Intranets are one of the most valuable assets for any large organisation. They can, after all, help people do their jobs better and more efficiently, yet so many intranets offer such poor usability. Follow these guidelines and help your employees find what they're looking for more quickly and easily.
Structuring intranets
The most common way to structure an intranet site is according to an organisation's structure - its departments. Although this approach appears to make sense, a problem arises when users don't know under which department's remit their issue/query falls.
This issue will, of course, become increasingly problematic with larger organisations that may have higher staff turnover rates and/or more complicated structures.
The only real way to be confident in your site's structure is to conduct card sorting sessions, which will actually find out how employees perceive/think about the site's content.
We would generally recommend not to introduce sub-sites unless there is a compelling business case for doing so. Offering sub-sites (according to country or department, for example) can be a good way for an organisation to show sensitivity to such these groups. It does however have the disadvantage of increasing the number of potential places a piece of information might be.
Designing intranets
The intranet should look and behave in a consistent way (rather than, for instance, different departments having radically different graphic designs and navigation systems). Having an intranet that changes its appearance and behaviour between sections disorientates users and can introduce doubts into their minds as to whether or not all sections are as reliable and current as each other.
A good solution can be to create a standard page template with certain fixed characteristics, such as:
* Font
* Navigation
* Graphic design
* Page structure
Another interesting point we have noticed from usability testing studies is that an organisation's intranet should be easily and quickly distinguishable from its public-facing website (i.e. look different). Failing to do this can lead to employees becoming confused as to which 'world they are in' (and could even lead to customers being sent inward-facing and commercially-sensitive documentation).
How intranets should treat their content
It's important that any intranet makes it absolutely clear what information it does and doesn't provide. It's also important that the intranet's relationship with the organisation's other information-resources should be made clear (e.g. what sort of information appears on the intranet vs. what sort of information is on the fileshare).
In general, a piece of information should only appear in one location on the intranet (although it can obviously be linked to from many different parts of the site). The 2 main advantages of this approach are that it:
* Reduces the need for keeping multiple versions current and accurate
* Avoids potential user-uncertainty about which instance of a piece of content is relevant to a user
Managing intranets
Most successful intranets we've encountered have been governed by a strong, central team. This is absolutely necessary in order to provide an intranet with a clear and cohesive approach.
Although authorship and content-ownership can - and very often should - be devolved throughout the business, the management of the intranet itself needs to be the direct responsibility of a dedicated team. (In exactly the same way as the site's external-facing website should be.)
'Bookmarking' functionality
Intranets tend to be very large repositories of information where it can be difficult to find what you're looking for. Because of this, many users like to bookmark intranet pages, so that they know they will be able to find them again.
A common problem with bookmarks, however, is that once a person accesses a site from a new computer, bookmarks tend to be lost (because they're stored on the individual's computer). One way round this is to allow users to create 'intranet profiles' which contain online bookmarks that they'll be able to save and then access from any computer.
In order to make sure your pages have meaningful bookmarks, it's also important to write descriptive and helpful page titles (browsers take the default wording for a Bookmark from a page's TITLE tag).
Employee directory
We consistently find that one of the most popular reasons for an organisation's intranet is to find out how to contact fellow-employees. For this reason, you should always provide a dedicated central employee directory on your intranet.
Access to this directory should be provided from every page on the site and it should include all employees' details. There should be one place that people can go and be confident of finding any colleague they need to.
Support different ways of searching and browsing
You should also bear in mind that people will not always be able to provide the full name of the person they're looking for. You may have to allow users to search/browse according to:
* Departments people work for (e.g. “I met someone from ‘Finance’ the other day but can't remember their name”)
* Job titles and/or responsibilities (e.g. “Who writes the company newsletter?”)
* Phonetic spelling of a name (e.g. “I'm looking for a Spanish colleague whose first name is pronounced ‘Hymie’”)
* First name (e.g. “I'm looking for Bob in Accounts”)
* Common name-variants (e.g. A man christened Alexander might also be known to his colleagues as Alex, Alec and/or Al)
Employee details
The details which the directory returns on an employee should seek to be as helpful as possible. Some of the most important details include:
* E-mail address
* Department
* Phone number (both for internal and outside dialing)
* Location
* Job titles and main responsibilities (including any pages the person is responsible for on the intranet)
* Photo
* Manager
Local office information
For some organisations it's important to help employees visiting an office for the first time (e.g. for a regional meeting). In such cases, we have found the following information to be very useful:
* Full address
* Contact telephone number
* Maps and a picture of the building
* Transport
* Hotels and restaurants
* Currency and time zone information
http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/intranet-usability.asp
Sunday, February 4, 2007
HERE COMES THE INTRANET
In the brief annals of doing business on the Internet, Federal Express Corp.'s customer Web site has become a legendary success story. The package-delivery giant, which moves 2.4 million pieces every day, put up a server in November, 1994, on the World Wide Web that gave customers a direct window into FedEx' package-tracking database. By letting 12,000 customers per day click their way through Web pages to pinpoint their parcels--instead of asking a human operator to do it for them--FedEx was soon saving up to $2 million a year by some estimates.
``We saw the success of the package-tracking site and said, `Wow, I wonder what we could do on the inside?''' says Susan Goeldner, manager of Internet Technology for Federal Express. The answer: a lot. Today there are 60 Web sites running inside the company, most created for and by employees. Next, as part of a companywide Web push, FedEx is equipping its 30,000 office employees around the world with Web browsers so they will have access to a slew of new sites being set up inside the company's Memphis headquarters.
``FIRE WALLS.'' FedEx is not alone. After getting their feet wet with public Web sites that promote company products and services, corporations are seizing the Web as a swift way to streamline--even transform--their organizations. These private Nets, or ``intranets,'' use the infrastructure and standards of the Internet and the World Wide Web but are cordoned off from the public Internet through software programs known as ``fire walls'': Employees can venture out onto the Net, but unauthorized users can't come in.
The Web, it turns out, is an inexpensive yet powerful alternative to other forms of internal communications, including conventional computer setups. One of an intranet's most obvious virtues is its ability to slash the need for paper. Because Web browsers run on any type of computer, the same electronic information can be viewed by any employee. That means all sorts of documents--internal phone books, procedure manuals, training materials, requisition forms--can be converted to electronic form on the Web and constantly updated for almost nothing.
But intranets can do something far more important. By presenting information in the same way to every computer, they can do what computer and software makers have frequently promised but never actually delivered: pull all the computers, software, and databases that dot the corporate landscape into a single system that enables employees find information wherever it resides.
Universal reach, of course, is what made the Internet grow so rapidly in the first place. But Net enthusiasts tended to focus on how to link far-flung people and businesses. ``When the Internet caught on, people weren't looking at it as a way to run their businesses,'' says Tom Richardson, marketing manager of Digital Equipment Corp.'s Internet Business Group. ``But that is in fact what's happening.''
And it's happening with amazing speed. Just as the simple act of putting millions of computers around the world on speaking terms fomented the Internet revolution, connecting all the islands of information in a corporation via an intranet is sparking unprecedented collaboration. ``The intranet has broken down the walls within corporations,'' says Steven P. Jobs, CEO of NeXT Computer Inc.
From AT&T to Levi Strauss to 3M, hundreds of companies are putting together intranets. At Compaq Computer Corp., employees tap into a Web server to reallocate investments in their 401(k) plans. At Ford Motor Co., an intranet linking design centers in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. helped engineers craft the 1996 Taurus. Scientists working in fields such as genetics and biotechnology credit intranets with allowing them to share information with colleagues and quickly sift through volumes of data that might have taken days to find in the past.
