What is an internal portal? The role of internal portals in improving work efficiency and examples of their use

What is an internal portal? 

Internal portals (intranet portals) serve as gateways to various information and applications within a company. Their importance has been increasing as business information and SaaS usage grows. This article introduces the benefits of using internal portals and case examples of portal functions in groupware.  

Overview of internal portals 

An internal portal refers to an internal website that aggregates various company information and applications, serving as an entry point for business operations. 

When people hear the commonly used term "portal site," many might think of websites like "Google" or "Yahoo! JAPAN" that gather various types of news and information. 

However, unlike these publicly accessible websites, internal portals are designed and built as company-exclusive websites intended only for internal access, aimed at facilitating smooth information sharing among employees and improving productivity. 

Internal portals have traditionally served as repositories for storing information such as operation manuals and company newsletters, but recently, they have evolved to also function as platforms for internal communication. 

Why internal portals are necessary 

Internal portal sites are used by many companies, driven by the increase in information handled internally and the normalization of remote work. 

Even just considering sales-related information, there's a wide variety of data being managed, including customer information, order and delivery histories, inquiry records, general affairs and human resources information, financial data, and contract documents. When these are scattered or managed in a person-dependent manner, sharing information within the company becomes difficult, increasing the risk of missing business opportunities. 

The recent normalization of remote work is also a significant factor. Working outside the office makes access to internal information from outside the company essential. Internal portals are expected to serve as virtual office spaces. 

By using an internal portal, necessary business information is consolidated, allowing employees to start work by accessing the portal regardless of their location. Additionally, beyond serving as a place for information sharing, internal portals are also used as platforms for internal communication, expected to maximize organizational performance. 

Examples of tools used as internal portals 

There are several tools used as "internal portal sites." Generally, internal portal sites, internal social networks, internal bulletin boards, and groupware are used. The differences between these are as follows: 

Tool Category	Purpose	Main Functions
Internal Portal Site	Aggregation of entry points to internal information and applications	• Internal bulletin board • Internal chat • Manual management • Calendar • Internal wiki • Internal FAQ • Workflow etc.
Internal SNS	Activation of internal communication, file sharing	• Internal bulletin board • Internal chat • Internal wiki • File sharing etc.
Internal Bulletin Board	Dissemination of internal information, accumulation of know-how and knowledge	• Internal chat • Schedule management • Task management • File sharing • Workflow etc.
Groupware	Business efficiency improvement including internal communication and information sharing	• Schedule management • Workflow • Document sharing • Email • Internal chat • Circulation etc.

Internal portal site systems are specialized for functioning as gateways to internal information and applications. Internal SNS and bulletin boards often include additional functions for information dissemination and employee communication. 

Furthermore, groupware is equipped with numerous essential business functions such as schedule management and workflow, with portal functionality included as one of its many features. 

Benefits of using internal portals 

The necessity and benefits of using internal portals include the following: 

Consolidation of work-related information 

The biggest benefit is the centralized management of business information and data. Business information varies widely depending on the department or team. The primary advantage is easier access to necessary information and reduced time spent searching for data. 

According to a "Survey on Internal Business Operations" conducted by OKWAVE Research Institute in April 2019 targeting 1,000 employees nationwide, the average employee spends 1.6 hours per day on "research." 

Top reasons for feeling that research takes too much time included "information not being consolidated in one place" and "not knowing where to find needed information." Improvements desired from the workplace included "maintenance of internal tools/systems," followed by "improvement of internal information sharing systems" and "time for information gathering." 

(Source: https://www.okwave.co.jp/news/press/5720/) 

Internal portals are widely used as tools for such information sharing infrastructure. 

Access to business information regardless of work location 

In recent years, remote work has become commonplace, necessitating access to business information from environments other than the office. With the increased use of various tools such as chat applications and cloud services, managing logins for these tools can become burdensome. By centralizing this information in an internal portal, employees can access business information from anywhere with the same ease as in the office, allowing them to work productively. Circulations, approvals, and application processes can also be handled online without paper, contributing to paperless operations. 

Boosting internal motivation 

Common uses of internal portals include sharing sales performance and project progress, as well as conveying messages from management to employees. This can foster collaboration among employees regardless of work location and create a sense of unity in approaching work by disseminating the company's direction. 

