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As you're reading this article, try to think of the "big picture" IT questions. Among the biggest: How do you design your intranet so your users can have as much access as they need, while you keep your data safe and intruders at bay?

Building the ideal intranet starts with the same principles as building a house. Start with a solid foundation, build from the ground up, then embellish it to your liking. In this case, the foundation comprises technologies for security, authentication and identity. It's one thing to get your users onto VPNs and past firewalls; it's another to do this in a way that doesn't drive them crazy with the need to remember 50 different passwords.

Only once the foundation is poured and the framework is in place is it time to deal with the living space. For intranet building, we're talking about portals, messaging products and collaboration tools. We've tested all these products in the past year, including collaboration tools from the Big Three: Lotus Development Corp. (IBM), Microsoft and Novell. In the second part of our package, "Sharing Is Daring," we look at collaboration software from some of the other players: Bungo-ShareHQ, eRoom Technology, Intraspect Software and SiteScape. These vendors' products let team members from all points on your intranet come together to share documents and exchange ideas in a structured environment.