Intranets

'Intranet' is a term used to describe the application of Internet technologies to serve the internal needs of organisations.

Internet technologies offer several important advantages over conventional means for developing internal systems. Important among these are:

• the use of a common, readily available and familiar access tool, the web-browser;
• the ease with which documents are handled and indexed; and
• the ease with which multiple media can be supported.

This document provides some pointers to source-materials about Intranets that are available, free-to-air, on the open, public Internet.

Introductory Materials

• At a business periodical level, with a moderate hype-quotient, try (U.S.) Business Week's Special Section of February 26, 1996
• A short but clear explanation of Intranet's attractions is provided by Salvo
• Still upbeat, but offering a little more substance is Randy J. Hinrichs 'guide for Intranet newbies'
• But perhaps the most readable introduction is a paper by an Italian writer, Stefano Bolici

More Substantial Papers

• By Hummingbird
• By Lee Levitt

Case Studies

• The Bechtel Group, from PCWeek Online of July 15, 1996
• Columbia Healthcare, from PCWeek Online of August 1, 1996
• Sun Microsystems (self-written and self-interested, and focusing on both external/Internet and internal/Intranet applications; but definitely worthwhile)

Sites Offering References

• The Intranet Journal, and particularly its Links section
• The Intranet Resource Centre, and especially the Articles and White Papers' section
• Lochnet's Intranet Resource Page
• Intranet Australia's collection
• a collection at the University of Koblenz in Germany

Key Intranet Software Suppliers

• Netscape's White Papers, and in particular an overview from July 1996
• a 'white paper' written by David Strom, intended as a framework for Attachmate's Intranet products
• a useful review of Microsoft's Internet developer product offerings

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Last Amended: 4 October 1996

These community service pages are a joint offering of the Australian National University (which provides the infrastructure), and Roger Clarke (who provides the content).