This report addresses the senior management of the e-Fence corporation. It deals largely with possibilities to enhance the functionality of the company′s Intranet. In particular the focus is on the appliance of collaboration and network management techniques and solutions that add value to the corporation.
In terms of collaboration techniques intelligent email-based messaging and discussion systems are described. They provide the basis for an improved communication among the departments and distinct employees. In particular the concept of newsgroups over NNTP protocols as well the IMAP protocol contribute significantly to the efficiency of the company by sharing calendars, resources as well as customized messaging-based applications (such as custom workflow management). Lotus′s Domino-Notes solution is assessed as the most suitable groupware packet that dominates through its ease of integration, a broad range of features valuable for e-Fence and its low total cost of ownership.
To generate performance reports of the servers within the corporate network performance management over SNMP protocol is the solution. Performance management as part of network management is capable to monitor the network devices, identify errors and allow initiating counter measures proactively. Tivoli′s NetView solution is evaluated to add the highest contribution to the e-Fence Intranet. Its components and tools can be aggregated to a customized solution. The third part comprises the critically evaluation of an appropriate document management system that should enable the company to benefit from time and money savings. Lotus′s Domino.doc is selected as the most suitable add-on product to the already proposed Domino-Notes solution.
Finally, the principles of cost-effective Intranet management are presented. The highlight of this section is the fact that the total cost of ownership rather than the initial purchase price has to be considered when establishing or upgrading an Intranet. It counts for more than two third of all the expenses that can be expected from an IT investment.
Table of Contents
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2 ENHANCEMENT OF THE COLLABORATION
2.1 TECHNIQUES
2.1.1 Electronic Mail and Messaging
2.1.1.1 Active Messaging
2.1.1.2 Intelligent Messaging
2.1.1.3 Form based systems
2.1.1.4 Rule-based agents
2.1.2 Conferencing
2.1.2.1 NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol)
2.1.2.2 IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
2.1.2.3 Discussion systems
2.1.3 Group Document Handling
2.1.4 Groupware Services and Frameworks
2.1.4.1 Group-aware applications
2.1.4.2 Group-unaware applications
2.2 PRODUCTS
2.2.1 Lotus Notes
2.2.2 Collabra Share
2.2.3 Microsoft Exchange
2.3 COMPARISON AND EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
3 ESTABLISHING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
3.1 MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS
3.1.1 Novell ManageWise
3.1.2 Hewlett Packard OpenView
3.1.3 IBM (Tivoli) NetView
3.2 SELECTING AN APPROPRIATE SOLUTION
4 DEPLOYMENT OF A DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
4.1 COMMON DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
4.1.1 Lotus Domino.doc
4.1.2 Microsoft Exchange
4.1.3 Novell GroupWise
4.2 SELECTING AN DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
5 A COST-EFFECTIVE INTRANET MANAGEMENT
5.1 INITIAL PURCHASE COSTS
5.2 TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP (TCO)
5.2.1 Tangible costs
5.2.1.1 Additional costs
5.2.1.2 Operating costs
5.2.1.3 Training
5.2.1.4 Maintenance and Support
5.2.2 Intangible Costs
5.2.2.1 Opportunity costs
5.2.2.2 Adoption costs
6 CONCLUSIONS
Objectives and Topics
This report aims to assist the senior management of the e-Fence corporation by evaluating strategies to improve the functionality and efficiency of the company's Intranet. The primary research focus involves identifying suitable collaboration tools, network performance management solutions, and document management systems that offer the best value, integration, and cost-effectiveness for the organization.
- Enhancing corporate collaboration through advanced messaging and groupware techniques.
- Implementing robust performance management protocols for network monitoring.
- Selecting and deploying effective document management systems to streamline workflows.
- Analyzing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) as the core metric for IT investments.
- Evaluating specific enterprise software solutions from Lotus, Novell, and Microsoft.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1.1.1 Active Messaging
Active messages are not like the ordinary messages. They move from the sender to the receiver with an executable payload like an application. This payload is basically code that is triggered by the receiver’s workstation and performs a particular action. The message asks and delivers information depending on the answer from the receiver. Active Messaging helps to simplify the process of building messaging and workgroup applications. Like in Microsoft Exchange it gives the user’s web browsers access to its full set of messaging and groupware functionality via Active Server Pages (ASP). All the calls and execution will take place on the server, with HTML code sent to the client application through the browser. The benefit is that any browser-based client can run the workgroup application without extra client-side coding. (Wells, 1996)
Summary of Chapters
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Provides an overview of the report, summarizing the evaluation of collaboration, performance management, and document management solutions for the e-Fence corporation.
ENHANCEMENT OF THE COLLABORATION: Discusses various techniques and software products designed to foster interpersonal productivity and automate organizational tasks.
ESTABLISHING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: Examines network monitoring and performance management solutions, specifically focusing on SNMP-based protocols for server infrastructure.
DEPLOYMENT OF A DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: Outlines the criteria for selecting a document management system to improve information availability and reduce operational overhead.
A COST-EFFECTIVE INTRANET MANAGEMENT: Analyzes the importance of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over initial purchase price when investing in IT infrastructure.
CONCLUSIONS: Summarizes the key findings and the final recommendations regarding the software and management strategy for the e-Fence Intranet.
Keywords
Intranet, Collaboration, Groupware, Network Management, Performance Management, SNMP, Document Management, Total Cost of Ownership, TCO, Domino Notes, NetView, Business Process Reengineering, Messaging Systems, IT Investment
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this report?
The report aims to provide the senior management of the e-Fence corporation with a comprehensive evaluation of techniques and software solutions to enhance the functionality of their corporate Intranet.
What are the core thematic areas covered in the analysis?
The core themes are enhancing corporate collaboration, establishing proactive network performance management, deploying secure document management systems, and ensuring cost-effective IT management.
What is the key research question regarding IT investments?
The report focuses on whether organizations should prioritize initial purchase prices or the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) when establishing or upgrading Intranet infrastructure.
Which scientific and analytical methods are applied?
The report uses a comparative analysis method, evaluating different technological solutions based on current corporate requirements, platform compatibility, integration ease, and long-term economic impact.
What does the main body of the report address?
The main body systematically evaluates specific software categories including messaging tools, performance management suites like Tivoli NetView, and document management systems like Lotus Domino.doc.
How would you describe the key characteristics of the recommended solutions?
The recommended solutions are characterized by their web-accessibility, seamless integration capabilities with existing infrastructure, and high degree of scalability for enterprise needs.
Why is Tivoli's NetView recommended for the e-Fence network?
NetView is recommended because it provides individually customizable server monitoring tools that are compatible with the existing UNIX-based environment, offering better efficiency than one-size-fits-all solutions.
How does the report differentiate between active and intelligent messaging?
Active messaging involves executing code on the receiver's workstation to perform specific tasks, whereas intelligent messaging focuses on making associations and attaching relevant context to messages on behalf of the user.
- Quote paper
- Thomas Kramer (Author), 2000, Employment of techniques to enhance the functionality of an Intranet, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1896
