Intranet access continues to be a major, major intranet challenge for most organizations with manufacturing or remote employees. Remote, manufacturing and retail employees very rarely have access to a computer. Therefore in some organizations a huge chunk of employees do not have access to the intranet.
If a large chunk of your potential audience cannot access the intranet, the intranet’s value to your company is severely limited.
For those in this position, there are three principal options:
1- Virtual Private Networks (VPN) – can be expensive
2- Internet-based portal – inexpensive but security often a concern
3- Central kiosks – moderately expensive, moderate security concern
I really don’t want to spend too much time on VPNs as this is my least favorite of the options – though it serves its purpose well – and there’s tons available for reading on VPN by just doing a simple search. Besides, it’s more of the “executive” solution most often related to senior management or senior sales staff who are afforded a laptop when away from the office.
Internet-based access via a .com site that requires a user id and password is becoming more and more de rigeur.
In most western countries, access to the Internet is available to a majority of the population. Some like Canada, the U.S., Japan, Korea and Scandanavian countries enjoy penetration rates in the 70th percentile. So why not just put your intranet on the Internet?
Alaska Airlines have put their intranet on the public Internet – that’s right, a .com website. Knowing that most of their employees work ‘on the road’ they got smart and put it on the public Internet (of course, secure areas are password protected and reside behind their firewall). Employees have ubiquitous access from any connected computer and it also shows the world, “We have nothing to hide! Come check us out.” (Visit the Alaska Airlines intranet at www.AlaskasWorld.com.
The U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps also have followed suit with similar .com intranet portals – and so too have many others.
Kiosks have also become highly effective tools for remote access users where the intranet has become an essential business tool.
“Organizations are continuing to do away with hard copies in favor of a digital medium, porting company and employee information onto their intranet,” says Paul Chin, a writer and former intranet manager at a prominent aerospace manufacturer. “But this leaves employees without a PC in the dark. It's unfair to deny them access to these resources simply because of circumstance. This creates a gap between the digital haves and have-nots."
In writing “Providing Equal Access: Implementing Information Kiosks” Chin argues that there are a lot of choices when buying a kiosk and you don’t necessarily have to break the bank:
“You have a lot of choices when it comes to kiosks. But it's not necessary to buy and install high-end, freestanding kiosks such as those found in public settings like retail stores, tourism offices, self-service government offices, where presentation plays an important role. For internal corporate use, the most cost effective way to offer PC-less employees basic access to the Internet, e-mail, and intranet, is by using inexpensive network appliances (sometimes referred to as network PCs) with little-to-no local processing power and storage, or a secured desktop computer. Shared printers can also be provided within proximity of the kiosk stations.
In order to set up a truly dedicated kiosk, you should consider the installation of third-party kiosk security and configuration software such as SiteKioskor NetStop Pro. They will enable you to configure browser behavior, mange what users will have access to, and specify the actions they're allowed to perform on the kiosk stations.”
In establishing in-house kiosks Chin recommends eight key priorities:
1. Network Membership – integrate with existing corporate network (firewall, proxy servers, etc.)
2. Browser Access – lock down kiosk browser options
3. Preventing Software Installations – lock down any software downloads or plug-in installations
4. Access to Kiosk Hardware – decide whether or not you want to allow use of CD-Roms, USB ports, etc.
5. Protecting the Underlying Operating System –NEVER allow access the underlying O/S.
6. Implement a Timeout – configured to automatically log users off after a pre-determined period of inactivity (e.g. 20 minutes)
7. Number of Kiosks – how many do you need? (e.g. one per 50 – 100 employees)
8. Location of the Kiosks – never place in high traffic areas, near heavy machinery, or in overly noisy areas
One other thing: this is the intranet and anonymity is not an option.