Activating internal communication 

It's convenient to display communication tools such as internal SNS on the internal portal. Rather than one-way information distribution, using it for opinion exchanges among employees helps activate internal communication. 

Recommended resource on selecting business improvement tools 

Material for Taking the First Step Toward Business Efficiency and Problem Solving 

A resource introducing the key points for tool selection to achieve effective "digitization" and

desknet's NEO is recommended for internal portals 

As shown, internal portals promote information sharing within companies and organizations, improving operational efficiency. When introducing an internal portal, we recommend choosing one that is easy to operate and manage. Groupware desknet's NEO, which can visualize team operations and tasks and share information simultaneously among individual, departmental, and company-wide portal screens, is an optimal tool for improving operational efficiency. 

When working collaboratively as a team, schedule coordination, regular communication, and reporting are also essential tasks, which can be performed seamlessly with desknet's NEO. This is a significant advantage for business use compared to applications dedicated solely to internal portals. 

What you can do with desknet's NEO's portal 

• Easily create user-friendly portals 

desknet's NEO's portal not only offers typical internal portal functions but also allows customization by freely combining desired and necessary functions. You can configure the portal by arranging gadgets and parts such as upcoming schedules, shortcuts to various desknet's NEO functions, new notifications, and links to internal and external systems. 

Display methods are not limited to text-based listings; you can create colorful and friendly designs using icons and illustrations, or group applications and links together. With the built-in rich text editor that allows uploading photos and videos, you can easily create your company's unique portal without knowledge of FTP or HTML. 

• Organize information with portals for each department or team 

You can create multiple portals for departments, divisions, or locations to publish information sites for internal use. 

For example, the sales department can create a portal displaying sales performance and targets to share data within the department. You can also create an administrative portal compiling company regulations, application forms, company events, and schedules, and publish it company-wide. 

Creating such portals allows users to find information by purpose rather than by function. 

• Customization for each individual 

Each employee can create their own personalized portal. They can manage schedules, register frequently used applications and services, and customize to improve usability. 

Whether to allow the creation of personal portals can be set according to company policy. 

• Integration with business applications 

desknet's NEO's optional features include "AppSuite," which allows the creation of business applications. With AppSuite, you can easily turn any internal customer lists, case management, inquiry histories, and other ledgers currently managed on paper or spreadsheet software into applications without programming knowledge. 

Links to applications created with AppSuite can be placed on the desknet's NEO portal screen, making them easily accessible during work. 

Additionally, it can display aggregate graphs of sales information registered in applications, helping raise awareness within the company and boost motivation. 

Here are some testimonials and implementation effects from users of desknet's NEO's portal functions. 

Key Points for Successful Intranet Portal Implementation

1. Choose Tools with Simple Design and Good Usability

When implementing an intranet portal, we recommend selecting tools that are easy to operate, user-friendly, and simple to manage and maintain. To avoid situations where "the system is implemented but adoption doesn't progress," we recommend testing the tool in advance through trials when available, and confirming the ease of browsing and operation.

2. Clarify the Purpose of Setting Up the Intranet Portal

By clarifying the purpose of setting up the intranet portal, the content to be posted will naturally be determined, and it becomes easier to organize the navigation flow. For example, you might create an intranet portal to solve problems such as receiving many questions about application procedures to the general affairs department and struggling to respond to internal inquiries. By consolidating application manuals and internal FAQs in one place, you can encourage self-resolution before inquiries are made.

3. Improve the Quality of Posted Information

Intranet portals created after hearing about what kind of information "research" is being conducted within the company and understanding the needs will likely see effective usage progress. Additionally, designating a person in charge to regularly review whether the latest information is posted and update when there are changes is also a key point for success.

4. Security Measures to Protect Internal Information

Internal information includes personal information and business information. Therefore, security measures to prevent information leaks in advance will be essential. When using tools, we recommend confirming security safety in advance.

Summary of Intranet Portals

In this article, we introduced the role of intranet portals, their usage benefits, application examples, and key points for successful implementation.

When implementing an intranet portal in the workplace, we recommend groupware that is easy to operate and user-friendly. To facilitate smooth team operations, we particularly recommend "desknet's NEO," which has a reputation for rich functionality, simple and easy-to-read UI, and excellent operability among groupware solutions. In addition to information sharing through portal functions, schedule coordination and regular communication and reporting are also essential tasks for collaborative team work, and desknet's NEO enables these to be performed efficiently and seamlessly.