Intranets are private networks that have been created using Internet standards and protocols. They bring the World Wide Web (www) browsing interface to information and services stored on a corporate local area network (LAN). Intranets are attractive because they lower the cost of maintaining an internal network and, at the same time, increase productivity, since they offer users more efficient access to the information and services they need.
With the enormous growth of the Internet, large numbers of people in companies use the Internet to communicate with the outside world, to gather information, and to conduct business. It doesn't take long for people to recognize that components that work so well on the Internet would be just as valuable within their businesses, and that is why Intranets are becoming so popular.
The Intranet is based on open standards and protocols developed on the Internet. These open standards support applications and services such as electronic mail (e-mail), work group (work group), directory service, security, access to databases, information sharing and system administration. The Intranet benefits from the effort of the entire industry and not just one manufacturer.
Applications that allow individual business departments to submit information, and for employees to fill out company forms (such as timesheets) and use corporate financial information, are very popular. Most of the software used in Intranets is standard: Internet software such as Netscape, Navigator, and Microsoft's Explorer for Web browsers. And custom programs are often built using the Java programming language and CGI scripting.
Intranets can also be used to allow companies to carry out business-to-business transactions such as: placing orders, sending invoices, and making payments. For added security, these intranet-to-intranet transactions never need to go online, but can travel on private leased lines. They are a powerful system for allowing a company to do business online, for example allowing someone on the Internet to order products.
When someone orders a product on the Internet, the information is sent securely from the Internet to the company's internal network, where the order is processed and completed.
Internet / Intranet: What is the difference?
What is the difference between Internet and Intranet? Basically, the location of the Information and who accesses it. The Internet is public, global, open to anyone with a connection. Intranets are restricted to those people who are connected to the company's private network.
On top of that, they both work essentially the same way, using the same TCP / IP technology to regulate data traffic. In the same way, from the point of view of the applications (e-mail, newsgroups and FTP file transfer, in addition to the Web), there is no difference between the Internet and the Intranet.
E-mail within an Intranet:
Probably the most used part of an intranet that has nothing to do with company databases, flashy Web pages, or multimedia content is the use of email. Business Intranets can use different e-mail programs, such as: Mail, Microsoft Mail or Lotus Notes, among others. But the most common architecture that underlies the use of e-mail in internal networks is the protocol called Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, or SMTP.
Intranet Security:
Any Intranet is vulnerable to attacks by people with the purpose of destroying or stealing business data. The limitless nature of the Internet and TCP / IP protocols expose a business to these types of attacks. Intranets require various security measures, including the hardware and software combinations that provide traffic control; encryption and passwords to validate users; and software tools to prevent and cure viruses, block unwanted sites, and control traffic.
The generic term used for a line of defense against intruders is firewall. A firewall is a hardware / software combination that controls the type of services allowed to or from the intranet.
Firewalls protect Intranets from attacks initiated against them from the Internet. They are designed to protect an Intranet from unauthorized access to company information, and from damage or denial of computer resources and services. They are also designed to prevent internal users from accessing potentially dangerous Internet services such as FTP. Intranets computers are only allowed to access the Internet after going through a firewall.
How does the encryption work?
One means of securing an intranet is to use encryption: altering data so that only someone with access to specific codes to decrypt can understand the information. Encryption is used to store and send password to ensure that no snooper can understand it. Encryption is also used when data is sent between Intranets in Very Secure Private Networks (VSPN). Furthermore, encryption is used to direct commerce on the Internet and protect credit card information during transmission.
Keys are the core of encryption. Keys are complex mathematical formulas (algorithms), which are used to encrypt and decrypt messages. If someone encrypts a message, only another person with the exact key will be able to decrypt it.
The Advantages of Implementing Intranet:
The benefits of implementing an Intranet are:
- Greater organizational efficiency and productivity Saving resources and preparing the company in a fundamental technology for survival in the New Economy, in the functional areas of customer service, sales and marketing, production and operations, engineering, human resources, administration, accounting and finance. Improvement in the organizational climate with direct effects on the satisfaction of its customers and shareholders.
A key benefit of Intranet technology is the ability to deliver up-to-date information quickly and cost efficiently to the entire user base. An Intranet makes vital information available to all employees with access to it. Another feature that is worth mentioning is consistency, because the information is the same throughout the company.
By giving people the ability to access critical information in time, this technology improves the decision-making process. It is possible to organize and maintain centralized or distributed information as required or facilitated for obtaining and updating.
