Intranets: How To Cut Through The Cob Webs of Internal Information Designing Your Intranet Step One: What To Put On The Server Deciding what to put on your server should be the first step in your intranet project. An intranet server can be many things to many people. Information made available on the intranet ranges from a simple file repository to human resource information to groupware-type applications. Be realistic about your goals and be sure to ascertain the viability of your options. We will discuss several examples of information on intranets. Groupware More companies are turning to groupware applications which enable project discussions, document tracking and/or workgroup scheduling. These types of applications were previously available only in proprietary solutions, such as Lotus Notes, but more companies are announcing solutions that work with simple Web browsers. Some very early adopters of this philosophy have developed products with some very complex CGI applications on the back end that archive and relate data, usually with any of the usual database servers. With some simple forms, data such as documents or appointments can be added to the workgroup archive or searched. You will need to investigate the proper CGI method for your implementation. Where does Web-based groupware leave Lotus Notes and the like? Those products still work very well for what they were intended, and those companies are not lost on the intranet phenomenon. Most either have implemented or are currently working on a Web browser access module to their information store. Using a proprietary package, such as Notes, with their browser access package gives you the strengths of Notes on the back end, such as replication; however, it ties you to Notes servers, which you will probably want to deploy everywhere, eliminating the open platform benefits. Another solution is a mix of open and proprietary, such as Allair Forums, which uses Microsoft SQL Server on the back end to give you the open HTTP architecture with the features of a robust database. Replacing Everyday Forms Many of the daily functions of a corporation require the use of forms. Whether it be office supply requests, expense reports or end user support tracking, they all require paper work that can outgrow any filing cabinet. Using on-line forms, these requests and documentation can be done with a simple Web browser. In addition, electronic forms can be flexible. With a few edits, fields can be added and deleted as situations arise. Consider using a commercial implementation for forms as well. Building the CGI scripts to handle data input can be done if you make the assumption that all data entered is valid and useful. If not, checking every field from the form for validity could be rigorous. Most forms packages will do this for you. In addition, the comm ercial software should have the tools to archive the information in a database and publish it automatically. Once a good implementation of forms is in place, you can add more critical processes, such as technical support and other tracking systems. Imagine allowing your users to check up on a technical support call without waiting for the technical staff to answer the call or page. A simple query would tell them whether the problem had been assigned, who is working on it or where to find a solution. Expense reports get a bit more complicated since a sign-off method that can be verified is required and the report needs to be checked for accuracy. Sign-off can be supplied by one of the many digital signature tools becoming available. Accuracy checks can be automated using some calculation engines, complete with threshold for manual check flags that a person must look at, such as high priced meals. Human Resources Data The human resources department probably has the most untapped information in the enterprise corporation. Most employees have to wait for their quarterly statement to find out how many vacation days they have or how well their retirement account is doing, while that information is there everyday. With the proper data access tools, that information can be made available every day. Custom applications will play a huge role in access to HR information. Security is a paramount: You don't want users to have access to other employees' information. In addition to authentication, consider a good end-to-end encryption method, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), which will guarantee that rogue users can't snoop the network for information. The easiest employee information are vacation and sick days. This information is not quite as sensitive as money-related issues and can probably be implemented with simple password protection. With a little ingenuity,forms and scripting can be added to allow employees tosubmit their own vacation day use. You should implement a secure transport layer if you will allow access to employees' pay, tax or retirement information. Using a secure protocol, such as SSL, will ensure that employees with packet tracing equipment cannot obtain sensitive information. Soon, there will be more options than SSL, but it currently is the most widely used secure transaction protocol. By far the most difficult to implement will be interaction with this information. Some companies have taken to allowing employees to move 401K funds around using their Intranet servers. Once you have hit that level, you should incorporate a third-party security solution that uses token-based access to information. Employee-Generated Internal Data Employees can be given access to less sensitive servers to perform daily functions that are normally reserved for spaces such as cork boards. With very little CGI work, a server can be setup up to accept posted information from users and format into a display page that everyone else may check daily. Your employees can post group events, such as company picnics, softball league schedules and meeting agendas. Some self-help areas may include posting boards for sharing rides, selling personal items or announcing special events like engagements. In the interest of saving paper, departmental memos should probably be posted there as well, if not required by law to be physically posted. Using a commercial package to develop the intranet will lower the deployment time and probably offer some features that your development team won't have budget or time for. Threaded discussions and group edited documents are probably best left to these third party add-ons. IT Support Information To your employees, the most important information will be that which applies directly to them and helps them to be more independent. This includes computer related issues. Though you may swear that your users are completely incapable, many would solve their own problems if they had the right tools. By giving them the tools, you also reduce your time at their desktop. Be sure to organize information properly. Users often work on first impressions. If they can't find what they want, they will not come back again until coerced. To that end, adding a fast, smart search engine can help. In addition, organization of the information plays a huge role in the users' ability to find useful trinkets. Technical Support Much of the PC support team's time can be spent on menial technical questions and simple problems. Many solutions are solved over and over for different users. By archiving that information, the users can get access to information regarding solutions that have worked in the past. If the information is organized properly, users will solve their problems and come back again. Though they may not solve the very involved problems, a simple approach to common problems can be given. Every support technician can name a few problem that they solve again and again. If the problem is simple, such as a setting in a Windows Control Panel, the user can probably solve it. Make sure that your users document everything they are doing, so if they can't fix their problem, you can re-trace their steps. Be sure that the solution is complete and your staff has sufficient time to maintain the information on an ongoing basis. To get started, you should work time into your staff's schedule following a technical support call to enter the information on the Web site. Organization and the ability to find solutions is everything. Think about the way you narrow down the symptoms and mirror that in the troubleshooting guide. Remember to look at it from a user's perspective. Be sure to beta test your structure and simulate situations for a small group before rolling out the solution to everyone. User input will help structure the informat ion for them. A seasoned support person looks at problems from a completely different perspective. Software Updates Many users feel at the mercy of IT organizations, even though they may have experience maintaining their own machines. Many products, such as virus protection, offer simple-to-install patches to upgrade existing applications. Those types of software updates can be made available right from your internal Web server. Assuming you have your firewall configured properly, you only need links on your internal server to the software located outside your network. In addition to the software, instructions are very important to ensure that the users install software properly. A poorly installed package can create more work than installing their software yourself. Step by step instructions can include illustrations to help demonstrate the proper installation. Implementing Your Intranet . Client-Side Development Options . Return to Intranets: How To Cut Through The Cob Webs of Internal Information. Rob Kohlhepp , is Technology Editor at Network Computing. He can be reached at rkohlhepp@nwc.com. Anthony Frey , is Associate Technology Editor at Network Computing. He can be reached at afrey@nwc.com. Print This Page E-mail this URL