10 Intranet Issues You Must Address 

- Vipul Sheth vipul@intrack.com 01/01/2002 

1. What does my business gain ? 
You will be able to quantify some benefits such as savings in operating cost, reduction in paperwork. The other benefits of an intranet solution like improved customer service and faster and better access to up-to-date information. 
 
2. How much does it cost now ? 
The initial cost of setting up an intranet. This will include the cost of hardware (web server, network adapter and related hardware), software (server OS, add-on software, utilities) & labor (setup & maintenance).

3. How much will it cost later ? 
Include these factors when calculating your long term intranet related costs.
•	server and network upgrades to handle traffic.
•	management tools and manpower required.
•	software licenses and upgrade fees.
•	information publishing and archiving costs.

4. Is it manageable? 
An intranet is one of those things which is east to start and can be a management nightmare as it grows. Be prepared to spend a lot of resources for the management of your intranet if you have not planned the growth well in advance. Some of the things to be prepared for is increased traffic and an increasing number of publishers and users. Try to use web and network management tools to reduce   the amount of manual work involved. To add new users provide online forms that will automatically setup the required accounts.

5. How does it fit into my existing systems ? 
Find out if your legacy systems will work with your intranet solution. Legacy systems do not necessarily mean mainframe systems. Newer client server based applications will also need to be tweaked to work with an intranet solution. A number of database and application vendors are working on intranet interfaces to their data. Until this is available you will have to figure out a way of moving your data between your legacy systems and the intranet.

6. What kind of training will my developers and users need ? 
The developers will need to be trained in the art of web publishing. Break up your group of developers into two subgroups. The first one will be your core intranet development team which will take care of the server management, application development and technical aspects of he intranet. The second less; technical team will handle simpler tasks like publishing documents to html, converting existing data sources like spreadsheets. & databases to a format acceptable for your intranet. Each group will need different kind of training, find people that will be able to adapt to the new methodology easily. For example, people with good Word-processing and Desk top publishing experience will adapt easily WYSIWYG html editors like FrontPage. Network administrators will make good web server administrators and your programming team will help you develop applications for your intranet.

7. Can I outsource my intranet ? 
Its an option. The advantages will be a faster development cycle and you will be able to use the expertise and experience of professionals in this field. You will also be relieved of the headaches associated with intranet management and support. If you decide to use consultants to give your intranet project a jump start, make sure your staff is trained and ready to take over the project after the consultants leave. Also make sure that the consultants have provided enough room for growth for your staff to use when the intranet takes off and grows rapidly.

8. How will it affect productivity ? 
If done right, an intranet can enhance productivity to a great extent. A lot depends on the type of system the intranet is replacing. If an intranet solution is replacing a traditional paper based information access methodology (ex. printed manuals) the improvement in productivity will be tremendous. On the other hand, if it is introducing a completely new process you may not be able to measure the productivity in an accurate manner.

9. How secure is it ? 
Your intranet will be as secure as its weakest link, which is usually the people managing and using your intranet. If you do it by the book and use a secure server, firewall, password protected access and physical security for the server machines, you are covering all the bases. Also have a policy in place to check for creeping links to unsecured locations, backdoors from the internet to your intranet, proper use of passwords and other security mechanisms provided by your intranet setup.

10. How much time will it take to start one ? 
Not much if you do it right. Unlike most other IT ventures, an intranet can be setup real fast. All you need to get started is an existing network (preferable TCP/IP based) and a spare machine which can act as your web server. Once you install a web server package on this machine, install browsers on your client machines, and connect the clients to the server you are on your way. Intranets usually grow and improve with time. The initial phase does not take up a lot of your time or a huge financial commitment.