Intranet (and intranet portal): a definition

It
comes up less frequently in 2009 then it first did when I formed
North America's first intranet consulting firm (Prescient Digital
Media) in early 2001, but the definition of an intranet is still
debatable.

Toby
Ward's definition of an intranet (first committed to paper in 2001 in
the Finding
ROI white paper):

A
private network, similar to the Internet and using the same protocols
and technology, that is contained within an enterprise. It may
consist of many inter-linked local area networks (LANs), desktop
computers, websites and portals, and email system(s). However, in
common vernacular, the intranet is the internal website home page
that is for employees only — and the other internal websites that
link to it.

Wikipedia
definition of an intranet:

An
computer
network that uses Internet
technologies to securely share any part of an organization's
information or operational systems with its employees. Sometimes the
term refers only to the organization's internal website,
but often it is a more extensive part of the organization's computer
infrastructure and private websites are an important component and
focal point of internal communication and collaboration.

No
surprises, really.

Another
term that causes confusion, more so than the intranet, is “portal”
or “corporate portal” (sometimes referred to as an “enterprise
information portal”).

Toby
Ward's definition of an intranet portal (first committed to paper in
version 2 (2003) of the Finding
ROI white paper):

A
primary website on the enterprise intranet. A web-based gateway to
most, if not all, tools and information on the enterprise intranet.
The portal can be a ‘catch all’ for all of the intranet, or a
business unit or function specific portal (i.e. Sales or HR portal).
The characteristics that best distinguish it from a standard intranet
home page include:

1-
application integration

2-
advanced security (authentication / authorization / personalization)

3-
enterprise search (search that extends beyond the intranet home page,
but doesn't necessarily search every single shared drive, email
folder & enterprise database).

Wikipedia
definition of an intranet portal:

An[1]
on an intranet.
It is a tool that helps a company manage its data, applications, and
information more easily, and through personalized views. Some portal
solutions today are able to integrate legacy
applications, other portals objects, and handle thousands of user
requests. For enterprise user, it is also known as an enterprise
portal.

Now
the lines blur somewhat as different consultants and vendors use
different definitions (mostly to serve their sales needs). I've never
seen a portal that “unifies access to all” enterprise information
and applications, though “unifies access” is open to
interpretation. If a simple hypertext link to a database qualifies as
unified access then perhaps this is true. However, this is why my
definition for the past 6 years was written to say “most, if not
all, tools and information.” I don't think a portal is an “all”
or “nothing” scenario, but it certainly seems to fit if the
portal unifies “most” information and applications.

Why
are we even talking about this?

The
question once again arose last week when I wrote about the importance
of strategy and planning for an intranet (see Intranet
strategy & execution). An intranet strategy (which may
include one universal plan or multiple plans) should encompass all
internal facing websites, and apply standards across the network,
including all social media, email and related systems.

The
intranet strategy should include the use of a portal (where
applicable), internal websites, social media, shared drives, and
related knowledge management systems. Exclusions might include
specialized applications that are for a small, minority audience such
as senior executives and the finance team (e.g. Oracle financials,
board of directors extranet, CRM system, etc.)

Here's
the rub: regardless of your definition, you require a solid intranet
strategy that defines what can be done by whom (roles and
responsibilities) and according to defined standards (rules).

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the funding your intranet needs: Winning
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Having
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• Date:
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• Location:
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See
Winning
support for your intranet/intranet 2.0 initiative (free webinar)

RELATED
READING:

Intranet
strategy & execution

Finding
ROI (Intranet ROI) white paper (free)

 

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