manager make sure that the computing model they select is the right one?