5 TIPS WHEN SETTING UP AN INTERNAL INTRANET

Planning and programming an intranet — an internal Web site restricted to those within your company — can prove a boon to communication, project management and a host of other responsibilities. But using it effectively means more than building it, plugging it in.

Many small-business owners get it when it comes to the influence and reach of the Internet. But what they may not fully appreciate is how that medium can be used exclusively within their own business.

Here are some good tips on how to make it rock for your business.

Determine your employees’ wants (and needs)

Don’t just lay out gobs of cash for the latest technology on the assumption that it’ll do the job you need. Step one in formulating an effective intranet programming strategy is delineating just what you want it to do and with whom. Talk with the people who will access the system to get a sense of what they genuinely want and will consistently use. Their input needs to be incorporated into the final form and function.

Make sure you have a SINGLE SIGN ON

If you are going to make information available to people through a website, you will need to make it as easy as possible for them to get to that information. Building an Intranet that asks for a password each time a user logs on is going to be a barrier to that information, so make sure the authentication is tied in with whatever your network uses (Active Directory, LDAP, Athens etc.).

You may also want to consider setting the home page for the browser to be the Intranet homepage so users don’t need to type in a URL.

Establish a Single Point of Responsibility / Administrator

Assign an administrator to manage the internal site. Whoever manages your company network might be a logical choice for this role. But it also could be you, the business owner. An administrator usually is the site programmer, but he or she also supervises who has access to the site and to what areas of the site, plus who can create and delete files, and so on.You’ll need to assign ultimate responsibility for the Intranet to a single person. You may be setting up a steering group for this purpose, but make sure it has a clearly defined chair to be responsible for its decisions.

This person should have decent librarian skills for organizing the content in a logical and navigable fashion and have the capacity to make sure the Intranet is updated on a periodic basis; daily if possible.

Make it relevant and encouraging to your target users

Ensure it is the main place to access information. Upload all key company documents – ensure all appropriate content is transferred from server or directory on to intranet. Invite users to offer feedback and suggestions – an effective intranet is constantly developing to suit the needs of its end-users. Encourage staff to contribute content – staff-generated content encourages employee development and contribution, while features like footy tipping help keep things fun.

Make functional and convenient to use

Usability is your key to success and audience usage. Ensure your intranet is engaging – use attractive design, intuitive navigation, clear defined layout. Ensure Search works! – effective search functionality is integral to building trust and faith in your intranet.