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OPERATIONAL BENEFITS OF THE WORKPLACE PORTAL From The E-Business Workplace: Discovering the Power of Enterprise Portals One operational benefit is reduction in the cost of ownership for both hardware and software. Because applications reside on a server rather than on individual PCs in a Workplace portal environment, there are far lower installation and maintenance costs for PCs. The only software necessary for the PC is standard Web browser software, which does away with the cost of frequent PC hardware upgrades necessary to handle increasingly sophisticated software. In the Workplace portal model, the PC is transformed into an modern-day terminal. However, the combination of Web access and a sophisticated Workplace portal allows individuals to do far more than they ever could with an old-fashioned terminal, or for that matter with a PC running its own software. Another operational benefit is increased productivity. In a standard working environment, business processes are decomposed into tasks and activities. But in the Workplace portal environment, business processes are built up from individual roles. Non-value-adding steps are eliminated from the process, and individuals are able to perform their work in a more natural, intuitive way, which in turn increases their productivity. Information retrieval and learning are improved because individuals have access to multiple sources of information. The "push" technology in the Workplace portal allows time-critical information to be sent out to all who must have it when they need it. Improved knowledge management leads to more effective decision making, which enhances the value of intangible assets. Providing business partners with access to the Workplace portal reduces inter-enterprise business process cycle time and improves information sharing across company boundaries, thereby improving operational value. This also occurs through collaboration inside the company fostered by the Workplace portal. Workplace portals also enhance individual employees' work life. Because only those transactions for which his or her role is responsible are displayed, the employee's work environment is more intuitive and work flow to the employee is streamlined. Employees are able to respond quickly to critical changes in work flow and react quickly to inputs from colleagues, business partners, or customers. Because the Workplace portal is available from remote locations using lap-top computers or a variety of hand-held devices, employees are no longer cubicle-bound. This produces opportunities for telecommuting from home, a client site, or other business travel. Or select the page you'd like to jump to:
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