Information Portal

The Enterprise Information Portal helps eBusiness by enabling the effective use of shared knowledge assets so that everyone on your team can work collaboratively and securely across global boundaries. And you can manage that flow of information more efficiently for empowered decision-making. There are two key concepts that define an EIP: access and integration. The EIP gives workers access to the information and resources they need to do their jobs. It integrates both information sources and applications. It is a single unified interface connecting workers to widely scattered and diversely structured information repositories. Closely related to the notions of access and integration is the concept of personalization, meaning workers receive the information they choose in a desktop environment whose appearance they can control.

In eBusiness, the EIP helps achieve competitive advantage by providing a framework on which to build Knowledge Management (KM) practices. KM, in turn, supplies the intelligence for the decision-making and rapid action that enable Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Global Value Chain (GVC) activity to be effective in support of eBusiness. Working in close harmony, KM, CRM, and GVC help an eBusiness survive and grow.

KM involves collaboration, and the EIP is proving to be a good tool for it. The greater the quality and consistency of exchange among workers in the eBusiness, the greater the likelihood that the eBusiness will achieve another vital goal, that of fostering innovation.

Typical steps in the implementation of EIP:

EIP Assessment

To prepare a successful portal strategy, it is advisable to engage a systems integrator to evaluate the benefits of implementing an EIP to achieve your business objectives. This will help you identify how a single point of access to information and applications will enhance your knowledge workers’ productivity. It will enable you to:

• Understand the benefits of a portal solution.
• Validate and define the portal implementation that will complement your business requirements.
• Identify the process involved in designing and implementing a corporate portal.

EIP Planning and Design

You should develop a blueprint for your portal implementation that is practical, robust, and scalable. The solution should accommodate your business and information needs and technical requirements, but also your enterprise culture and environment. Plan and prepare to migrate your knowledge worker environment to an integrated EIP.

EIP Rapid Deployment

In order to lay a strong foundation for a more widely deployed and full-featured EIP, many businesses like to start with a low-cost entry into portal technology. This approach helps you:

• Determine the type and extent of customization you need for your enterprise portal.
• Find a solution that matches your business needs.

This need is served by well-designed kits that provide a core set of portal functionality and that can be up and running quickly for group pilots.

EIP Implementation

In deploying your portal in a department or across the enterprise, you will use the integration applications and architecture developed through the planning and design stages mentioned above. Results include:

• A smooth implementation with minimal disruption to your business.
• A portal tailored to your environment.
• An environment that enables employees to find critical information quickly, work and collaborate more productively.

The strategy for adopting you EIP includes the following solutions:

• Hardware and platform validation and optimization.
• A complete life cycle of services (including planning, design, implementation, and management).
• A flexible choice of industry-leading application software.

Choose an expert consulting organization to accompany you throughout this vital project, knowing that you are equipping your enterprise with a mission-critical system.