Internet Access for Organizations By Dave Molta Introduction Take a close look at today's Internet landscape and you still see a network dominated by universities, research organizations, government agencies and technology-oriented companies. If your organization fits within those groupings, youíre probably already connected. If you arenít, you may be wondering whether itís worth it to establish a presence on the Infobahn, and if so, what your options are. The bad news is that establishing and maintaining a network presence can be technically and administratively complex. The good news is that it's never been easier to get started and the potential for return on the investment is quite high. Looked at a different way, you really should be asking yourself if you can afford not to be connected because chances are good that your competitors are asking the same questions. Defining Busin ess Objectives Connecting your organization to the Internet is not an either/or proposition. There are many options ranging from the simple to the complex. Today's hottest opportunity seems to be the development of a "home page" on the World Wide Web, a type of multimedia billboard that allows current and potential customers to gain access to your portfolio of goods and services. Yet the Internet is much more than just the Web. Defining your business objectives is fundamental. To do so, you'll need to have a broad understanding of the range of Internet services as well as the technical issues surrounding the implementation and maintenance of those services. With increased media coverage of hackers and high-tech criminals, you also want to be well informed about the security issues revolving around Internet access. Thatís what this chapterís all about. Consumer or Provider? The first question you need to ask is whether your organization wants to use the Internet to access information or provide information. In most cases, you'll probably want to do both, but balancing these needs is an important consideration, since there are significant cost implications. In general, itís easier to be an information provider. For example, at a relatively modest cost, you can contract with one of many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to develop and maintain a presence on the World Wide Web without even having to install a local area network within your organization. Through this vehicle, you can access to literally millions of potential customers. In doing so, you can also establish an image as a progressive and technically savvy company. Providing your employees with access to information over the Internet can be significantly more costly, though there are a range of lower-cost options that may be quite cost effective when limited numbers of people need access. While developing an Internet-compatible internal network via high-speed dedicat ed lines may be the best move for you, the alternative of providing a subset of your work force with dial-up access through popular online service providers like CompuServe, America Online and Prodigy may be worth considering. While most Internet analysts and service providers tend to highlight the potential productivity gains associated with Internet access, you'll also want to consider the possibility that providing your employees with access to this worldwide information resource can also result in significant time wasted wandering the Net. While this is mainly a policy issue, an understanding of Internet technologies can help you to limit your exposure to this kind of abuse by restricting access to certain services. Next Return to Table of Contents November 15, 1996 Print This Page E-mail this URL