Across the business world, employees from engineers to office workers are creating their own home pages and sharing details of their projects with the rest of the company. At National Semiconductor Corp., for instance, an engineer rigged a home page that lets his department schedule meetings online. ``It's like a thousand flowers blooming,'' says Frank Dietrich, corporate Web systems manager at Silicon Graphics Inc., whose 7,200 employees have access to 144,000 Web pages stored on 800 internal Web sites.
All this has not been lost on the software industry, which has been reinventing itself ever since the Internet and the World Wide Web hit. At first, software makers focused on Web browsers and other programs aimed at making the Web a consumer medium. But lately, with Net commerce getting off to a slow start, software makers are chasing a more immediate opportunity in helping corporate customers build intranets.
Market researcher Zona Research Inc. in Redwood City, Calif., predicts that sales of software to run intranet servers will shoot to more than $4 billion in 1997, from $476 million last year. In 1998, Zona says the figure will hit $8 billion, four times the size of the Internet server business. And that doesn't include all the applications packages, programming tools, and other pieces that go into intranets. No wonder Netscape, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Computer Associates, and nearly everybody in the software business is rushing out intranet products. ``Intranets are huge,'' says Sun CEO Scott G. McNealy.
WAKE-UP CALL. They're tapping a ready market. Not only do corporations already have the networking infrastructure--and the money to actually pay for software--but they also crave technology that finally gets information out of the arcane world of databases into a format anyone can use (page 82). A survey by Forrester Research Inc. of 50 major corporations found that 16% have an intranet in place and 50% either plan to or are considering building one. ``People woke up one morning and realized they had all the pieces in place,'' says Paul D. Callahan, director of the researcher's network strategies service.
The intranet provides an opportunity for software makers to revitalize their businesses and another chance for companies that were left behind by previous techno-trends to get ahead. But it also poses a big threat to dozens of companies and products. Suddenly, the Web provides a simple way to do things that in the past required gobs of complex code and specialized programs. The first company to find this out was Lotus Development Corp., which has had to defend its Notes program--a powerful system for helping workers collaborate across networks--in the face of cheaper Web alternatives.
Notes may be just the first product to feel the squeeze. Companies such as SAP, the $1.9 billion German software maker, have risen to the top ranks of the industry with complicated programs to paper over the differences among computer systems. Now, at least in theory, the Web can do much the same job--faster and for a lot less. ``The question is, should we wait [for SAP] or do something with the Web?'' says Todd Carlson, chief information officer at Electronic Data Systems Corp., which has begun a two-year, multimillion-dollar deployment of enterprise software from SAP in Europe but is considering using the Web to get at some of the same data.
It's not just the cost of buying Notes or SAP's R/3 and paying programmers to customize and maintain it. The other factor tipping the scales toward the intranet approach is the cost of training. Not only has the Web's HTML (hypertext markup language) standard emerged as a universal electronic communications medium but it also serves as a standard user interface. By now, millions of PC users have become familiar with the drill: Click on a blue, highlighted word or a graphical button and jump to another Web page. To retrace your steps, simply click on an arrow at the top of the screen. All Web pages, no matter what their appearance, work this way. It requires little if any training--and makes finding electronic information simple enough for everyone in a company.
Another plus for intranets is the relatively low cost of ownership. Because the same basic programming can be used on lots of different kinds of hardware, corporations will need fewer programmers to write and maintain software.
Intranets, however, aren't the magic bullet for every software ill. Nothing on the Web can replace the complex business programs that have been refined over many years--yet. And companies may still opt for the unimpeachable security of conventional programs.
But software makers have seen the handwriting. As Lotus is doing, companies such as SAP are adapting their products for the Web--before Web upstarts begin to encroach. ``It will become increasingly important for SAP and others to `webize' their software,'' says J. Neil Weintraut, an analyst with Hambrecht & Quist. ``In five years, the term Web software will be redundant.''
For now, most intranet Web sites are used for basic information sharing: publishing job listings, benefits information, and phone directories, for example. Some of these simple information-sharing setups already provide strategic advantage, though. Cap Gemini's Knowledge Galaxy is a giant repository of technical information that helps the consulting firm respond more quickly to customers, for example (page 83).
More sophisticated intranets are coming. They will let employees fill out electronic forms, query corporate databases, or hold virtual conferences over private Webs. Corporate information systems managers are ``just now seeing [the Web] as the next step in application development and distribution,'' says Greg Sherwood, National Semiconductor's Web coordinator and chairman of the chipmaker's World Wide Web council.
For a taste of the future, check out Silicon Graphics. The maker of high-end graphics workstations began using the Web internally almost as soon as Mosaic, the original Web browser, was born. The company started out with the basics--publishing information electronically and making it available to employees at the company's Mountain View (Calif.) headquarters and around the world. Today, says Dietrich, ``there's barely a piece of information that's not online.''
But Silicon Graphics didn't stop there. Using its intranet, dubbed Silicon Junction, the company today accomplishes such feats as making accessible more than two dozen corporate databases that employees can traverse by clicking on bright-blue hyperlinks. Previously, to get the same information, an employee had to submit a request to a staff of specially trained experts who then would extract the requested data from the company's databases--a process that could take several days.
SGI also regularly sends video and audio feeds to employees around the world on the Net. When President Clinton visited SGI's headquarters in February, 1993, employees around the world tuned in via the intranet. ``We're using the Web to expand the horizons of all of our employees,'' says Dietrich.
Most people don't work at a place where they put an $5,000-plus workstation on every desk. But the same capabilities that Silicon Graphics employees enjoy now are coming to ordinary desktop PCs.
The challenge--and opportunity--for the software industry is to come up with programs and Web-development tools to make such sophisticated intranet applications possible at all sorts of companies. The first requirement: ``tools'' that make it possible for anyone to create Web content. The HTML format, the lingua franca of the Web, can be clunky. So software makers are flooding the market with programming packages that mask the complexities of HTML. The market for Web-authoring tools was just $2 million last year. It will hit $300 million by the end of the decade, predicts Hambrecht & Quist.
THE NEXT STEP. Electronic publishing pioneer Adobe Systems has sold more than 30,000 copies of PageMill, an HTML-authoring tool, since December. Microsoft has given away thousands of copies of Internet Assistant, a program that converts Word documents to HTML, and is readying an update to Microsoft Office with built-in HTML authoring. On Jan. 16, it acquired Vermeer Technologies Inc., a startup that makes easy-to-use Web tools, for an estimated $130 million.
The next step is software to take the Web beyond static pages. Today, most pages contain canned information that can be viewed but not manipulated. With the right programming, however, a page can become interactive--an easy-to-use, fill-in-the-blank system for database queries, for example.
Some leading-edge companies, including SGI, Federal Express, and EDS, have already built such setups. But they had to hand-code the database links in an esoteric language called ``perl.'' Software makers are now coming up with programs that will make it much easier to assemble custom Web applications that can work with existing systems. Steve Jobs's NeXT, for example, has a new line of programs called WebObjects, which can crank out custom Web pages on the fly. That's helping companies such as DreamWorks SKG quickly get intranets up and running. Computer Associates International Inc., the $3 billion supplier of systems software, has a program called Jasmine that, like NeXT's WebObjects, uses object-oriented software to create custom Web applications.
In terms of Web buzz, nothing tops Java, the promising programming language developed at Sun Microsystems. Java provides a way of writing small software ``applets'' that can be zapped across the Net to do little tasks such as calculating an expense report or displaying fresh stock prices. Companies including Borland International and Symantec Inc. are coming out with development ``environments'' for Java. Sun itself is drafting extensions to the programming language that enable Java programs to fetch data from corporate databases, making it suitable for all sorts of corporate applications, says Alan Baratz, president of Sun's JavaSoft unit.
