The Case for Enterprise Portals
Michael Bromley | Mar 09, 2009 | Comments 2
The web has empowered customers and they know it. This is the basic premise for much of Enterprise 2.0. It’s also the best case for 
enterprise portals. We seem to have reached a tipping point with the web now enabling a shift in online behavior and expectations. Customers now demand more and different behavior from the corporate world too. Luckily the corporate enabling technology has come along (almost) as quickly. The infrastructure and tools now exist to buld online channels for our customers, business partners, and employees that address these changes and expectations…the birth of the enterprise portal!
Portal technology helps deliver 4 key strategic outcomes:
- A common interface that can be personalised to users needs
- A fully functioning online channel
- Access to applications and services that broaden and deepen the appeal of the online channel to users
- Anywhere access via a range of devices
In short, an Enterprise Portal provides a framework for integrating people, information, and processes across organizational boundaries. A portal represents the platform on which the enterprise can build a wholistic approach to communication, commerce, and user experience. When done properly a portal can become a core element of enterprise strategy.
A good customer strategy can begin with a portal as it equips customers with the tools to support buying and information requirements without creating onerous content and application management on the back-end. Revenue improves through richer product information and personalized and customized content. While driving revenue, a portal can also drive down costs through improved customer self-service and reduced transaction costs. Our friends in the marketing department are also happy since a portal also improves customer experience and brand perception by providing a more valuable and enjoyable customer experience. When implemented properly the result is enhanced market share and customer loyalty as a result of stickiness that increases sales opportunities. The business case can be made and certainly that is critical to getting started.
When you do finally get moving forward the strategy really has to start with understanding the customer’s needs. Build a strategy with customer needs at the center with clearly defined targets and goals and you will be on the right track. There are a number of vendors that can provide the essential technology and implementation services. Whether you choose IBM, Oracle, SAP, Sun Microsystems or one of the many others will depend on your specific feature needs, budget, and time to market requirements. With a little planning an enterprise portal will be a significant means to realize your business objectives.
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Thanks for a great article Michael. We met about a year ago, and I have been reading your writings since.
This needed to be said. We often find with our larger enterprise clients that the ‘web guys’ are still seen by the old guard as a sort of a marketing division, as opposed to the “framework for integrating people, information, and processes across organizational boundaries.” So while the online people know how central they are, this is often not reflected in the organization’s allocation of budget and head-space. I have seen this start to shift already with the downturn, and I think this growing recognition of the role of the portal will continue to trend in a good direction, as measurable performance becomes everything.
Thanks Leisl, I remember our mtg. I’ve been doing some speaking lately on enterprise portals and there seems to be a growing list of larger organisations ready to make the jump. Its a good trend and I hope it continues.