By providing instant and secure information in electronic format, the time and cost associated with the publication, duplication and distribution associated with paper documentation is eliminated.
Intranet technologies also allow information and knowledge to be shared regardless of location. Multidisciplinary and multi-departmental groups in vogue can greatly take advantage of virtual discussion groups and newsletters to prepare meetings or improve decision making. With sufficient bandwidths, it is possible to carry out video conferencing with audio and video in real time.
With the empowerment that the Intranet gives, comes the ability (very desirable indeed) for users themselves to publish information of interest to their work group or the entire company on their own. This increases the complexity of the Intranet and its requirements.
The importance of using an intranet:
For almost any company today, and especially in the very near future, the intranet will be an indispensable resource. Given the large amount of data that any company generates, the current data insertion and query methods are becoming obsolete. An intranet can solve these and other problems.
An intranet can solve, for example, the problem of the distribution of information for all employees, thus manuals, action plans, procedures, training material, marketing and product brochures, price lists, commercial information, can be published, advertisements, promotions etc. And they are accessible to the employee or client immediately, and with considerable savings compared to classic methods, pamphlets, circulars, information notes, etc. In addition, any data update is immediate and does not imply any burden on the company like traditional methods.
An intranet also organizes the distribution of a company, since each division can have its section on the intranet. You can also organize a list of meetings and meetings to which each employee can quickly access, thus planning company meetings more efficiently. In this way, communication between all workers is improved, and suggestions, requests or any communication in general, is carried out in a faster and more efficient way.
It will also take advantage of the power of an intranet to have quick access to any document of the company, provided that the appropriate level of privileges is had. This is another of the advantages of an intranet, its security. Only those employees who really need it will have access to resources. Continuing with the power and speed of accessing data from an intranet, the time spent in performing any data search from any department of the company is considerably reduced, thus improving the productivity of the company.
EXAMPLE OF INTRANET
In a company's intranet, access to information is very similar to access to the Internet. This means that, if we know the process for the Internet, it will be almost automatic to start using an intranet (with the savings in training that this means for the company).
The process can be described as follows: All client machines (local PCs connected to a Web Server machine) use special software, a browser (browser; for example, Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer), in addition to special software for email, FTP and other services.
The user clicks on a hyperlink, which sends a request for information to the server. The hyperlink contains the name of the server where the information is located, and the name of the file to be loaded in the browser.
- The server reads the request, dumps the file, and sends it to the client. The client receives the file and deposits it in the browser window (as long as said file is compatible with the web, for example, with HTML and other formats). It may also happen that the file is deposited on disks or in special applications.
Types of intranets:
Essentially, there are three types of intranets according to their size and the distance between their nodes (each node is understood to be connected to said intranet)
On the one hand, there would be the LANs. These are the usual local networks, the number of nodes connected to it ranges from 2 to 50 and they are located physically close and, in general, they are usually networks belonging to the offices of a company.
Another second type of network is MAN (Metropolitan Area Network). These types of networks usually contain several LANs, and they usually form this type of network on university campuses.
Finally, there are the WANs (Wide Area Network), which have a worldwide scope, and usually include, in addition to transmission by cables, connection by satellite and radio frequency. A very clear example of this type of network is the global corporate networks of companies such as British Telecom or Microsoft, which allow all employees to receive orders from headquarters at the same time.
Intranet in companies:
Each of the departments needs to have an expeditious means to be able to inform, disseminate or send bulletins, procedures, forms, calendars, projects, approvals, authorizations, modifications, schedules, etc. The medium generally used is written ("Paper") but naturally the needs depend on the type of company and its size. However, it is important to develop procedures for creating and updating content, as well as defining a format for each type of information.
Some of the main objectives of Operation and Administration are:
- Company Information.Information for Executives.Information for Employees.Policies and Procedures.Sales / Purchasing Administration.Commercial / Financial Administration.Asset / Liability Control.
Human Resources:
Human Resources information requires a large number of papers and does not make it easy to communicate policies, procedures manuals, organization charts of the company, benefits, etc. It is also required to manage the recruitment, promotion, salaries and attendance of employees.
Often you need to answer typical Human Resources questions such as internal purchases, vacations, medical expenses, etc., as well as the delivery, explanation, processing of different forms for these processes. This takes time from a repetitive task for Human Resources, and also does not give the employee quick access to information of interest.
Frequently Asked Questions: Some typical and repetitive questions to Human resources are:
- Where can I find vacation requests? How many vacation days will I receive for each year of seniority? What are the sickness policies? Where can I find credit information? How does direct deposit work? ? What is the procedure to apply for an intern job?