Because of their sealed borders, intranets are ideal for testing the idea of electronic distribution of software--Java applets or updates of entire programs. Many companies are already putting applets and other bits of software on internal Web sites so they can be shared by programmers. At Hewlett-Packard Co., software writers now check what's in a ``software vending machine'' before writing new code.
Not surprisingly, the intranet is a magnet for startups. Much of the entrepreneurial energy is focused on meshing Web systems with existing systems. Spider Technologies has a program that lets companies graphically link their databases with Web sites. Maximum Information Inc.'s WebC family of programs help corporate software developers integrate Web systems into existing computer setups. Another newcomer, HAHT Software Inc., makes a development tool called HAHTSITE for Web systems that can pull information from corporate databases. And Edify Corp. and BusinessWeb both aim to link companies' business applications, such as customer service or sales, with the Web.
The Web is still not suited for ``mission-critical'' applications such as order processing or accounting. But in the high-speed world of Internet development, that may not be true for long. Gradient Technologies Inc. in Marlboro, Mass., and WayFarer Communications in Mountain View, Calif., are two startups working on that challenge. The basic problem, says WayFarer CEO Edward Colby, is that Web servers weren't designed for high-speed transactions, things like getting a credit authorization. WayFarer's QuickServer uses its own messaging protocol to speed up transactions (basically messages between databases) and juggle high-volume database requests.
When the fledgling software companies talk of mission-critical computers, they're aiming at the entrenched home markets of the giants: IBM, Sun, Digital Equipment, and Microsoft. For now, at least, the odds are heavily in favor of the incumbents. Consumers surfing the Web may gamble on the latest software they can download. But corporations want to know that they're getting their intranet technology from someone they can trust. John Whiteside, head of IBM's Global Network, hopes to translate that sentiment into a billion dollars in business this year. ``Every single one of our customers is asking for something in terms of an intranet,'' he says.
Companies such as Oracle and Sybase Inc., which make powerful database systems--the lifeblood of a corporation--are also well-positioned. Sybase is testing a program called Web.SQL, which links Web servers with databases from Sybase and others, and Oracle is set to release new server and database programs for the Web.
Longstanding customer relationships give the big guys a foot in the door, but they have to deliver the goods, too. That's why Microsoft is now focusing all its energies there--especially on the intranet segment, where it needs to succeed to hold on to its lead in operating systems and applications. Declaring in December that ``the sleeping giant has awakened,'' Microsoft executives unveiled a broad Internet effort.
This month, Microsoft made a splashy entry into the market for Web-server software, the basic programs for intranets. Until now, the Web software market has operated on a novel formula: Companies charge little or nothing for the basic browser program and make up the difference by charging full fare for server programs. Microsoft, however, is giving away both its Internet Information Server program and its browser on the Net. The server software will also be bundled at no extra cost with Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. Dozens of computer makers, including Compaq, HP, and Digital Equipment, plan to ship the software with their servers. ``Basically, we're gonna drop this thing from airplanes,'' says James E. Allchin, senior vice-president of Microsoft's Business Systems Div.
The carpet-bombing could quickly turn Microsoft from an Internet laggard to an Internet leader. After two years, Windows NT has become a leading operating system for the kind of small-scale servers used on local-area networks. Now, those machines are likely to become intranet servers, too. In addition to basic Web server software, Microsoft's free Internet Information Server includes security features and the ability to connect to corporate databases.
That has sent an alarm across the industry. Microsoft's tactics--it is building Web capabilities into all of its programs--could really shake up the Web software market just as companies are starting to make money. ``Microsoft has spoiled the party,'' says Forrester Research's Callahan. The decision to give away the Web server ``was a masterstroke'' and ``a crushing blow'' to rivals, he says. Microsoft insists that building in the server program is not sinister but part of the natural evolution of operating-system software. ``We view it as a native part of the [operating system],'' says Allchin.
Still, Microsoft's Net plans have raised the interest of the Justice Dept. As part of an ongoing investigation into the company's business practices, Justice lawyers are looking into Microsoft's acquisition of Vermeer. ``We're quite confident they'll realize there is no issue there,'' says Pete Higgins, a Microsoft group vice-president.
Who will be hurt by Microsoft's Net push? Netscape, which charges a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for server programs, is the obvious target. The company's stock sank $4, or 6%, on Microsoft's Feb. 12 announcement. But Netscape is not as dependent on server sales as it had expected to be. To build intranets, companies are installing thousands of copies of the Netscape Navigator browser--and paying for them so they get customer service. And because Navigator is the de facto standard, analysts expect strong sales to continue, despite Microsoft's browser giveaway.
Netscape shrugs off the challenge from the north. ``It has not impacted our sales,'' says co-founder Marc Andreessen. Still, Netscape is running as fast as it can. It is rushing out new versions of its Web-server programs--with new pricing--next month. And the latest update of Navigator adds features such as ``frames,'' a Windows-like way to display multiple pages on a screen, E-mail, and built-in security to validate a user's identity. It also includes a scheme for plugging in companion programs, such as Adobe's Acrobat document viewer and Progressive Network's audio player, to round out the browser's features.
A HORSE RACE. At the same time, Netscape is pushing into new areas that will appeal to the intranet crowd. Last September, it bought Collabra, a maker of groupware programs that have some, but not all, of the capabilities of Lotus Notes. And on Jan. 31, Netscape said it would acquire InSoft Inc. for around $160 million. InSoft's technology enables teams to collaborate via audio and video over the Net and will lay the foundation for Netscape's LiveMedia, an industry-supported framework for delivering real-time, multimedia services over the Web.
Can Netscape keep ahead when dozens of startups, Microsoft, and everybody else in the business is on its heels? Maybe not. But it certainly makes an enjoyable spectacle for corporations planning their futures around intranets: Hundreds of rivals striving to come up with better Web software can only make those intranets come to life sooner. As the man said: Let a thousand flowers bloom.
http://www.businessweek.com/1996/09/b34641.htm
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Intranet: Creating An In-House Internet
To describe the Internet in its simplest form, you could call it a network of networks. Each network that is part of the Internet is connected to other networks, which is what makes the Internet so powerful. You can jump from topic to topic with ease, and you can access an unmatched variety of topics. In fact, with the advent of graphical World Wide Web browsers and other Internet management tools, some people would say navigating the Internet is easier than weaving through their company's local-area network (LAN). It isn't too surprising, then, that many companies are replacing LANs with intranets. Rather than using a traditional network configuration, intranet users connect to an internal site, like one you would find on the Web, and can perform all of their work within the site. Think of an intranet as a company's "Internet." Intranet users also can easily connect to the Internet. Companies that have switched to an intranet configuration say they save money while giving their employees more access to company-wide and worldwide information. Industry experts say intranets are amazingly popular; new use of intranets by businesses is outpacing new use of the Internet by about 10 to 1. The rise of intranets will change the way many people work. We will explain how intranets work and discuss some of the potential changes they will cause in the workplace. (To learn who is using intranets and how they're using them, see the sidebar "Intranet In Use.")
http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/a
http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/a
Setting up an Intranet Router The Beginning
Setting up an Intranet Router
This article is the first in a series, covering how to set up an intranet router which will allow anyone on the intranet (be it an office or a home) to dial up to the internet, allow web access, and receiving of mail. It assumes the intranet consists of various clients running assorted operating systems, from Windows to Linux, and knowledge of the fundamentals of TCP/IP.
The first decision to be made is that of what IP addresses to use. There is a RFC - internet ``standard'' which defines a range of IP addresses which are non-routed - that is, aren't directly connected or routed onto the internet.
