The explosion of the internet means that information is available on a scale never previously thought possible. Today almost everyone either has an on-line presence or can easily get one. There are websites, blogs, community sites and forums that mean it has never been easier to get your message, products or services, images or music in front of a potentially global audience. For individuals and business, access to and use of the internet has become part of everyday life.

However, not all on-line presence has been created equally. Some sites are more sophisticated than others, enabling visitors to access, contribute, share and download content in a variety of ways.

At it’s simplest, there is the Weblog or Blog. This is a website where an author publishes information (words, images, sound) that users can see and in some cases comment on.

Then there is the website that goes further, allowing visitors to buy on-line. This will be more complex, more expensive to develop and maintain than a simple blog.

Organisations will also have systems that run on computers located in-house where access is restricted to employees through an internal network and sometimes via the internet. These ‘legacy’ systems have been in use for many years so they will be based on older technologies and will work differently to systems developed today.

The Information Conundrum

The big question for many organisations today is how they can make sense of all this and access these disparate systems in a way that:-

• Retains the information and knowledge developed through experience.

• Requires minimal re-education of users.

• Can be achieved promptly.

• Protects the (in some cases substantial) investment in system development.

There IS a solution and it is growing in popularity - the SmartPortal.