White Paper: Intranet Development

Client's Industry

Chemicals and Minerals

Business Challenges

• Easy document and content management.
• Secure, online Human Resource Management.
• Scalability of developed application for other uses including Internet systems integration.

Benefits & Results

• Increased productivity.
• Streamlined business operations.
• Improved communication channels.
• Manageable and efficient knowledge base for the organization.
• Global connectivity.
• Global access.
• Empowering to employees.
• Quick dissemination of information.
• Reduced costs.
• Centralized data storage (real time).
• Centralized control over data.

Tools Used

• ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)
• ASP
• IBM DB2
• IBM AS/400
• JavaScript
• Microsoft Exchange Server
• Microsoft Site Server Commerce Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server
• VBScript
• WebTrends

Solution

Azavar Technologies Corporation created a web-based Intranet application using the client's existing IT, legacy systems and data warehousing infrastructure.

Internet technologies have changed the way individuals and organizations interact and manage information via the Internet. Geography has become immaterial, and Intranet applications span continents linking organizations and individuals over a global network. A study by Hambrecht and Quist found that 85 percent of Fortune 200 companies are implementing Intranet strategies as outlined in this case study.

Intranet applications can help organizations improve their communication channels, implement virtual collaboration tools for projects and streamline business operations, thus reducing the cost of IT ownership.

Typically, organizations begin implementing an Intranet for items such as online employee profiles and personal benefit details, staff directories, surveys and organizational policies and procedures. There has been a significant return on investment on these kinds of applications. According to the consulting firm Meat Group, a study of 41 companies shows that 80 percent achieved positive returns on their investment with an annual return of 38 percent. The Azavar client mentioned here achieved a similar return on investment.

After analyzing the existing IT infrastructure at the company, Azavar determined that an Intranet application using Internet media would address the client's business and knowledge management goals. The client and server application would better serve the purpose of centralized Human Resource services and document management. For this purpose Microsoft's technology - Windows 4.0, Site Server and ASP - combined with existing IBM legacy systems and data warehousing were chosen as the primary development tools.

The functionality of the Intranet application includes:

• Personalized and integrated information for all offices around the world.
• Online Human Resource Management. Employees can make benefits elections, change their existing benefits and profile and modify other personal information related to the benefits they are receiving.
• Employees can analyze the benefits that they are receiving. The application also displays other related options available to the user and guides them in making the decision by providing online aid.
• Provide information about company policies, rules and regulations and request forms. The Intranet also serves as a knowledge base for employees and managers.
• A full-text database-driven search engine using Site Server.
• Web-based document management. Employees can submit all white papers and other documents to the server, which become part of the corporate knowledge base.
• Administrators can easily add information to FAQs or other sections based on the requests they receive from employees. The information in these sections helps managers in understanding the culture within the organization, and facilitates decision-making.

Contact us to find out how to achieve Webability™ like this for your organization.