One of the mistakes many intranet designers make is confusing intranet goals with that of a company's Internet presence. The values of both are different as are the needs of the end users. While a company's Internet page is often designed to entice and entertain potential customers or clients, the intranet is an infrastructure of corporate information that aids the company's productivity.

Often the base of intranet information is so large that navigating the intranet is cumbersome for the employees. At minimum, intranet construction should be consistent throughout, with simple templates that make navigation easy, providing employees with information within a few clicks. A good intranet network design requires that information be constantly updated to prevent stagnation. A good intranet solution should include the following:

1. Comprehensive, collaborative intranet design software that easily integrates with your computer network.
2. An intranet portal design that is user friendly and allows easy navigation.
3. Helpful, informative resources that provide solutions to intranet design and construction.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy software that includes everything you need for the best intranet construction

Great intranet design and construction relies on an intranet solution that integrates easily with your network. You want a suite that includes flexible management of existing databases and files, that allows management to collaborate and share information and that gives you administrative tools you can customize.

I recommend: WebEx WebOffice offers a database manager to securely organize and manage your data on the web; a document manager that stores and organizes your presentations, spreadsheets, e-mails and other documents; and administrative tools with customizable layouts and links.

Get intranet portal design software that is easy to use with smooth navigation

One of the main drawbacks to awkward intranet development is that employees find it hard to access information. Navigation should be hassle-free, giving employees incentive to use the intranet to its fullest capacity. Good intranet development starts with a great portal design solution.

I recommend: Central Desktop provides an intranet portal solution with an easy-to-use interface, a quick setup and centralized communication in addition to other fully-integrated features.

Educate your office with guides and tutorials to help optimize your intranet solution

Most managers and employees only do a cursory overview of their intranet and how it works. Getting the most from your investment depends on educating your company about the value of the intranet and how to get the most use from it. Good resources that include guides and tutorials are important to your overall intranet solution.

I recommend: Intranet Roadmap offers a downloadable intranet guide, portal and tutorial put together by intranet specialists to aid companies in creating and managing corporate intranets. The site also provides a compilation of helpful intranet links and intranet articles as well as an online road map that takes you through a web-based guide.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Already have intranet? Download Step2.com's free intranet review toolkit to assess the functionality of your intranet.