The ranges defined by RFC 1597 are as follows:
192.168.x.x 10.x.x.x 172.16.x.x -> 172.31.x.x
A good choice for a LAN is 192.168.x.y, where x is a number chosen at random. The router then should be 192.168.x.1, as this is easy to remember.
Client machines will then use the following settings:
IPaddress: 192.168.x.y # where 1 > y < 254 Broadcast: 192.168.x.255 Network: 192.168.x.0 Netmask: 255.255.255.0
It is also necessary to select a domain name for your intranet - you can either choose a subdomain of your ISP / company, or use an obviously fake one, such as .intranet, or .homenet. The advantages of using a subdomain is that if any hostnames do leak out, it is easy to track back to a valid address and notify a responsible person. Choosing a fake domain, however, means that if somehow there is a security breach, it is harder for someone to track it back to the original host, which means other people can't take advantage of it.
Choosing hostnames for all of the machines in the intranet is also important - it makes it easier to specify which machine you are talking about, and also means less confusion when looking at logs, or when specifying what host is allowed to do what. Thinking of names for all your hosts is sometimes not easy, however - it is helpful to pick a naming scheme, and stick to it. Examples of this is planets, colours, or other similar schemes - see RFC 1178 for more examples.
Now it is time to decide what type of access the clients will have. Whether the intranet is in a home environment, or an office environment, it is important to specify, even informally, what access is allowed. It may be as simple as ``all access is allowed'', or as restrictive as only allowing access to certain hosts on certain ports.
Assuming you have some form of connection to an ISP, which provides you with only one IP address, there are a few ways of providing access to the internet. One is to get your ISP to route some IP addresses to your router - this is only necessary if you have some requirements for direct internet access to each host, and is sometimes expensive.
A possibly better approach is either to provide access by application level proxies - ie, no actual connectivity to the internet from the hosts and the clients use proxies on the router to access the resources they require. The other is to use network address translation (NAT) - the most common way of providing this under linux is ip masquerading - this hides the addresses of the clients, and makes any connections appear to be coming from the router - hence you only need one ip address.
Addtionally, it is also necessary to think of what services the intranet will be providing. Possibly useful services to provide are a dns server - Bind, a dhcp server, a web proxy - Squid, and a mail server - Sendmail, Exim or any of the many other mailservers.
Other useful services, while not strictly necessary for internet connectivity, are Apache, to provide web content, Samba, to provide file services for Windows machines, NTP for time sycronisation.
As you can see, there is more to providing access to the internet for an intranet than simply giving access - there is much to be gained from thinking about what access is required, and what extra services you provide. With a little bit of thought, it is possible to provide the desired access securely.
http://linux.omnipotent.net/article.php?article_id=4318
This article is the first in a series, covering how to set up an intranet router which will allow anyone on the intranet (be it an office or a home) to dial up to the internet, allow web access, and receiving of mail. It assumes the intranet consists of various clients running assorted operating systems, from Windows to Linux, and knowledge of the fundamentals of TCP/IP.
The first decision to be made is that of what IP addresses to use. There is a RFC - internet ``standard'' which defines a range of IP addresses which are non-routed - that is, aren't directly connected or routed onto the internet.
The ranges defined by RFC 1597 are as follows:
192.168.x.x 10.x.x.x 172.16.x.x -> 172.31.x.x
A good choice for a LAN is 192.168.x.y, where x is a number chosen at random. The router then should be 192.168.x.1, as this is easy to remember.
Client machines will then use the following settings:
IPaddress: 192.168.x.y # where 1 > y < 254 Broadcast: 192.168.x.255 Network: 192.168.x.0 Netmask: 255.255.255.0
It is also necessary to select a domain name for your intranet - you can either choose a subdomain of your ISP / company, or use an obviously fake one, such as .intranet, or .homenet. The advantages of using a subdomain is that if any hostnames do leak out, it is easy to track back to a valid address and notify a responsible person. Choosing a fake domain, however, means that if somehow there is a security breach, it is harder for someone to track it back to the original host, which means other people can't take advantage of it.
Choosing hostnames for all of the machines in the intranet is also important - it makes it easier to specify which machine you are talking about, and also means less confusion when looking at logs, or when specifying what host is allowed to do what. Thinking of names for all your hosts is sometimes not easy, however - it is helpful to pick a naming scheme, and stick to it. Examples of this is planets, colours, or other similar schemes - see RFC 1178 for more examples.
Now it is time to decide what type of access the clients will have. Whether the intranet is in a home environment, or an office environment, it is important to specify, even informally, what access is allowed. It may be as simple as ``all access is allowed'', or as restrictive as only allowing access to certain hosts on certain ports.
Assuming you have some form of connection to an ISP, which provides you with only one IP address, there are a few ways of providing access to the internet. One is to get your ISP to route some IP addresses to your router - this is only necessary if you have some requirements for direct internet access to each host, and is sometimes expensive.
A possibly better approach is either to provide access by application level proxies - ie, no actual connectivity to the internet from the hosts and the clients use proxies on the router to access the resources they require. The other is to use network address translation (NAT) - the most common way of providing this under linux is ip masquerading - this hides the addresses of the clients, and makes any connections appear to be coming from the router - hence you only need one ip address.
Addtionally, it is also necessary to think of what services the intranet will be providing. Possibly useful services to provide are a dns server - Bind, a dhcp server, a web proxy - Squid, and a mail server - Sendmail, Exim or any of the many other mailservers.
Other useful services, while not strictly necessary for internet connectivity, are Apache, to provide web content, Samba, to provide file services for Windows machines, NTP for time sycronisation.
As you can see, there is more to providing access to the internet for an intranet than simply giving access - there is much to be gained from thinking about what access is required, and what extra services you provide. With a little bit of thought, it is possible to provide the desired access securely.
http://linux.omnipotent.net/article.php?article_id=4318
Web Wise: Building and operating your company's intranet
If you're tired of writing e-mails to your employees in order to communicate with everyone, why not produce an intranet--a private, company-only Web site that can be your communications headquarters? An intranet is an internal company Web site, meant to be used by you and your company employees only-no outside visitors. It's your virtual private network.
You can either host it on your own internal server or, if you have employees in other locations, make it a browser-based intranet. Password-protect it and write the code to exclude robots so Google's crawler won't come and index your intranet into their Search Engine.
Productivity of your management team and employees increases simply because there's one place to go to get the latest and most accurate information. No more scattered documents or old e-mails to wade through. Simply log in with a password, go to the appropriate link and click on the category you need in your company archive. Search by category, department or keyword.
For instance, if your marketing department needs everyone's input on your next advertising campaign, the design team can post their creations to their department's section in your intranet. Posting documents online saves the cost of printing and mailing. Everyone can view and post their comments in a forum for all to read and post their comments, too.
This gives your people power. When everyone's opinion is allowed and in fact, encouraged, everyone feels more valued. When your people feel they are a valuable part of your company, their productivity will increase. Your company culture becomes collaborative and everyone is more willing to share ideas.
Be careful how you go about building your intranet. Just like a Web site, an intranet should have strategy laid out before any programming begins. Review what data is currently being passed, who needs it and why. Take time to interview people to get a clear picture of how information flows no--in the paper world--so that when you translate it to the digital world, the process is improved, rather than muddled.
Be sure to include "last updated" dates on pages so everyone knows how recent the data is. Make sure they know what's involved with posting the information. If they know what the process is, they'll be a little more patient if the process gets interrupted or interfered with.
Even though no one outside the company will see your intranet, it's important to design the look-and-feel to be appealing to your internal customers-your employees. Just like you make your office environment nice to work in, make your intranet nice to work in, too.
