Future principle: ubiquitous access

James Robertson writes in his latest Column Two Post.

In 2015, staff will have ubiquitous access to information and functionality, delivered at the point of need, regardless of where they may be. This means going beyond the “intranet as an internal website”, a concept that has been holding back intranet teams for many years.

James has a clear vision of how Intranets will be expected to deliver by 2015. Full and seamless access to all the information you require to do you job quickly, efficiently and conveniently and the ability to do so wherever you are is certainly a worthwhile goal for an Intranet.

I have recently been investigating the possibility of providing key intranet content like contact information and employee self service function via mobile device. But first I am told I must decide on which mobile platform I am going to deliver my Intranet content to. Blackberry or iPhone?

I think I am going to tread water for a little longer before I commit and see what smart middleware developer can come with something that will handle both..

If you are such a developer or supplier, feel free to post comment and we can discuss.

What do successful intranet managers have in common?

I believe I have mentioned previously that I am a member of the Sydney, Australia chapter of the Intranet Leadership Forum. This group is facilitated by Step Two Designs and is made up of like minded professional Intranet tragics. The manager of the ILF is a wonderfully likable and and engaging lady named Catherine Grenfell. This week, another of my favorite people, Jane McConnell, interviewed Catherine about her article entitled What do successful intranet managers have in common?

Now I know I am biased because of my friendship with Catherine and long distance admiration for Jane and her work but regardless I am sure that if you are an Intranet Manager you will love what Catherine has to say.

Highlights from the Global Intranet Trends for 2010

Those of you who read my blog will know I am a huge fan of Jane McConnell. Jane works very hard to produce a Global Intranet Trends Report annually and the 2010 version will be available to purchase later this month.

I have been a contributor to the survey that allows this report to be compiled for the last three years and as such am lucky enough to receive a contributors copy of the report.

For those who are not so lucky, Jane has just published an overview of highlights from this years document on her excellent Globally local - locally global blog.

Highlights from the Global Intranet Trends for 2010
I'd like to share a preview of some major observations from this year's survey. These points and others are developed in the Global Intranet Trends for 2010 report.

As I mentioned above, if you take part in Janes annual survey you get to see a contributors copy of the report before anyone else. That alone is well worth the time it takes to complete her survey. The bonus of contribution is that the more companies that take part, the better the data in the report becomes so it is definitely a win / win.

Intranet 2.0 after the global financial crisis?

I am constantly amazed at the amount of work James Robertson from Step Two Designs gets through. Just a couple of days after the release of this years Intranet Innovation Awards announcement and report he is busily capturing his thoughts on the impact the Global Financial Crisis has had on company Intranets. As usual, well worth a read.

Intranet 2.0 after the global financial crisis?
Heading towards the end of
the year, it’s interesting to start to look back on what has been a
roller-coaster of a year. The Global Financial Crisis seems to have transformed
everyone’s thinking, and the ripples are still being felt in every industry.
So what has this meant for the present and future of intranets?