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Chapter 4

Intranets and Extranets

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OBJECTIVES

• Introduction

• Technical Infrastructure

• Planning an Intranet

• E-mail and Intranet

• Extranets

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WHAT IS AN INTRANET?

• An organization-wide software and information distribution system applying Internet technology to a closed network

• Intranet operation is a communication project designed by technical staff

• A network of people, not wired machines• Usually runs in a client/server environment

and a local area network configuration

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BENEFITS

• Links employees and managers together• Automates a lot of intraorganizational

traffic• Enables a company to gain better access to

its primary resources – knowledge and experience

• Serves as a creative and empowering tool• Establishes the foundation for developing

enterprise-wide information systems

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BENEFITS (Cont’d)

• Provides a model for new internal information management collaborative computing

• Prepares a wealth of Internet knowledge to employees

• Eases process integration

• Allows company to expand the system

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APPLICATIONS

• Human Resources– Employee handbook– Benefits information– Employee surveys– Internal/external recruiting– Candidate screening– Organizational charts– Newsletters– Company calendars

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APPLICATIONS (Cont’d)

• Sales and Marketing– Product information– Market research– Prospecting– Managing sales contacts– Sales training

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APPLICATIONS (Cont’d)

• Accounting and Finance– Financial reports– Expense reports– Accounts receivable/payable processing– Asset management– Policies and procedures– Payroll

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APPLICATIONS (Cont’d)

• Manufacturing and Operations– Inventory control– Production schedules– Quality assurance– Part order/requisition system

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WHY DOES A COMPANY NEED AN INTRANET?

• A company has a large pool of information to share among hundreds of its employees

• Intranets are cheap, robust and fast

• Intranets operate across platforms

• 24/7 to employees

• Information in intranet can be updated quickly

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TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

• Client/Server Basis– Client/Server software architecture: a versatile,

message-based, and modular infrastructure intended to improve usability, flexibility, interoperability and scalability

– Mainframe architecture: all intelligence is within the central host computer

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TYPES OF CLIENT/SERVER ARCHITECTURE

• Two-tier architectures– For an organization with 12-100 users

• Three-tier architectures– User system interface– Processing management– Database management

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TWO-TIER ARCHITECTURE DESIGN

User System Interface

Database Management

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THREE-TIER ARCHITECTURE DESIGN

User System Interface

Database Management

Process Management

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BASIC INTRANET-ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES

• Server and Client PCs

• Web Server

• Browsers

• TCP/IP Electronic Mail

• Graphic and Multimedia Files

• Network File System (NFS)

• Internet Relay Chat (NRC)

• HTML Authoring Tools

• HTML

• Portable Electronic Document

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USING FIREWALLS

• Proxy– “Go-between” agent that acts on behalf of

another

• Packet Filter– Checks each packet at network level

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PLANNING AN INTRANET

• Plan ahead

• Provide justification with management support

• Build an intranet in-house or outsource it

• Form an Intranet team

• Build and test a prototype

• Ensure effective maintenance

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E-MAIL and INTRANET

• Spamming– Sending unwanted advertisements or literature

through e-mail

• Flaming– Responding to a message or a call in anger

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E-MAIL ETIQUETTE

• Write in different color to express attitude or mood

• Keep sentences short• Be aware of your office and organization culture• Avoid flaming• Don’t use e-mail to send bad news• Don’t type in capital letters

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EXTRANETS

• Lets limited, controlled business partners interact with the firm for all kinds of exchanges

• System designers must collaborate to make sure there is a common interface with the company they are dealing with

• Benefits: faster time-to-market, customer loyalty, increased partner interaction, and improved processes

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KEY CONSIDERATIONS

• Identifying users

• Listing technology components

• Specifying security requirements

• Discussing administration of extranet

• Understanding usability of extranet

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OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• Security– Type of users– Sensitivity of information transacted– Communication lines used

• Manageability / administration

• Usability

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ROLE OF CHAMPION

• Ensures accountability for the organization

• Promotes more effective collaboration with business partners which improves potential for increased revenue

• Provides a long-term investment in competitive advantage

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Chapter 4

Intranets & Extranets