Human Resources Forms: It takes a great deal of time to analyze and process requests in forms especially for companies with different offices. For the employee sometimes it is not easy to fill out the forms correctly, which they use occasionally and require advice from the human resources staff. The following are examples of forms used:
- Credits. Internal product purchases. Refunds. Vacation requests. Maternity and illness. Area changes. Evaluations. Surveys. Etc.
Below are some common requirements from HR employees:
- Policies and Procedures ManualsBenefit ProgramsBonus and Compensation ProgramsInternal EmploymentPosition DescriptionsCurriculumCompany Organization ChartVacations and Rest Days CalendarEtc.
Training in the Company:
The company needs to promote opportunities to train employees in universities, private and public schools, and other organizations oriented to this end. In order to accomplish this task, it is necessary to improve communications, promote collaboration, eliminate duplication of functions, and provide accurate and up-to-date information.
The main requirements for Education and Training are:
- Curriculum Tematics Training Manuals Course Catalogs Presentations Bibliographies Student and Teacher Lists Class Schedules and Schedules
Dissemination and Communication:
Below are common uses for Diffusion and Communication in the Company.
- Company Magazine Press Releases Frequently Asked Questions Forms Annual Reports, Brochures and Specification Sheets
Company Magazine: To publish the weekly, monthly or semi-annual magazines of the company, it is necessary to invest in their direction, edition, publication and distribution, generating costs for these concepts.
Press Releases: The press release review cycle requires authorization from the management, legal and marketing departments. In addition, press releases need to be archived along with documents from magazines, newspapers, books, etc. that involve the Company in its commercial sphere.
Frequently Asked Questions: Some examples of frequently asked questions that are formulated for the dissemination and communication department are:
- Who are the company magazine makers? What is the procedure for publishing a press release? How long does it take to produce a new brochure? How can I order a spec sheet? When will the new brochure be Company available? Who is responsible for company announcements? Where can I find the latest press releases?
These questions are often repetitive and take time away from more important activities for the personnel in charge.
Forms: The use of forms to request brochures, books, presentations, business cards, etc. The employee needs to fill in the appropriate data and this information must be transferred to those in charge through them.
Annual Reports, Brochures and Specification Sheets: Annual reports, brochures and specification sheets must be generated in documents that must be printed and distributed.
An Intranet offers a new option for greater effectiveness in coordinating organizational activities and distributed decision environments.
WHAT IS NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT THE INTRANET?
Intranets are possible thanks to the concept of distributed computing, which emerged in the corporate world in the eighties. One of the advances in this field, the arrival of what are called Wide Area Networks, or WANs, has made the Intranet a possible phenomenon in today's reality.
When we speak of distributed computing, we refer to computer networks (LAN), which have partly replaced traditional corporate mainframes.
When building any computer network, and, especially, an Intranet, we will need some basic elements:
- First of all, it is necessary to have adequate hardware or physical support for the Intranet, which includes:
- Web Servers, under the Client-Server model.
- PC of the workers, who act as Clients, and their corresponding peripherals.
- A cabling system that connects the Server or Servers with the Client equipment (coaxial cable, twisted pair, fiber optic, etc).
- Hardware elements that make up the traditional network concept: connection cards or NIC (Network Interface Card), transceivers, repeaters, concentrators or hubs, etc…
- Machines that act as firewalls, and their corresponding software.
- Second, we will need a series of software elements that make it possible to configure the network as an Intranet. They stand out:
- A network operating system, which supports the exchange of information and, as such, resides on both clients and servers. Today, there are several operating systems available on the market: Unix, Linux, Windows NT, Novell Netware, and others.
- Network applications, which in this case refer to the use of browsers, resident on the server and client computers, as well as specific programs for email, FTP, etc.
- A network management system, which allows the control of benefits, problems, security or configuration.
- Standard Web communication protocols
The development of Intranets and the Internet is currently promoting the development of new hardware technologies and multiple software programs that streamline corporate communication that allow easy access to its implementation, but technology is not everything and as an exercise and to have an overview as well as a survey of the current situation, the following questionnaire should be answered, which will be very helpful in the future development of an Intranet.
Organizational structure:
It is necessary to understand how the company works, since a good understanding of the structure of the company helps to determine the usefulness of the intranet in general. In the same way, it is important to define which specific functions can generate aggregate values.
- Does the company have offices in different locations? Are there people from the same department in different offices? Is it a hierarchical organization? Centralized? Decentralized?
