How to Build an Intranet

By Ruben Canlas Jr., with Val Gonzales

Here we are again, giving you free techie advice that would otherwise cost you a hefty sum, ahem. Last month, we gave a general introduction about intranets. This time we will help you build one.

Whether you build your intranet in-house or outsource it, reading this article will give you a better understanding of the subject. Due to space limitations, we will give you only an executive summary. You can then pursue the related readings that we have inserted here and there.

Here’s what you need to build an intranet:

· A local area network (LAN). You can‘t have an intranet without a network of computers. So the first thing you will need is a LAN in your office. We discussed how to set up a LAN in the June issue.

· A web server. To run an intranet, you need an internal website. To run a website, you need a web server. Your intranet will be hosted on a web server. There are two popular web servers today: Apache and IIS. See the sidebar “Which server?” for a comparison. If you expect heavy traffic on the intranet, we recommend dedicating one computer to be the intranet server.

· Web browsers on your PC’s. Since an intranet is also a website, your staff will need web browsers to use it. Install Internet Explorer or Netscape on your computers.

Understand how websites work

And now, some capsule information and guidelines to help you build a good intranet. When you install a web server, your computer creates a folder known as the web root. This folder is the home of your intranet. In IIS, this folder is usually c:\inetpub\wwwroot. In Apache, it’s c:\Program Files\ApacheGroup\Apache\htdocs. You will save your intranet documents into this web root, in the form of web pages.

Web pages are text documents that are formatted in a special way called HTML or HyperText Markup Language. Web pages have filenames that end in .html or .htm – example: AboutUs.html, index.html or projects.htm.

To create web pages, you can use web creation tools like Macromedia Dreamweaver or FrontPage. If you’re on a tight budget, consider downloading free tools like Coffee Cup. Visit http://www.sharewarejunkies.com/winhtml.htm for a list of free web creation tools.

Develop your web development muscles by making a simple website composed of the home page and 2 other pages. Create a navigation bar that links these 3 pages with each other and insert pictures on your page. This will help you understand the workings of a website.

For further help, see the recommended readings at the end of this article and read the July and August issues of this column. Also read the Apache and IIS documentations.

Plan your intranet

Your intranet is only good when it’s useful to your company. And it won’t be useful if you don’t ask the users what they need. So, gather representatives from your company and give them an introduction to intranets. Emphasize that the power of an intranet is in sharing knowledge. Then, ask them what they think should be shared on the intranet.

Here are some things you can put on the intranet:

· Documents, templates and sample reports or proposals that help writers speed up and improve the writing process.

· Organizational Chart with descriptions of what each department does, its members and contact info. Budgets, key result areas and other operational info may also be included.

· Lessons learned, best practices or how-to tips.

· A calendar of events that can be used to announce ongoing events, birthdays and even cultural activities and announcements.

· A bulletin board or forum to allow staff to post messages.

· A directory of staff competencies and expertise. The expertise here does not refer only to official designations. More importantly, it will be useful to know for instance that your admin assistant is also good at operating the fax machine.

There are also specific intranet issues you must address in your Intranet Plan:

· Security and access to information. Will you publish sensitive documents on the intranet? You may need to create password-protected areas on your intranet. List down all sensitive documents you have and decide on whether to share these or keep them out of the intranet.

· Quality of information, data integrity and publication policy. How reliable is the data that is available in your intranet? Who authorizes what information to publish on the intranet? If you upload documents there, do employees assume they can quote from the documents as official statements?

· Data ownership and maintenance. Who owns/maintains the data the intranet content? Will the owners be responsible for maintaining the data? What system of approval needs to be implemented? How often will you maintain content and in what manner? A good starting point is to assign one person as the intranet coordinator who will be in charge of gathering and publishing content on the intranet.

· Usability. How easy or intuitive is the site navigation? Is there a search tool that helps you find information more quickly? Is the content organized in a way that can be easily grasped? Is there a help page?

· Backup system. If your intranet is hit by a virus or accidentally corrupted, what do you do? Do you have a daily or weekly backup that you can restore in the event of a failure?

Build and maintain it

Decide on whether to outsource or do it in-house. Assign an intranet coordinator and see if he can handle all the updating, using a web creation tool.

If your company needs to update frequently or has many departments contributing to the content, you should consider installing a content management system (CMS). A CMS automates and facilitates intranet maintenance. Almost anyone with little HTML skills can use a CMS. An excellent CMS is Drupal (http://www.drupal.org).

Promote and improve the intranet

Lastly, promote the use of your intranet. Conduct regular surveys and give recognition to people or departments who diligently update and use it. Assign an intranet task force that can meet regularly to assess and recommend improvements. If you have announcements, make them on your meetings and publish the details on your intranet. That way, the intranet becomes a habit for everyone.

Your intranet is only as good as its usefulness to your company.

Additional :

“Finally, a Simple Way to Build an Intranet.” http://www.intranets.com/ProductInfo/WhitePapers/Build_an_Intranet.asp

“What Do I Need to Build an Intranet/Extranet?”

http://www.3com.com/corpinfo/en_US/technology/tech_paper.jsp?DOC_ID=5348

“Is This Any Way to Build an Intranet?” http://www.cio.com/archive/040100/intranet.html

*** For more information about this article, contact tech[at]digitalsolutions[dot]ph