Intranets as Platforms for Business Applications and Decision Support

Business Operation and Management
Intranets have moved beyond merely making hypermedia information available on Web servers or pushing it to users via net broadcasting.

Intranets are also being used as the platform for developing and deploying critical business applications to support business operations and managerial decision making across the internetworked enterprise.

For example many companies are developing custom applications like order processing, inventory control, sales management, and executive information systems that can be implemented on intranets, extranets, and the Internet.

Many of these applications are designed to interface with and access existing company databases and legacy systems.

The software for such business uses is then installed on internet Web servers. Employees within the company; or external business partners, can excess and run such applications using Web browsers from anywhere whenever needed.
Intranets as Platforms for Business Applications and Decision Support

E-Business Application

E-Business Application
Enterprise communications and collaboration application support communication, coordination, and collaboration among the members of business teams and workgroups.

For example, employees and external consultants on a project team may use the Internet, intranets, and extranets to support electronic mail, videoconferencing, electronic discussion groups, and project websites to communicate and collaborate on business projects.

Electronic commerce applications support the buying and selling of products, services, and information over the Internet and extranets. For example, many business uses E-commerce websites for business-to-business and business-to-consumer sales and support, use extranets so large customers can excess the company’s inventory databases, and use a corporate intranet so employees can easily look up customer records on intranet servers.

Internal business applications of an E-business enterprise support a company‘s internal business processes and operations.

For example, employees may use an intranet enterprise information portal to excess benefits information on a human resource department server.

Or a company may link an intranet to the internet so managers can make inquiries, generate reports, and access corporate databases from anywhere in the world.
E-Business Application