Exchange of information internally:
Understanding and visualizing how the organization exchanges information internally helps to identify the obstacles that an intranet can help overcome.
- What are the main internal and external information resources? How is the information usually distributed (telephone, memos, meetings, e-mail, other forms)? How are decisions usually made? (By Hierarchy, Consensus, another way) How are projects, decisions, and research made and made known?
Exchange of information externally:
Knowing how the company interacts with external factors (suppliers, clients, associates) facilitates the process of adapting to their needs.
- Who are the people and / or entities with whom the company communicates frequently? How does the company normally communicate with these people and / or organizations? What information is needed? How does it receive and process the information that is receive from them?
Barriers to the Exchange of Information
The objective identification of the main barriers that prevent efficient communication helps to define the priorities in the development of the intranet.
- What are the main obstacles to the effective exchange of information? Are these obstacles Technical? Logistic? Cultural? What is the impact of these obstacles?
Available resources:
Assessing available resources helps establish a realistic starting point for an intranet project.
- What is the current level of systematization of the company? What resources (internal and / or external) are needed to implement and manage the intranet? What financial, technical and other resources are available at this time?
Definition of General Objectives:
Both the general goals and the specific objectives of an intranet project can be very modest or quite ambitious. Regardless of what type of goals you have, it is necessary to define them and have them very clear before starting the project. In particular, it is important to bear in mind the following points:
- What are we trying to achieve?
It helps us understand the general objective of the project, in this way we can define priorities and focus on the important aspects of the intranet.
- Why do we want to achieve it?
This question forces us to consider the intranet in the general context of our business strategy. This response is key to ensuring return on investment.
- How do we aspire to achieve it?
This question allows us to create a work strategy (plan), which includes identification of leaders, technical specifications, resource limitations, work schedules, and personnel patterns.
- How are we going to monitor progress?
Intranets tend to evolve over time. For this reason it is important to have mechanisms that allow us to determine the progress of the project and compare it with expectations.
- How are we going to measure the success of the project?
As in many other cases, the success of this type of project is measured by the cost-benefit ratio of the investment.
Definition of Specific Objectives:
At a more specific level, the company that is going to develop the intranet must define the following points:
- Who is the intranet for?
Potential intranet users can be a small group of employees, or they can be defined as all employees in the company or organization. The important thing is to be very clear about what is expected of each group of intranet users and what the mutual benefits are for its implementation and use.
- How do we expect users to use the intranet?
The interaction of users with an intranet varies permanently, depending on the functions of each group of users. For each group, the specific uses and associated benefits must be defined so that the intranet design adapts to the needs and expectations of all its users.
- What do potential users need to use the intranet?
Once we know who will use the intranet and what they aspire to achieve with it, we must be very clear about what these users need in order to achieve those goals. For example, some people will need to increase the capacity of their computers while others may require training or better connectivity.
Organization Systems Infrastructure:
Now it is necessary to analyze the current infrastructure of the organization. Taking into account the criteria already established.
- Do you want to connect to your databases? Who is responsible for the content?
An intranet server must be constantly updated. Remember that information within the organization is dynamic and constantly changing. To achieve success in the development of the project, a high commitment of the content source areas is required, likewise, the management of the cultural change that this entails so that the use is adequate cannot be overlooked.
Updating the information will be the responsibility of the company's systems department. The content of the information will be the responsibility of each area.
- How scalable is your server?
Make sure that you can add or increase computational power, memory, disks, etc., so that when your Intranet project is extended the server can support this growth.
Additionally we should take into account the following points:
- Does your company have structured cabling? If so, what type of cabling do they use? Coaxial, UTP, Fiber Optic, Wireless? How many network points does your company have?
| From 1 to 15 | 16 to 30 | 31 to 50 | 50 to 100 | More than 100 points |
- Does structured cabling include voice handling? What type of server (s) does your organization use (all that apply)?
- Windows NT
- Unix
- Novell / Netware
- OS2
- Open VMS
- Linux
- Others
- What kind of workstations do your workers use? For each operating system count how many types of computers (Pentium 2, 3, 4) you use and the total number of computers running each operating system:
- What is the average technical level of your employees in the following areas, 5 being excellent ?:
| Windows | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 |
| Networking | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 |
| Internet | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 |
| Word processor | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 |
| Spreadsheet | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 |
| Web page development | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 |
| Graphic design | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 |
Although no two intranets are the same, all successful intranet projects have in common the fact that they have a very clear definition and understanding and the best thing is to have a methodology to come to fruition.
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