If you need to plan, design, or deploy an enterprise portal this book is for you. Initiating a portal project (or rescuing one under way) is an exciting, sometimes daunting, challenge. Fortunately, the craft of portal design is now mature enough to identify the best practices that lead to successful implementations. Examples of those implementations, or proven portals, and detailed discussions of design principals are provided throughout this book.
Part I discusses several elements of portal design, including:
- Organizing information in an intuitive, coherent manner
- Creating a modular, adaptable framework for application integration
- Identifying core portal services, such as collaboration and content management
- Developing a robust, scalable architecture
These technical topics are complemented by organizational issues that should be addressed early in the life of a portal, specifically, ensuring adoption by end users and assessing the financial benefits of the portal.
Part II examines details particular to three common application areas: customer service, business intelligence, and knowledge management.
Part III summarizes core principles of successful portals and provides a guide to developing your own enterprise portal.
Creating an enterprise portal is a challenging and rewarding experience. With a solid understanding of your business requirements and knowledge of the best practices found in this book, you are well positioned to create your own proven portal.