Just like the Internet has given easy and fast access to information for anyone with a connection, your company intranet can do the same for your employees. When your people have easy, quick access to vital company information, everyone feels they are truly a part of your organization and productivity goes up. More productivity means increased revenue.
http://www.dagamawebstudio.com/articles/article_web_wise_lori_gama_white_8_17_05.html
You can either host it on your own internal server or, if you have employees in other locations, make it a browser-based intranet. Password-protect it and write the code to exclude robots so Google's crawler won't come and index your intranet into their Search Engine.
Productivity of your management team and employees increases simply because there's one place to go to get the latest and most accurate information. No more scattered documents or old e-mails to wade through. Simply log in with a password, go to the appropriate link and click on the category you need in your company archive. Search by category, department or keyword.
For instance, if your marketing department needs everyone's input on your next advertising campaign, the design team can post their creations to their department's section in your intranet. Posting documents online saves the cost of printing and mailing. Everyone can view and post their comments in a forum for all to read and post their comments, too.
This gives your people power. When everyone's opinion is allowed and in fact, encouraged, everyone feels more valued. When your people feel they are a valuable part of your company, their productivity will increase. Your company culture becomes collaborative and everyone is more willing to share ideas.
Be careful how you go about building your intranet. Just like a Web site, an intranet should have strategy laid out before any programming begins. Review what data is currently being passed, who needs it and why. Take time to interview people to get a clear picture of how information flows no--in the paper world--so that when you translate it to the digital world, the process is improved, rather than muddled.
Be sure to include "last updated" dates on pages so everyone knows how recent the data is. Make sure they know what's involved with posting the information. If they know what the process is, they'll be a little more patient if the process gets interrupted or interfered with.
Even though no one outside the company will see your intranet, it's important to design the look-and-feel to be appealing to your internal customers-your employees. Just like you make your office environment nice to work in, make your intranet nice to work in, too.
Just like the Internet has given easy and fast access to information for anyone with a connection, your company intranet can do the same for your employees. When your people have easy, quick access to vital company information, everyone feels they are truly a part of your organization and productivity goes up. More productivity means increased revenue.
http://www.dagamawebstudio.com/articles/article_web_wise_lori_gama_white_8_17_05.html
Going for the Gold
Though he’s exhausted, he still takes one last run, weaving around flags in the snow. Coaches scrutinize each move. What is two-tenths of a second to this Olympic downhill skier in training? The difference between the silver and the gold medal. In your business, as you strive to save time and money, here are two ideas you can implement: keyboard shortcuts and a business intranet.
First, there are keyboard shortcuts: efficient, keystroke combinations that perform routine commands without the mouse. Using these saves time and physical strain; you aren’t fumbling around to use your mouse and follow the cursor on your monitor. Although there are dozens of shortcuts in Windows applications, here are a few common ones.
To begin with, use CTRL+S to frequently save your work. Why? Imagine the pit in your stomach when the power suddenly goes out at 4:30 in the afternoon and your two hours of unsaved work is lost and gone forever. Second, to undo the last action you completed—like accidentally deleting a huge section of text—use CTRL+Z. Third, navigate between open applications by pressing the ALT key and the TAB key. This is a great asset when you’re toggling between open applications to copy (CTRL+C) and paste (CTRL+V) text or graphics. Finally, press F1 to open an application’s online help system. By searching for the word “shortcuts,” you may be amazed at how many ways you can conserve time and energy using only the keyboard.
Shortcut keys are great for business environments where specific actions are frequently repeated—such as copying and pasting text from the Internet into Microsoft Word. For example, consider four employees, each using only two keyboard shortcuts an hour. A conservative savings of one second each operation translates into a collective savings of about 20 minutes a month. Using keyboard shortcuts build user confidence and shave time off one’s “personal best.”
A second significant way to conserve time and improve quality is to implement a company intranet—a closed system in which data is shared only between fellow employees. This is best explained by comparing two businesses—one with a corporate intranet, and one without. In both scenarios, an employee must fax a notification letter to a client.
In Office A, an employee begins the process by locating an existing notification letter on his workstation. He then copies and renames the document in Microsoft Word. After retrieving the client’s folder from the filing cabinet behind his desk, he opens the summary page listing the client’s information. He then carefully copies the information into his document—typing the address, greeting, date, and pertinent details. He checks his desk calendar to count out 10 business days in the future, and enters that date as the required response date. Once the letter is complete, he saves the document and prints out the letter to the shared office printer. After a walk down the hall, he picks up the letter at the printer, turns around to the other side of the room, and transmits the letter on the fax machine. When the paper has passed through the unit he returns to his desk, writes the current time on the letter, and returns the folder with the letter to the filing cabinet. Total cost: 15 minutes with potentially an inaccurate letter, an incomplete fax transmission, and no clear record of the event.
By way of contrast, the employee in Office B begins with her business intranet already open in her browser. In her custom “Clients” window she selects the client’s name from an alphabetical list. In the next window, she chooses the “Generate Notification Fax” button. Immediately, the client’s information is retrieved from the database—including account number, name, and address. The current date is automatically entered and the response date of 10 business days is also calculated (also accounting for the upcoming business holiday). All this data is seamlessly incorporated into a notification-letter template for her final review. Once approved, she chooses the Send button and the client’s fax number is dialed from the computer using integrated fax software. The letter is successfully sent and the details are added to the database as an audit trail. Total time: 15 seconds with accurate information and a detailed journal of the event.
Now consider if four employees in Office A each send one such fax a day, and the same is done in Office B. In one month Office A will have spent 20 hours whereas Office B will have spent only 20 minutes. As a business owner, what would you do each month with nearly 20 more hours than your competition? Invest in new equipment? Expand your services? As an employee, what would you do with the time saved using shortcut keys? Handle an incoming call with greater calm or double-check a mathematical calculation? Whether it’s shaving off two seconds or 20 hours, go for the gold!
http://www.datadesignit.com/keyboard-shortcuts.html
First, there are keyboard shortcuts: efficient, keystroke combinations that perform routine commands without the mouse. Using these saves time and physical strain; you aren’t fumbling around to use your mouse and follow the cursor on your monitor. Although there are dozens of shortcuts in Windows applications, here are a few common ones.
To begin with, use CTRL+S to frequently save your work. Why? Imagine the pit in your stomach when the power suddenly goes out at 4:30 in the afternoon and your two hours of unsaved work is lost and gone forever. Second, to undo the last action you completed—like accidentally deleting a huge section of text—use CTRL+Z. Third, navigate between open applications by pressing the ALT key and the TAB key. This is a great asset when you’re toggling between open applications to copy (CTRL+C) and paste (CTRL+V) text or graphics. Finally, press F1 to open an application’s online help system. By searching for the word “shortcuts,” you may be amazed at how many ways you can conserve time and energy using only the keyboard.
Shortcut keys are great for business environments where specific actions are frequently repeated—such as copying and pasting text from the Internet into Microsoft Word. For example, consider four employees, each using only two keyboard shortcuts an hour. A conservative savings of one second each operation translates into a collective savings of about 20 minutes a month. Using keyboard shortcuts build user confidence and shave time off one’s “personal best.”
A second significant way to conserve time and improve quality is to implement a company intranet—a closed system in which data is shared only between fellow employees. This is best explained by comparing two businesses—one with a corporate intranet, and one without. In both scenarios, an employee must fax a notification letter to a client.
