Not without my intranet…

Through my adventures in this course I have read about the pros and cons of intranets. Some will argue that all business have a case to take advantage of intranets, while others will harp on the fact that this is yet another potential threat as it provides a possible entry point forhackers. Overall, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives. After all, how great is it to be able to access, share and update all sorts of relevant information from almost anywhere, anytime?

Personally, I find the intranet at work to be a real enabler. I have access to any data that I need, in real time, so that I can meet with my clients at their place of business or work from home, knowing that I can access any information that I require from one centralized site. Working on an a client offer and need to verify interest rates before commiting to a deal…No problem, just a quick click to my intranet’s homepage and all current rate information is available. Enjoying a lovely day off from work and require access to a medical claim form so that I can file my expenses…I can get it from the same site without having to get dressed up to collect it from the HR department at work. Trying to plan a career path or want to take a course to freshen up my risk management skills… Same site!

Perhaps an interesting question is one that James Robertson, Managing Director of Step Two Designs Pty Ltd brings up in his article, Who should own the intranet?. He sites four possibilities, namely: IT; Communications; HR; and IM or KM (Information or Knowledge Management departments) . The challange is that although HR generally posts the most information on such sites, they may not be the best team to ensure its functionality on the intranet. The IT group on the other hand, while functionally strong in the design aspect, may be left out of what information field operations want to have. The conclusion? Have an accurate focus of what you want to achieve and what information is of value and then appointment an owner, but share the load and ensure an integrated approach throughout.

 As I user, I just know that all that information right there where I know I can access it and trust that it is current, is priceless. Saves me from printing volumes of procedures and policies only to see them change every so often, leaving one always wondering if one has the latest copy, and if all the branches across Canada are using the right version that day!