The Golden Years of Intranet Life: Retrofit or Rebuild?

Overview: Intranets, and all systems have a lifecycle. They are conceived, developed, and implemented for a period of time in which they fulfill a business requirement. However, what one expect to get out of the intranet will change over the years because businesses are in a constant state of flux. There is no permanence; and as such, the functionality an intranet offered during its initial implementation will also need to change. But when too large a gap separates the system from the process, the intranet may be reaching the end of its usefulness. A certain amount of time, effort, and financial commitment is placed on the development and maintenance of a corporate system. Regardless of this emotional factor associated with reaching the Golden Years of system lifecycle, there is a stranger phenomenon that befalls intranet owners. There are those who will do anything to keep a system alive, lifecycle be damned. And therein lies the paradox: more money is spent for fear of wasting money. Whether retrofitting or rebuilding, the decision to overhaul the intranet is a gentle balancing act that requires one to determine the amount of effort required in relation to the scope of the new requirements. The goal of retrofitting or rebuilding an intranet is to start a new system lifecycle, not applying a band-aid to keep a sinking ship afloat.

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Format: HTML | Date: Oct 2003 | Pages: 1