When you search for "intranet solution" on the internet, Google will spew out 5,950,000 relevant results; Yahoo, 31,800,000; MSN, 38,100,000 and AOL, 658,000 - and you are but a small business enterprise who has just ventured online!
For a newbie, the task of finding a suitable intranet solution may seem daunting; internet, in fact is one labyrinth of information that jumbles the mind if you don't know exactly what you are looking for and where to look for it.
What makes up a suitable intranet solution for your growing business? This guideline will not solve the puzzle for you as each business is unique to its own experience, but it can somehow weed out some irrelevant details and make your search, effortless:
It links well: An intranet solution that delivers results is one that allows more room for connectivity. It does not merely hook you up with your employees for online collaboration, but it should also provide ample space for other functions, such as: organizing and managing schedules, sharing, on secured settings, relevant data and information; allowing efficient access to the company's databases, and connecting everyone - right from the desktop!
It efficiently shares: A suitable intranet solution protects as it shares. It runs in an environment peppered with regular backups and virus scans. As it provides an online environment where employees can coordinate tasks, share corporate calendar of goals and activities, collaborate on company's sales thrusts and get regular updates on matters that can have direct impact on their functions, your intranet solution should have the capability to protect and secure this environment.
It is timely and relevant: Your intranet solution, which serves as your company's "in-house website" should be equipped with capabilities that simplify functions while it caters to the demands of today's fast-paced environment - with least interruptions. Having a company web-based email system, large storage space for company data, fast imap etc, etc. are some of the ideal features that an intranet solution must have. These capabilities will enable you to manage employees who are assigned in different locations, as if they have not left the office.
It has to be a full-featured intranet solution - at a price you can afford: Now, this is the litmus test of a suitable intranet solution for small or medium-scale business:
Most intranet solutions deliver a powerhouse of features, but at a price only large businesses with fat bank accounts can afford. When cost of a solution is prohibitive, most businesses would settle for low-key solutions - they exactly get the same results. Recently however the horizon is clearing up.
There are now intranets and extranet solutions that provide high-end features of their more popular counterparts, at a price small or middle-size business cannot refuse.
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Business 