In Office A, an employee begins the process by locating an existing notification letter on his workstation. He then copies and renames the document in Microsoft Word. After retrieving the client’s folder from the filing cabinet behind his desk, he opens the summary page listing the client’s information. He then carefully copies the information into his document—typing the address, greeting, date, and pertinent details. He checks his desk calendar to count out 10 business days in the future, and enters that date as the required response date. Once the letter is complete, he saves the document and prints out the letter to the shared office printer. After a walk down the hall, he picks up the letter at the printer, turns around to the other side of the room, and transmits the letter on the fax machine. When the paper has passed through the unit he returns to his desk, writes the current time on the letter, and returns the folder with the letter to the filing cabinet. Total cost: 15 minutes with potentially an inaccurate letter, an incomplete fax transmission, and no clear record of the event.
By way of contrast, the employee in Office B begins with her business intranet already open in her browser. In her custom “Clients” window she selects the client’s name from an alphabetical list. In the next window, she chooses the “Generate Notification Fax” button. Immediately, the client’s information is retrieved from the database—including account number, name, and address. The current date is automatically entered and the response date of 10 business days is also calculated (also accounting for the upcoming business holiday). All this data is seamlessly incorporated into a notification-letter template for her final review. Once approved, she chooses the Send button and the client’s fax number is dialed from the computer using integrated fax software. The letter is successfully sent and the details are added to the database as an audit trail. Total time: 15 seconds with accurate information and a detailed journal of the event.
Now consider if four employees in Office A each send one such fax a day, and the same is done in Office B. In one month Office A will have spent 20 hours whereas Office B will have spent only 20 minutes. As a business owner, what would you do each month with nearly 20 more hours than your competition? Invest in new equipment? Expand your services? As an employee, what would you do with the time saved using shortcut keys? Handle an incoming call with greater calm or double-check a mathematical calculation? Whether it’s shaving off two seconds or 20 hours, go for the gold!
http://www.datadesignit.com/keyboard-shortcuts.html
Friday, February 2, 2007
34 ideas for promoting your intranet
The promotion of an intranet is never-ending. From the day it's launched, through to its eventual retirement, an intranet must be constantly advertised to staff.
Without this, many staff will remain unaware that the intranet even exists. Others won't recognise the full value of the intranet, or use anything but a tiny corner of the site.
This article outlines 34 ideas for promoting an intranet, ranging from the obvious through to the very unusual. Somewhere in this list should be a few approaches that you can apply to your own intranet.
Intranet peers
All of the ideas listed in this article have been synthesised out of the topics discussed during the Intranet Peers in Government forums, held in Sydney and Canberra.
As such, these are practical approaches that have been tried in organisations, and recommended as successful.
Some promotional ideas
Intranet launch
The best time to raise the profile of the intranet is right at the outset. An intranet launch can take many forms, both large-scale or small.
Many of the ideas outlined in this document can be used in a coordinated fashion during the intranet launch. This 'big bang' approach works best when the intranet is able to deliver on the high level of expectation generated.
Even a small launch can be effective in making staff aware that a new method of finding answers is now available.
No launch
In stark comparison with the previous approach, many organisations have chosen to follow a 'no launch' or a 'promotion by stealth' approach.
In these organisations, staff have often become cynical of the promises made by IT projects, and the consistent failure to meet stated deadlines.
In these situations, a low-key rollout is often the most effective approach. Instead of a 'big bang' approach, more subtle techniques are used, often relying on word-of-mouth dissemination.
Defining intranet goals
Defining a clear and meaningful set of intranet goals is an important foundation for any promotional activities.
Having goals allows you to articulate an answer to the question: "What is this intranet for?".
Like the promotion of any product, it is vitally important to have a clear message. The intranet goals are the basis for defining the message that the intranet promotional activities are conveying.
Birthday celebrations
Celebrating the anniversary of the initial intranet launch provides an ideal opportunity for a concerted promotional campaign.
There are many ways of holding birthday celebrations. Some organisations chose to hold a big meeting, in which an actual cake is cut, and all the key stakeholders are invited.
Others update their intranets to reflect a birthday theme, or send out promotional materials.
One organisation, for example, scattered 20 birthday cake icons throughout the intranet, and the first ten people to find them all won a t-shirt. While humorous, this did expose people to sections of the intranet they had not previously visited.
Whatever the approach, the intranet's birthday provides a once-a-year story opportunity that shouldn't be missed.
Giving presentations
The visibility of the intranet must be maintained at every level of the organisation. For management and executive, presentations are typically the most effective way of communicating messages.
These may cover the intranet at a high level, explain specific initiatives, or new functionality.
Ensure these presentations are well-prepared and to the point.
E-mail links to intranet
A very effective marketing method is to replace e-mail attachments in global e-mails with links to the relevant page on the intranet.
In this way, the e-mails act as 'push' marketing of intranet resources. It also reduces the load on the e-mail systems.
This works well, for example, with news items and other announcements. Some education is required to encourage e- mail senders to reduce their reliance on attachments.
Using the communications team
The staff of internal communications or internal marketing teams are professionals who specialise in conveying targeted messages to the organisation.
Use this group as a resource to promote the intranet, and to further increase usage.
Brochures
Every intranet should be supported with a simple brochure outlining the key features and benefits, along with screenshots and URLs.
Beyond this, there are benefits to professionally producing a full-colour brochure. This presents a more compelling image, and is more likely to be noticed by staff.
Many organisations have an internal graphic arts department who can prepare such materials.
What's new e-mails
While new material may be frequently added to the intranet, staff may not be aware of this if they don't regularly visit the intranet homepage or 'what's new' section.
Instead, consider sending out a regular e-mail listing new information on the intranet, with links directly to the relevant pages.
These e-mails can be sent out weekly, fortnightly, or even monthly. In some organisations, staff rely solely on these e-mails to keep up-to-date with current information.
Automatically loading homepage
Throughout the organisation, every browser should have its homepage set to the intranet. That way, when the browser is opened by the user, the intranet is immediately presented.
Beyond this, some organisations have chosen to automatically launch the browser on login. This puts the intranet in front of users at the beginning of every day.
Many of these organisations have found this approach to be very successful, particularly when the intranet homepage changes frequently (such as presenting news, etc).
Displays in foyer
Posters or other displays in the main foyer of offices can attract the attention of staff arriving each morning.
These should feature high-impact designs that can be easily read from a distance. Large-format colour posters can be a practical way of achieving this.
'Footy tipping'
In those cultures where sport is an important institution, competitions such as 'footy tipping' are commonplace.
Implementing such competitions on the intranet have been listed as 'killer applications' by some intranet teams.
Once staff access the intranet, they are more likely to browse to other areas.
Letterhead and business cards
The intranet should be listed on all internal letterheads, business cards, newsletters, in fact any printed material that provides information.
In this way, the intranet is promoted as the primary source of information in the organisation. This 'ever-present' advertising can be quite effective over time.
Gimmicks and novelties
A wide range of promotional products have been used to increase awareness of the intranet. These include:
* t-shirts
* stickers
* balloons
* masks
* lollies and other confectionary
* mouse mats
While these can be effective, make sure you understand the culture of the organisation. Not all staff may be keen to be bombarded with such gimmicks.
Migrating key applications
By migrating key applications, staff can be forced to access the intranet. Examples often include leave forms and other HR functions.
Always ensure that the replacement web-based application is at least as capable and usable as the system it replaces. Otherwise, considerable staff frustration will be generated.
Killer apps
Many successful intranets have a few key 'killer applications' that drive overall interest and usage.
What these are depends entirely on the organisation and its staff. While some possible killer apps have been listed in this article, many others are possible.
Keep a look out for opportunities to develop these killer apps. It may be possible to meet a widespread need in the organisation, with only a few hours of development.
(Killer apps don't have to be large, in fact, many are small systems that target a very specific requirement.)
Promoting via the business
The business owners of specific sections can be co-opted to launch and promote their content. As the advertising comes from within the business, it can be more effective than that conducted by the central intranet team.
