|
|
|
 |
|
|
Intranet--Why Your Firm Needs One ``Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you If you work in a large firm, chances are you already have an Intranet. And chances are you have seen the benefits that result--ready access to up-to-date information, efficiency, pride, enthusiasm, faster transfers of important communications. Intranets have an impact on efficiency that goes straight to your bottom line. It's a must-have application of technology that is to firmwide communication what the fax was to rapid document exchanges only a few years ago. This article covers: Statistics that support investing in an intranet The question for many firm administrators is, how large does a firm have to be to benefit from one? (Or if you prefer, are we too small to justify one?) This two-part article will cover:
Statistics That Support Investing in an Intranet Simba Research reports that 34% of corporate executives say intranets give the greatest return on their technology investments, better than extranets (29%) or public Web sites (25%). Delphi's "New Intranet Report" shows that intranet use--virtually unknown in 1994--has become pervasive. A survey of 600 technology professionals shows that 37% of their firms have three-quarters of their desktops connected to an intranet, and 82% expect that level of connectivity within three years. Computer Intelligence reports nearly half the large companies it surveyed are rethinking their entire network infrastructures, and two-thirds are increasing their Internet/intranet budgets. The Meta Group reports that the ROI for 80% of the organizations using an Intranet averages 38%, while the IDC survey released over a year ago show that some firms benefit as much as 1500%. Many pundits extol the virtue of the Internet for business research and applications, however, the real gold mine for web-based technology lies within the firm and the way Intranet technology can improve how your own organization does business. Intranets are a practice profitability area where your firm does not want to be left behind. Why Professional Firms Have Poor Internal Communication I have worked closely with both large and small professional service firms for more than 15 years and discovered a universal truth: professional firms are lousy communicators internally. (Did you think you were unique?) Small pockets within each firm (for example, the partner group or the tax department or the secretarial staff) may communicate well amongst themselves, but overall the firms are missing a big opportunity when it comes to really effective communication of information and messages across the entire organization. There are lots of reasons why this is so, primarily: (1) accountants and attorneys are not trained in organizational communication, hence, don't realize how powerful a tool it can be, (2) senior firm management fail to emphasize organizational communication and don't budget for the tools that can make it effective, and (3) the people with the information in the firm lack ready vehicles for communicating their information. Effective communication of information affects how people work and how quickly they can work. Intranets have had such sweeping and dramatic success in organizations because they provide a solution. Uses for Intranets in Professional If you have recently implemented an intranet or are planning one, here are some uses for your intranet you may not have considered. Think about the time, the phone calls and the interoffice mailings you would save if you could:
Since most intranets are private and can't be accessed by others outside the organization, it's difficult to find samples of intranets you can actually test drive, to get a feel for how it might work in your own firm. I have linked to a couple of them you might find helpful. Each has a different purpose, and if you visit each of them you will begin to have a feel for how intranets enable the user to take control of the information they seek. Netscape's Airius Intranet is a model intranet created to demonstrate Netscape's software products for intranets. It doesn't sell blatantly, and it is probably the best example available. Another model intranet for smaller businesses is available from LivePAGE's fictitious Dominion Apple Orchard site. For a look at how an intranet might be used to deliver training internally, take a look at InterMark's Intranet Learning Center. Finally, Attachmate's support web is a live site that the company uses effectively to provide customer support. Especially nice are the employee photos that remind you real people work there, too. How Can a Small Firm Benefit...and What's Too Small? Intranets are so powerful because they allow an unlimited number of employees to work on the same system--the firm begins to act as a single entity, instead of separate departments. Firms with as few as 15 employees will probably benefit. And cost need not be a huge impediment for the smaller firm, especially since the intranet can be run on a single server. Software like Intranet Genie and Web-Share are creating what is essentially an Intranet in a box that can be installed in a few hours from a single CD-ROM--priced in the low thousands of dollars. Consultant Mark Gallagher has an interesting white paper on how to build a small intranet using only Windows 95and HTML for under 100 PCs, without a network or with only an IP connection. Interesting reading if you have a smaller firm and want to determine the benefits you might realistically expect to achieve with a very minimal investment. If you or your firm administrator want to discuss ways to use your own intranet more effectively or you need some additional information about some aspect of intranet development or use, contact me and I'll be glad to provide you additional links, ideas, insights or information. I have hundreds of categorized links to intranet information available on the Internet. Next week's feature: Intranets--Benefit from Lessons Learned in the Trenches Look here for more information How Intranets Are Changing You and Your Organization 10 Intranet Myths How to Manage a Successful Intranet Buildng a Corporate Intranet Intranet Cost Calculator Intranet FAQ (frequently asked questions) Lotus Notes vs. the Intranet Copyright 1997 by Kaye Vivian (kvivian@cloud9.net). All rights reserved. Permission to reprint is granted provided this article is not altered and the copyright notice remains attached |
|
|
 |
|
|