Maximize Enterprise Portal ROI, Erick Rivas
An enterprise portal is the most pervasive application in the enterprise—it touches everyone and every data source. Without Portal Lifecycle Management, enterprise portals can quickly become the most complex and expensive application in the enterprise.
Reduce Development and Maintenance CostsEnterprise portal software follows an iterative and incremental lifecycle similar to that of other enterprise software—design, assemble, deploy, and manage. For business-critical applications, most companies rely on an integrated development environment (IDE) tied to an application framework. The IDE provides tools and mechanisms for seamlessly automating tasks and deliverables within each phase of the lifecycle. To improve collaboration, the tools are organized by role so that a non-programmer can build displays and assemble applications from a library of reusable components developed separately by programmers. The benefits of Portal Lifecycle Management are similar to those realized in the software engineering lifecycle. A portal IDE helps manage complexity in design, speeds development and deployment, and reduces maintenance costs. In an enterprise portal, these benefits are amplified by the many display, business logic, and data access components that must be maintained. The table below presents the features and benefits of Mongoose PortalStudio™ against the Portal Lifecycle Management checklist from the Delphi Group white paper “The Hidden Cost of Portal Ownership.”
Plan for GrowthAs companies rush to deploy enterprise portals, some are tempted to select a portal solution that is based on proprietary technology because they are promised a solution within days. Many soon regret the limitations of a closed platform and the cost of ongoing maintenance.
A vendor-neutral portal framework allows the integration of e-business applications and data sources from many vendors through readily available connectors. The ideal framework provides system-to-system services for B2B integration and content aggregation, system-to-person services for portal access and management, and person-to-person services for web community and online collaboration applications. XML mapping tools and open API’s should be provided for integrating custom applications and data sources. The framework should operate on a variety of platforms, with industry-leading Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) application servers. It should provide role-based security, and enable the portal to be rendered on browsers, mobile phones and PDAs.
Produce Real CommunitiesReed’s Law says the value of the enterprise portal grows exponentially with the number of people who effectively use it. Community applications can help identify expertise, coach a new user, share knowledge, and reward customer loyalty. While many of these applications are available today, they exist as point solutions. Having person-to-person services built into the portal server provides the infrastructure to produce real communities of purpose. These online communities share several measurable characteristics:
1. Is there a necessary shared purpose that we accomplish together?2. Does each member have an identity? Can we tell who’s who, even when anonymous? 3. Are we able to share information and ideas that fit our purpose?4. Can we build trust? How do we know it’s safe to deal with others in the community?5. How do we form reputations? What lets us build status?6. Have we created ways to work together in small groups?7. Is our environment a shared space that is appropriate for our goals?8. Do we know who belongs in our community and who doesn’t?9. How do we govern behavior so that it supports our shared values?10. Is there a system for exchange of ideas, knowledge, support goods, and services?11. Can we express our group identity? Are we aware of what others are doing right now?12. Do we have ways to review our history and track our evolution?Portal Lifecycle Management, an open portal framework, and communities of purpose are three ways to maximize enterprise portal ROI.
Erick Rivas can be reached by email at Erick.Rivas@mongoosetech.com
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