Handbook of Local Area Networks, 1998 Edition:LAN-based Application Development Issues and Solutions Click Here! Search the site:   ITLibrary ITKnowledge EXPERT SEARCH Programming Languages Databases Security Web Services Network Services Middleware Components Operating Systems User Interfaces Groupware & Collaboration Content Management Productivity Applications Hardware Fun & Games EarthWeb sites Crossnodes Datamation Developer.com DICE EarthWeb.com EarthWeb Direct ERP Hub Gamelan GoCertify.com HTMLGoodies Intranet Journal IT Knowledge IT Library JavaGoodies JARS JavaScripts.com open source IT RoadCoders Y2K Info Previous Table of Contents Next INTRANET VALUES AND CONCERNS As with any new technology, there are advantages and disadvantages to corporate intranets. According to a poll conducted by Network World and International Data Corporation, there are three top advantages and disadvantages. Top Three Values Ease of Use. Ease of use was cited as the top advantage to deployment of client/server and Web technology (79%). Users are already familiar with Web browsers and how they work—they don’t have to learn new software to connect to corporate information. From an IS perspective, there is only one place to update users with current information—the Web server. One change reaches all users simultaneously, which gives IS departments easy version control. Ease of Availability. This was the next most recently cited advantage (69%). This includes remote access to corporations for employees who are on the road. Sales personnel can keep up with changes in corporate pricing at the moment it changes. It also allows for scalability in user concurrencies, accommodating a fluctuating number of users at any one time. Ease of Implementation. This was ranked as the third-biggest advantage (65%). Most corporations already have intranet technology. The shift toward client/server computing was already taking place in most organizations, along with implementation of Internet standards. In most cases, users already have everything they need to access information via a Web server—this is zero desktop maintenance for the IS department. Top Three Concerns Security. Forty-two percent of respondents cited security as the top concern of implementing an intranet. Security is always an issue with access to corporate information. Many of the security issues are addressed already in corporations, because they involve only those users within the corporation that are already allowed access to information. An exception to this is when someone outside the corporate umbrella, such as a salesperson on the road, needs to get information. In this case, a firewall is required to prevent unauthorized access. In many corporations, firewalls are at least partially implemented already as part of normal security measures for authorized users. Lack of Bandwidth. Thirty-three percent of respondents cited lack of bandwidth as the most important concern of implementing an intranet. Slowed response time can be a problem that hampers access to information. This problem can happen when an already stretched corporate LAN is tasked with the additional work of allowing access to corporate Web servers, as well as host applications. Lack of Applications. Thirty-two percent of respondents cited lack of applications as the most important concern of implementing an intranet. Web servers can talk with client workstations, and Web servers can talk with the Internet. What’s needed are applications that work with clients and hosts to get them connected easily, instead of creating custom (and costly) applications. INTRANETS IN THE FUTURE: WEB-TO-HOST ACCESS Ninety-three percent of respondents to a recent Communications Week reader poll indicated that they would consider using a Web browser to access their mainframe data. This type of access is called “Web-to-host” access, and comes in three phases: publication of static information, Web access to legacy hosts, and new browser/Web applications. Phase One: Publication of Static Information Static information includes personnel policies and procedures, corporate phone directories, product specifications, and financial reports—information that is typically circulated within the corporation in printed form. Access to this type of information is generally converted from the printed format to HTML format and resides on the Web server rather than a host. It is information that was updated periodically, but because of HTML, it can now be updated dynamically. Phase Two: Web Access to Legacy Hosts Web access to legacy hosts includes client addresses and product inventory, location of OEM or VAR partners, current prices on company products, and any other information that supports simple searches on host databases. It also includes enterprisewide data access and transaction processing. Access to legacy hosts via Web servers is generally provided by the makers of the database software and independent software vendors. Web access to legacy hosts also includes running host applications to change and update database information. When Web servers act as connections between clients and hosts, the Web server must run protocols that are native to the connecting host, such as TN3270 or 5250. In effect, the Web server looks like a legacy terminal to the host and a Web server to the user. Solutions to this connection problem are available today, using the emulation technology that has been employed for decades to solve the very problem of client-to-host connectivity. Phase Three: New Browser/Web Applications Browser/Web applications allow users the same access defined in phases one and two above, but add something to it. For example, access to a TN3270 host, without enhancements to the navigation, doesn’t provide added value. An interface that lets IS extend access to TN3270 connection using the standard “green screen” and a GUI interface is of value to a corporation beyond just connecting to the host. The unifying mission of most new browser/Web applications cannot be overstated: •  To reduce software costs significantly, because browser software is cheap. •  To reduce the costs of hardware significantly, because client workstations do not need additional memory or disk space—nothing is installed locally. •  To reduce training time and costs, because the browser is the point of access for all types of Web-to-host interactions. •  To reduce maintenance for IS because changes are made to one place—the Web server. What to Keep an Eye On In the Near Future The combination of Web technology and client/server technology is where the future is headed, and the future is today. Much of the groundwork has already been implemented with client/server technology, distributed computing, Web access, and use of familiar interface. The challenges facing complete integration of intranets into corporate environments for the near and short term can be grouped into two categories: people and technology. Previous Table of Contents Next Use of this site is subject certain Terms & Conditions. Copyright (c) 1996-1999 EarthWeb, Inc.. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of EarthWeb is prohibited. Please read our privacy policy for details.