South Florida Web Solutions

MVI specializes in development business intranet-not to be to be confused with its larger, freer cousin, the Internet-allows companies to share information among employees, much the way traditional offices use memos. Using software and development tools common on publicly accessed Web sites, intranets take advantage of the point-and-click ease of the Web, but access to the site can be limited to a single company or even a specific group of employees within a firm. Password protections and other methods can be used to ensure that private information remains private.

How the big boys are capitalizing on intranets

Many South Florida companies, particularly those with good computer support teams, have been building intranets to keep internal phone directories up-to-date, introduce new policies, publicize staff accomplishments, and share databases or other information. The value of the intranet is letting your staff work  a-synchronously.

Intranets can help with telecommuting

For a smaller business in Miami, intranets can become important if many workers telecommute or if the company has a few employees in separate locations. In addition, a desire to spend employee or partner time more efficiently may spur a small business to consider an intranet. The Miami project to set up an intranet for just four people, all of whom worked on very tight schedules. To maximize the quality of meetings among the four, each member continually posted his or her progress on a given topic using the company's intranet. Each member of the group could then examine all the work done to date when time permitted, hash it over in a discussion thread, and work out many details-all before the first scheduled meeting.  The value of the intranet is letting you work from different locations efficiently.  The actual face-to-face meetings were very efficient because they did not have to take time bringing the other members of the project up to speed, and they could spend more time on the creative process.

The cost of intranet

Indeed, many small businesses can benefit from intranets, but there are costs to be considered. Intranets are an investment, and can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars to start and, more importantly, to maintain. Small businesses with a preexisting technical infrastructure have an easier time setting up an intranet.

MVI can help you  build intranets avoiding common mistakes, such as,  incorrect intranet tools, hardware and software. Common difficulties include: buying more hardware or software than necessary; buying the right tools, lacking the know-how to setup an efficient system;  having too few resources to maintain the system.

Making the commitment

If you have conflicts with space or scheduling or some other unique characteristic, an intranet might be just what your business needs to maximize efficiency. But what can be an invaluable resource for one organization can be a sinkhole of time and money for another. Be sure to do the research before investing in an intranet.