It also shares the burden of intranet marketing more widely.
Acronym finder
Most organisations are now awash with acronyms and jargon, much of which is not understood by both new and seasoned staff alike.
Several organisations have had considerable success with implementing a simple 'acronym finder' on the intranet.
Typing in an acronym brings back a brief definition. These definitions are submitted by the staff themselves, allowing the database to grow over time.
Staff training
While the intranet is built using standard web technology, and accessed via a web browser, this does not eliminate the need for training.
Depending on the nature of the organisation, many staff may be unfamiliar with the web, or with computers in general.
Providing end-user training has been demonstrated to increase the usage and effectiveness of the intranet.
Quote of the day
Any daily-changing information on the intranet, that is of broad interest, is a good way of promoting the intranet.
One organisation uses a humorous or controversial 'quote of the day' feature on the intranet to generate increased usage.
Staff profiles
Each week, some intranet teams post a profile of a staff member, selected from across the organisation. This may be a senior executive, down to a junior staff person.
This increases the sense of community within the organisation, and is an interesting talking point.
As variation on this, one organisation provides a number of hints, and runs a competition to guess who the staff member is. With the unusual nature of many of the hints, this generates wide interest.
Online condolence site
On the passing away of a much-loved chief executive, one organisation organised an impromptu 'condolence site', where staff could enter messages. This saw an outpouring of sympathy and grief from across the organisation.
Similarly, when bushfires swept through one city, several intranets became the primary way that staff kept abreast of what was happening.
While care must be taken to use such methods sensitively, tragedies and disasters do provide promotional opportunities.
Bulletin boards, discussion groups
Increasing the interactive aspects of an intranet can considerably increase usage and visibility.
Discussion groups, bulletin boards and other collaboration tools provide staff with a new mechanism for keeping in touch.
While the majority of these online forums are likely to be devoted to serious work issues, less formal areas, such as a 'buy and sell' area often prove to be very popular.
These collaborative tools also have the benefit of reducing the over-reliance on e-mails.
Staff induction
New starters are unfamiliar with the way the organisation works, and where to go for answers.
By including a meaningful section on the intranet in staff induction materials and activities, new staff can be trained to see the intranet as the primary information source in the organisation.
Sending a welcome message
Related to the previous idea, one intranet team automatically sends a 'welcome' message to all new staff, introducing them to the intranet.
Fixing browser settings
Depending on the state of the IT infrastructure, some users may not be able to access the intranet, due to incorrect proxy or other network settings.
Without a bookmark to the intranet, or having it set as the homepage, users are also likely to have difficulty.
While this is strictly the domain of the IT support desk, some intranet groups have found it valuable to spend time fixing the settings on individual workstations.
Over time, this considerably increases the potential audience for the intranet.
IT help desk
The IT help desk (or support desk) is an important ally in increasing intranet usage. By building bridges with this team, they can be encouraged to promote and support the intranet.
Naming the intranet
Having a catchy and memorable intranet name is a great way of promoting the intranet. It gives the intranet a clear identity, and makes it easier to refer to in documents, and in conversation.
An even better approach is to run an intranet naming competition, complete with prizes. This generates involvement from the entire organisation, and builds a greater sense of ownership.
This has been very successfully used in many organisations.
Providing telephone support
Offering unlimited telephone support may seem a daunting prospect for any intranet team, but it goes a long way to removing many barriers to staff usage.
Even a small intranet team of two found that while the initial number of calls was quite high, this fairly rapidly dropped off as staff became more accustomed to the intranet.
Better yet, by offering this service, they generated considerable goodwill and respect that was not quickly forgotten.
'E-mail this page'
Some intranets have provided an 'e-mail this page to a colleague' feature on every page, to considerable effect.
For one organisation, this was even listed as a 'killer app' that increased intranet usage more than any other initiative.
Gaining management support
If senior management see the intranet as a strategic asset, they will naturally promote its use.
A number of studies have shown that lack of management support and sponsorship is one the largest causes of project failure.
Conversely, if the intranet does have the required support, this will have a huge impact upon levels of usage, and long-term viability.
Spend time 'selling' the intranet to management, and ensuring that they understand its role within the organisation.
Training managers' PAs
Many senior staff rely entirely on their personal assistants (PAs) to look up information, and to use computing equipment.
For these key staff, training the PAs in how to make use of the intranet is the best way of having an impact.
Maximising the value of the homepage
The intranet homepage is the most valuable 'real-estate' on the entire site. Use this to present the most recent, and most useful, information on the intranet.
By maximising the value of the homepage, overall intranet usage can be increased.
Coordinated marketing plan
Finally, all of these activities should be integrated as part of a single marketing plan. This spells out what the message is, who it is being targeted at, and how it will be delivered.
http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_promoting/index.html
Without this, many staff will remain unaware that the intranet even exists. Others won't recognise the full value of the intranet, or use anything but a tiny corner of the site.
This article outlines 34 ideas for promoting an intranet, ranging from the obvious through to the very unusual. Somewhere in this list should be a few approaches that you can apply to your own intranet.
Intranet peers
All of the ideas listed in this article have been synthesised out of the topics discussed during the Intranet Peers in Government forums, held in Sydney and Canberra.
As such, these are practical approaches that have been tried in organisations, and recommended as successful.
Some promotional ideas
Intranet launch
The best time to raise the profile of the intranet is right at the outset. An intranet launch can take many forms, both large-scale or small.
Many of the ideas outlined in this document can be used in a coordinated fashion during the intranet launch. This 'big bang' approach works best when the intranet is able to deliver on the high level of expectation generated.
Even a small launch can be effective in making staff aware that a new method of finding answers is now available.
No launch
In stark comparison with the previous approach, many organisations have chosen to follow a 'no launch' or a 'promotion by stealth' approach.
In these organisations, staff have often become cynical of the promises made by IT projects, and the consistent failure to meet stated deadlines.
In these situations, a low-key rollout is often the most effective approach. Instead of a 'big bang' approach, more subtle techniques are used, often relying on word-of-mouth dissemination.
Defining intranet goals
Defining a clear and meaningful set of intranet goals is an important foundation for any promotional activities.
Having goals allows you to articulate an answer to the question: "What is this intranet for?".
Like the promotion of any product, it is vitally important to have a clear message. The intranet goals are the basis for defining the message that the intranet promotional activities are conveying.
Birthday celebrations
Celebrating the anniversary of the initial intranet launch provides an ideal opportunity for a concerted promotional campaign.
There are many ways of holding birthday celebrations. Some organisations chose to hold a big meeting, in which an actual cake is cut, and all the key stakeholders are invited.
Others update their intranets to reflect a birthday theme, or send out promotional materials.
One organisation, for example, scattered 20 birthday cake icons throughout the intranet, and the first ten people to find them all won a t-shirt. While humorous, this did expose people to sections of the intranet they had not previously visited.
Whatever the approach, the intranet's birthday provides a once-a-year story opportunity that shouldn't be missed.
Giving presentations
The visibility of the intranet must be maintained at every level of the organisation. For management and executive, presentations are typically the most effective way of communicating messages.
These may cover the intranet at a high level, explain specific initiatives, or new functionality.
Ensure these presentations are well-prepared and to the point.
E-mail links to intranet
A very effective marketing method is to replace e-mail attachments in global e-mails with links to the relevant page on the intranet.
In this way, the e-mails act as 'push' marketing of intranet resources. It also reduces the load on the e-mail systems.
This works well, for example, with news items and other announcements. Some education is required to encourage e- mail senders to reduce their reliance on attachments.
Using the communications team
The staff of internal communications or internal marketing teams are professionals who specialise in conveying targeted messages to the organisation.
