You and your colleagues have surfed the Web, but are still working the old way is not it? Set up your own intranet, save! Welcome to our Intranet School. Feel free to explore and learn - no one knows you're here. Are you a manager? You've run your team very well. But you think you can do better, and at the same time know what is hurting you - it's a failure to exchange information! You want your team members to contribute better information, avoid crashing information into the hands of thieves, hear the news quickly, and easily find key documents and information. other essential. In short, you have to do with your colleagues and the kind of work you've done all over the Internet. In fact, you hope you can use these Internet tools to get real help on the job - this only happens if you find the right system. Does the information system in your company pay attention to this? Sometimes it is, if you are lucky. But if what you want to do on your corporate network is not considered a strategic document, you may have forgotten it yourself. The world's managers of information systems also have their own problems, and your problems, they do not care. No other solution, no light at the end of the tunnel, eliminates a single exit path. One option that can change every situation is: Intranet for your own group. Yes, you can applaud excited, that is the truth. The intranet is an internal Internet that allows people to contribute what information they like, using software already available on their PCs: Web browsers. Here, what you want to say is: "Information system managers are creating a collaborative intranet for our company, and we get just what information they choose to give. " But forget about that "nonsense!" Do not see the wave but rowing. Ask, borrow, or get an intranet server! Or at any cost to have it in hand, and set up your own intranet. What can we do immediately on our intranet? Forget all the bland stuff you see on major commercial World Wide Web sites. You definitely want to reach the top, but your first priority is just the data that's shared in the group. For this you do not have any unusual requirements. What you need is a space on the intranet server. Ask for some free space on a server that already exists in the world of information systems, or fix it and fix it yourself (see "Server Intranet List"). Once you have a server for your intranet, you can do an incredible amount of work without resorting to server software or special browser functionality. It's easy to put in your intranet server profiles, valuable demos, or whatever type of material you like. For example, if you bought a PC a couple of years ago, you could still use your word processor to create a document type, such as a project, in HTML Hypertext Markup Language of the World Wide Web), and insert it into the intranet server. All are used to introduce, show. In fact, you can put simple plain text documents into the server if you want the browser to read it as easily as an HTML document. And if you have search software running on the server, you can also find this document even in the absence of anything associated with it. You will ask why do these things? By storing, retrieving and retrieving documents on an intranet server, you can save a lot of time preparing the necessary documents for everyone - no matter where they are located. and in what position. If there is a bug in the documentation that is included in the server, you can correct it now, and tell the workgroup that the document has been changed. You also do not have to send each person a repaired copy, or show them how to navigate to a file with a complex path name, using up to half of the software categories that the recipients can not. have been. Instead, you just send the link to the document - and with just one click they have it. Encourage team members to take matters into the intranet server. Give some people the task of regularly scanning the entire intranet to master what has been sent, and telling them to send a weekly e-mail message to let people know about it. new information. For example, when a member of the development team submits the latest project to the intranet server, how to make sure everyone involved in the project knows how to find it. Then, encourage these people to send back to him their new ideas and ideas about the project. You can invest in a personal document scanner so that team members can regularly add printed documents to intranet files. One important thing: Everyone has to have a jacket for themselves. Wearing shirts of different styles will always be helpful. For example, you could send out a cadastral layout, which would be essential for large groups or complex situations in which members would have to go on a regular or routine basis. separated from each other from afar. In this diagram, each member has a home page that lists information about themselves such as occupation, reporting to whom, system, phone number, and time. expression. Of course, it's better to add a server software to organize what you send. If you can store customer service records in an online database rather than a series of discrete records, you will have a more manageable system. What else can we do? If you only invest a small amount of money for software, and have enough time to prepare and run it, the workload will be huge. If you intend to try a bit of programming, or have a collaborator capable of doing so, the world of information will expand in front of you. The following are some of the possibilities. Get data from existing companies, such as customer databases and their products, for example. There are now many tools that allow you to "steal" the available databases and put them into your intranet servers (doing this sometimes has to be tricky). 2. Complete customer service. You can buy a number of expensive and attractive applications to capture the real way of solving the special requirements of customers. If that does not work, then record the calls and solutions to your intranet server, and make sure that the records are being investigated. If you simply record, you will only have a resource that is not valuable to use for planning, project, and sales services. 3. Record and mark the project information. For each project, set up a page to contain task and status information, and link relevant documents to it. This will make your intranet equivalent to a knowledge base for past, present, and future jobs. Again here, you should also have all sorts of sophisticated application programs on the intranet project, if you have enough money. 4. Set up sales reporting system. Keep track of sales reports, orders, and customer information on your intranet. In some cases, it may be necessary to link this document with the source of the news, customer service records, and other supporting information. 5. Replacement of internal paperwork. There are too many software tools available that allow you to compile simple forms of paper to capture data and then send it to e-mail or databases - all without the need to set up submit. 6. Group discussion tools are moving in the direction of the Internet and the intranet. It is possible to use these tools very well for small, dispersed groups. 