Five Features That Are Critical to Any Company Intranet

Whether they're thought of as a private, secure corner of the internet at large or an entire electronic world unto themselves, intranets perform many roles that are essential to the continued prosperity of a modern business.  Though the exact features they must include are dictated by their industry; manufacturing, real estate, professional services or any other, there are several that are must haves.  Below is a list of five such roles and the features that fulfill them, however the various ways they can be customized for specific industries essentially makes the true number of possible features endless:

1) Applications that enable professionals to work from anywhere.

Many business owners are still unaware of the fact that applications can be developed which allow employees to do the same tasks they accomplish at their place of business from home or even elsewhere throughout the world.  Such flexibility is possible because websites and other secure networks themselves can now host programs, meaning that an application which is essential to completing a task from the field can be run from a business's intranet in lieu of having to be downloaded and installed on a new computer.  Beyond the obvious benefits this brings to employees who work from home, such advancements also aid representatives, experts, and other professionals who might have to perform critical tasks from a remote location or at a client's place of business.

2) Databases that allow information to be accessed from a network.

The point of any shared network, ultimately, is to exchange data, be it of a technical, financial, or organizational nature, and so any intranet can be judged on its ability to give each member of an organization access to the information they need to complete their assignments.  As some of the information a business has is not intended for use by all of its associates and employees, access to certain pieces of data can be limited to select members or groups.  Access to sensitive information can, for instance, be limited to managers, engineers, or specific departments within a workforce.  Likewise, any business can create a database for use by its own clients and other customers.  Such a customer database can include repair and other technical data or information regarding product performance.

3) Message boards and similar forums.

As many companies rely on their employees to explore ideas that can lead to the next generation of products or services, it's often in their best interest to provide a forum where observations, concepts, or even detailed, if unofficial, analysis can be shared.  Message boards allow such employees, be they salespeople, assembly line workers, or product designers, to freely exchange a wide variety of ideas.  To ensure that proprietary data isn't accidentally released to the general public or competitors, participation on such boards can be limited to certain members.  Likewise, discussion forums can be created for a business's customer network that enable those who have purchased or retained goods and services to comment on their value or make suggestions for future improvements.

4) Secure messaging.

Intranets can also be used to create secure, direct messaging systems that enable managers to directly communicate with employees or members of the same team to converse directly.  This can be a time-saving measure given that the alternate might involve creating separate email accounts that someone who is already logged into the intranet might otherwise have to go back and forth between.

5) Client uplink and data centers.

Given that business-related information is ideally supposed to flow back and forth between a business and its clients, another use for intranets is to enable or enhance feedback regarding products and services.  So far as feedback and adjustments go with technical equipment or products, such an uplink or data center can be a location where malfunctions, anomalies, or other problems and statistical data can be instantly uploaded.  In a similar vein, though operating in reverse, software updates or modifications to equipment that has already left the showroom floor can also be easily distributed from such a center, thereby enhancing a customer's experience and improving the overall quality of their purchase.

Ultimately, there are many more features that can be added to an intranet, just as those that have been cited can be modified to fit the specific needs of any business.  For more information regarding how such a network can be customized for your organization, feel free to contact liQuidprint today.

Comments

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