Use this group as a resource to promote the intranet, and to further increase usage.
Brochures
Every intranet should be supported with a simple brochure outlining the key features and benefits, along with screenshots and URLs.
Beyond this, there are benefits to professionally producing a full-colour brochure. This presents a more compelling image, and is more likely to be noticed by staff.
Many organisations have an internal graphic arts department who can prepare such materials.
What's new e-mails
While new material may be frequently added to the intranet, staff may not be aware of this if they don't regularly visit the intranet homepage or 'what's new' section.
Instead, consider sending out a regular e-mail listing new information on the intranet, with links directly to the relevant pages.
These e-mails can be sent out weekly, fortnightly, or even monthly. In some organisations, staff rely solely on these e-mails to keep up-to-date with current information.
Automatically loading homepage
Throughout the organisation, every browser should have its homepage set to the intranet. That way, when the browser is opened by the user, the intranet is immediately presented.
Beyond this, some organisations have chosen to automatically launch the browser on login. This puts the intranet in front of users at the beginning of every day.
Many of these organisations have found this approach to be very successful, particularly when the intranet homepage changes frequently (such as presenting news, etc).
Displays in foyer
Posters or other displays in the main foyer of offices can attract the attention of staff arriving each morning.
These should feature high-impact designs that can be easily read from a distance. Large-format colour posters can be a practical way of achieving this.
'Footy tipping'
In those cultures where sport is an important institution, competitions such as 'footy tipping' are commonplace.
Implementing such competitions on the intranet have been listed as 'killer applications' by some intranet teams.
Once staff access the intranet, they are more likely to browse to other areas.
Letterhead and business cards
The intranet should be listed on all internal letterheads, business cards, newsletters, in fact any printed material that provides information.
In this way, the intranet is promoted as the primary source of information in the organisation. This 'ever-present' advertising can be quite effective over time.
Gimmicks and novelties
A wide range of promotional products have been used to increase awareness of the intranet. These include:
* t-shirts
* stickers
* balloons
* masks
* lollies and other confectionary
* mouse mats
While these can be effective, make sure you understand the culture of the organisation. Not all staff may be keen to be bombarded with such gimmicks.
Migrating key applications
By migrating key applications, staff can be forced to access the intranet. Examples often include leave forms and other HR functions.
Always ensure that the replacement web-based application is at least as capable and usable as the system it replaces. Otherwise, considerable staff frustration will be generated.
Killer apps
Many successful intranets have a few key 'killer applications' that drive overall interest and usage.
What these are depends entirely on the organisation and its staff. While some possible killer apps have been listed in this article, many others are possible.
Keep a look out for opportunities to develop these killer apps. It may be possible to meet a widespread need in the organisation, with only a few hours of development.
(Killer apps don't have to be large, in fact, many are small systems that target a very specific requirement.)
Promoting via the business
The business owners of specific sections can be co-opted to launch and promote their content. As the advertising comes from within the business, it can be more effective than that conducted by the central intranet team.
It also shares the burden of intranet marketing more widely.
Acronym finder
Most organisations are now awash with acronyms and jargon, much of which is not understood by both new and seasoned staff alike.
Several organisations have had considerable success with implementing a simple 'acronym finder' on the intranet.
Typing in an acronym brings back a brief definition. These definitions are submitted by the staff themselves, allowing the database to grow over time.
Staff training
While the intranet is built using standard web technology, and accessed via a web browser, this does not eliminate the need for training.
Depending on the nature of the organisation, many staff may be unfamiliar with the web, or with computers in general.
Providing end-user training has been demonstrated to increase the usage and effectiveness of the intranet.
Quote of the day
Any daily-changing information on the intranet, that is of broad interest, is a good way of promoting the intranet.
One organisation uses a humorous or controversial 'quote of the day' feature on the intranet to generate increased usage.
Staff profiles
Each week, some intranet teams post a profile of a staff member, selected from across the organisation. This may be a senior executive, down to a junior staff person.
This increases the sense of community within the organisation, and is an interesting talking point.
As variation on this, one organisation provides a number of hints, and runs a competition to guess who the staff member is. With the unusual nature of many of the hints, this generates wide interest.
Online condolence site
On the passing away of a much-loved chief executive, one organisation organised an impromptu 'condolence site', where staff could enter messages. This saw an outpouring of sympathy and grief from across the organisation.
Similarly, when bushfires swept through one city, several intranets became the primary way that staff kept abreast of what was happening.
While care must be taken to use such methods sensitively, tragedies and disasters do provide promotional opportunities.
Bulletin boards, discussion groups
Increasing the interactive aspects of an intranet can considerably increase usage and visibility.
Discussion groups, bulletin boards and other collaboration tools provide staff with a new mechanism for keeping in touch.
While the majority of these online forums are likely to be devoted to serious work issues, less formal areas, such as a 'buy and sell' area often prove to be very popular.
These collaborative tools also have the benefit of reducing the over-reliance on e-mails.
Staff induction
New starters are unfamiliar with the way the organisation works, and where to go for answers.
By including a meaningful section on the intranet in staff induction materials and activities, new staff can be trained to see the intranet as the primary information source in the organisation.
Sending a welcome message
Related to the previous idea, one intranet team automatically sends a 'welcome' message to all new staff, introducing them to the intranet.
Fixing browser settings
Depending on the state of the IT infrastructure, some users may not be able to access the intranet, due to incorrect proxy or other network settings.
Without a bookmark to the intranet, or having it set as the homepage, users are also likely to have difficulty.
While this is strictly the domain of the IT support desk, some intranet groups have found it valuable to spend time fixing the settings on individual workstations.
Over time, this considerably increases the potential audience for the intranet.
IT help desk
The IT help desk (or support desk) is an important ally in increasing intranet usage. By building bridges with this team, they can be encouraged to promote and support the intranet.
Naming the intranet
Having a catchy and memorable intranet name is a great way of promoting the intranet. It gives the intranet a clear identity, and makes it easier to refer to in documents, and in conversation.
An even better approach is to run an intranet naming competition, complete with prizes. This generates involvement from the entire organisation, and builds a greater sense of ownership.
This has been very successfully used in many organisations.
Providing telephone support
Offering unlimited telephone support may seem a daunting prospect for any intranet team, but it goes a long way to removing many barriers to staff usage.
Even a small intranet team of two found that while the initial number of calls was quite high, this fairly rapidly dropped off as staff became more accustomed to the intranet.
Better yet, by offering this service, they generated considerable goodwill and respect that was not quickly forgotten.
'E-mail this page'
Some intranets have provided an 'e-mail this page to a colleague' feature on every page, to considerable effect.
For one organisation, this was even listed as a 'killer app' that increased intranet usage more than any other initiative.
Gaining management support
If senior management see the intranet as a strategic asset, they will naturally promote its use.
A number of studies have shown that lack of management support and sponsorship is one the largest causes of project failure.
Conversely, if the intranet does have the required support, this will have a huge impact upon levels of usage, and long-term viability.
Spend time 'selling' the intranet to management, and ensuring that they understand its role within the organisation.
Training managers' PAs
Many senior staff rely entirely on their personal assistants (PAs) to look up information, and to use computing equipment.
For these key staff, training the PAs in how to make use of the intranet is the best way of having an impact.
Maximising the value of the homepage
The intranet homepage is the most valuable 'real-estate' on the entire site. Use this to present the most recent, and most useful, information on the intranet.
By maximising the value of the homepage, overall intranet usage can be increased.
Coordinated marketing plan
Finally, all of these activities should be integrated as part of a single marketing plan. This spells out what the message is, who it is being targeted at, and how it will be delivered.
http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_promoting/index.html
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