7. Distribute news. You can leave people alone if they have time to wander around the Web and intranet to pick up news. Or (much better) you put some software on the server to systematically collect data from most sources, and distribute it to everyone involved. Back to main issues: How do I get an intranet server? This depends on the specific management situation of your organization. If your information systems group already has a running intranet server, try to persuade them to help. If they are hesitant, add that you will not be asking for any kind of support, just a blank space to enter. Finally, if you can not find help from the world of information systems, you have to organize and build your own intranet server. This is not as hard as you think. You can run server software on someone's desktop if they have enough processor and memory is large enough. If it's possible to set up a PC on the network as a server, it's best to have a 486 PC without additional hardware to get started. Then the question is about the operating system and the server software (see "Server Intranet List"). Now just organize your system and run it, add all necessary applications, direct it to your team, and start putting some content into action. If you want to be able to call outside the office, add a modem, connect to a phone line, and be required to follow some passwords. Is it so easy? In fact, it is not difficult to prepare an intranet. You only need to understand the purpose and effect of the intranet and have the discretion to do so. Always the same. If your information systems group performs a high level of intranet traffic for many people, then you probably need the most powerful and up-to-date tools. So far, you know what you can do. Good luck with your confidential intranet. Please leave the classroom by the back door. We will send your diploma to you by email if you contact us through an anonymous mailbox. And, celebrate the revolution! Intranet Server List Do you have limited budgets and can not enter the world of information systems to share games with them? Here's how to get started with building a large office-sized intranet. First, choose a PC with 486 or faster CPUs, a network adapter with a few cables, at least 16MB of memory, and a 500MB hard drive. For Macintosh systems, you need the equivalent of a PowerMac 6150/50 with 16 MB of memory. Yes, you also need a blessing from the world of information systems to add one to your network. Note, you can also share somebody else's computer, but you'll probably have to increase the memory - 32 MB is the minimum number you need in a shared system. Make sure your PC is fast (Pentium 90 is the lowest). On the other hand, this server will stop serving anyone when it is busy re-calculating a spreadsheet. Second, install a suitable operating system, such as Windows 95 or Windows NT, NetWare, OS / 2, Mac OS, or Unix, depending on your convenience. Third, add the Web server software (Web services). You have many types to choose from, but should start with the simplest and cheapest type. Here are some types of software that are available. - Apache (http: //www.apache .org) is based on OS / 2 and Unix. This is the most popular software chosen for Web servers on the Internet because it is a guaranteed success test. It has very rich features and good documentation (if not technical documentation). This is free software, but without any support. - Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) (http://www.microsoft.com), now included with Windows NT 4.0. This is a reliable and convenient intranet server software if you are using NT, and you also have support. Also note that Microsoft FrontPage comes with its own Web server software, which is available for both Windows 95 and NT. - Novell's NetWare Web Server (http://www.novell.com) costs $ 995, but it's fast, but not easy to install. - Netscape's FastTrack server (http: // www.netscape.com) costs $ 295; There are versions for Windows 95, NT, and many variants of Unix. Designed to be easy to install and use, it runs extremely fast and offers some good features. - O'Reilly and Associates' Building WebSite for Windows 95 and NT (http://www.ora.com), sold on CD-ROMs along with some of the best documentation. Price is about 59 USD. - Quarterdeck's WebStar for Macintosh (http://www.quarterdeck.com). This is an effective solution for Macintosh servers with many advanced features. Price 895 USD. Intranet tool for us There are many different intranet tools. The following are some of the page editors and database suites preferred for intranets. Web page editors Texture Design of Future Tense 495 USD (http: //www.futuretense .com) is a premium editor used to make the presentation of content more attractive. It was described "as a PageMaker for Web". $ 149 Microsoft FrontPage is another first-class editor with a compelling graphical interface and lots of templates, lots of artwork, and lots of customizable layouts to get you started. Word for Windows 95 along with Internet Assistant for Word is an acceptable basic editing system. Word for Windows 97 is even better. Netscape's $ 79 Gold Netscape is an internationally acceptable editor, and you probably already know its interface. The $ 159 SoftQuad HotMetal Pro (htt: //www.softquad.com) is a good choice for technical tilt. Tools like Microsoft Front Page 2.0 make it cheap, easy and attractive to create an intranet site. Web Database Products Allaire's cool $ 495 (http://www.allaire.com) is a perfect Web development tool. Alpha Software's $ 995 Alpha WebFiler (http: // www alphasoftware.com) allows ordinary people to build intranet databases. Corel's $ 100 Web.dat (http://www.corel.com) is great for interpreting existing databases for intranets. Borland's $ 500 Intra Builder Professional has the same benefits as these, which are more advanced. Tools like Microsoft FrontPage 2.0 make it cheap, easy and attractive to create an intranet site. (See the "Intranet Server List" for URL addresses not listed here.) 5 things should and should not be for the intranet Should do 1. Put helpful documents on your intranet. The more intranet is concerned with the work of the people, the more they use it. 2. Start Simple. Intranet technologies are not harder than PC technologies, but if they do not start low to high, you will die in overload. 3. Maintain low cost. Once all is working, you can be much more profitable. 4. Make people come to mind. The secret of an intranet's success is its contribution. 5. Make it lovely. At least put some graphics and images on the intranet home page. Should not do 1. Do not be buried in technical issues. It's easy to get caught up in the glamorous Web creations, and it's also a place to mercilessly destroy a great deal of your time and energy. 2. Do not force your employees to use an intranet. Encourage them, not by threat. Do not limit what your employees can post to the intranet, except for confidentiality issues and violating company regulations. 4. Do not worry about dropping graphics. Your internal network will not slow down unless you have to carry up to 10 MB of images. Do not inform other information systems too early.
