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The Art of User Management
Continued from page: 3
Friday, February 01, 2008
Adding socializing features in Intranets
Social networking within an intranet is being taken seriously by companies,
who wish to bind their employees together and keep them happy. More importantly,
they ensure that there is reduction in the number of email exchange, and a
plausible reduction in paper transactions. Intranet portals of this nature also
give the employee his/her share of private space that includes blogs, discussion
boards on topics ranging from football to George Bush to cuisines, besides other
forms of personal expression.
Some companies that have the vision of the 'paperless office' go an extra
mile and upload online forms, registers, booking sheets and other
permission-related material on the intranet portals.
In most cases, the HR department has an interesting role to play in the
maintenance of these portals. Moderators of intranet portals often keep a close
eye on the blogs and forums, to try and understand 'user behavior' - in other
words, trying to get hints about a possibly disinterested or unhappy employee.
Some companies even go to the length of advocating informal counseling session
for 'check-listed'employees.
The bottom line is to ensure high user satisfaction in an enterprise, whole
of the IT department has to work proactively. Other than regular IT deployments
and process, constant interaction with the users and considering their feedbacks
is the mantra to keep users happy.
| Cisco's Employee
Connection |
Cisco's intranet
'starting point' follows the aim of providing cost-effective processes and
tools for creating successful, user-centric sites, besides creating a
template to integrate users and processes. Some of the ideals that have gone
behind the creation of CEC are:
• Providing fast, intuitive, personalized and secure access to internal
information worldwide.
• Promoting effective enterprise communications and messaging.
• Enabling efficient, integrated business processes.
• Fostering seamless, cross-functional collaboration.
Cisco's intranet architecture
enables key business processes, which include Communication, Management,
Collaboration, Delivery of employee services and Innovation. These have been
made possible due to a number of reasons. One is that it's easier and more
intuitive to find content and applications. Functionality looks and works
consistently, making sites easier to use. All information about a specific
topic is located in one place, avoiding redundant, overlapping, or
out-of-sync information. Self-help answers are easier to find, speeding
business processes and reducing internal support needs. Related tools and
data are easier to find, strengthening business processes and program reach.
News and other messages can be communicated more coherently, and to the
right audiences. It enables enterprise, cross-functional capabilities that
have more impact by leveraging a common framework. Sites can be developed
faster, and with higher degree of user success.
Cisco also admits that after
the CEC has come into effect, there has been a plausible relief for the
email server, which processes only very vital, classified information.
According to Cisco, CEC encourages and enables employees to make use of a
host of web based tools and applications to access employee services,
content, and to share information, views and opinions.
With employee services being
provided over the intranet, employee needs are handled through the online
portal, thereby eliminating the need for e-mails, in these specific
situations. |
Anil Chopra, Swapnil Arora and Vishnu Anand
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