What is an internal portal?

First, let us introduce some basic information about in-house portals.

Overview of In-house Portal

An in-house portal is an information site that is used only within the company. The word "portal" means an entrance, and it represents an image like a gateway to access all kinds of information. Typical examples of common portal sites include Yahoo and MSN. Such sites are organized by category so that users can find the information they need through the portal site, such as news, weather forecasts, and shopping information in a variety of genres.

In the case of in-house portals, they are positioned as business portals that specialize in in-house information. It covers all the information needed by people working in the company, and plays a role in quickly accessing and sharing the information they want.

By placing an in-house portal, the centralization of in-house information is achieved, providing a smooth flow line to obtain the information required for business operations.

Typical Functions of In-house Portal

• Schedule Management

Linked to the calendar function, it centralizes individual employee schedules, tasks, and to-do lists, as well as group, department, and overall schedule management. Highlighted and pop-up displays of items of high importance eliminate omissions and omissions.

• Reporting Functions

This function allows you to display accumulated data from the past in graphs and tables. This function can be shared instantly with members outside the company via mobile devices, and can also be used for presentations, meeting materials, etc., helping to shorten employee work hours.

• Communication tools and messages

This function allows casual communication via chat. Messages can be sent to groups or individuals without the need to launch e-mail software.

• Workflow application

This function allows various workflow applications, such as requests for approval (ringi) forms, transportation expenses, and business trip expenses. This function streamlines communication with your supervisor or the person in charge.

• Project Management

This function allows the sharing of progress status and related information among the parties involved in a project. Compared to e-mail communication, there is no omission of sharing, and the progress status can be visualized.

• BBS

This function facilitates company-wide information sharing. This function eliminates time lags in information transmission and ensures uniformity in information dissemination.

• Internal FAQs

This function allows each department or person in charge to search for answers to "frequently asked questions. Questions can be resolved on the spot.

Importance and Role of In-house Portal

This section explains the necessity of setting up an internal portal, its importance, and its role.

Support for increasingly complex information management

When a company is large or has many departments, internal information management becomes more complex. In order for all employees to have equal access to information and for information to be shared smoothly among employees, the existence of an internal portal site is considered indispensable.

In addition, as a company grows in size, systems such as logistics, order management, and marketing tend to operate in disparate ways, creating what is known as "silos. By placing an in-house portal site, information communication paths are organized and cooperation becomes easier.

Siloing, where systems are fragmented, is also a major challenge for DX promotion. An in-house portal contributes to solving this issue by integrating all systems and tools on the portal site. The establishment of an internal portal can be seen as an effective measure toward DX. This indicates that the larger the size of the company, the more necessary an internal portal is.

Responding to the diversification of work styles

Individual employees' work styles and locations are becoming more diverse with the introduction of telework, shorter working hours, and flexible working hours, as well as the establishment of satellite offices. As a result, issues such as a lack of information sharing and communication and fewer opportunities to resolve questions have emerged.

Under such circumstances, an in-house portal plays the role of a central office in a virtual space that enables information sharing and dissemination regardless of working location and time. By enabling everyone to have the same centralized information, it is possible to unify company-wide awareness and recognition.

Management implementation is also easier when knowledge and information are reliably disseminated.

Examples of failures of company portals that are not used and their causes

While many companies have established internal portals, some have found that they do not work well. Here are some examples of failures and their causes.

• Few employees use it without sharing how to use it

In-house portals with too many functions or screens that are too complex can cause problems, such as the need to refer to an operation manual each time to understand how to use the system. If the usage of the portal is not well understood, employees will find it cumbersome, and the use of the portal will not be promoted.

• I don't know how to post or what to post

For example, employees may hesitate to post information on a bulletin board because they do not know what kind of information to post, when to post it, and to whom.

• I can't find the information I want

The screen is unorganized and the search location is not clear. If the screen is not organized and the search location is not clear, or if it does not respond well to keywords and it takes time and effort to search for information, it will not fulfill its role as an internal portal.

• Information is not updated

If old information remains as it is, or if the information does not match the current situation, the information will not be reliable and will not be used. It is meaningless if internal information cannot be used because it is not in line with changes in the organizational structure.

Conditions for an in-house portal to be used

In response to the examples of failure mentioned above, we will explain the conditions for making an internal portal that can be used.

• Countermeasures when the usage is not shared and few employees use the system

In order to respond quickly to business needs, the system must be intuitive and easy to operate without referring to manuals. It must have an organized and simple screen, and be equipped with functions suitable for the company's business without excess or deficiency. It is also important to give the user the opportunity to learn how to operate the system at a glance through onboarding.

• Countermeasures for cases where employees do not know how to post or what to post

Submission templates can reduce the hurdles to use. It is a good idea to be able to pull up templates for each screen as needed.

• Countermeasures when the desired information cannot be found

It is important to have a user-friendly interface and a mechanism for searching across the site. The categories to be placed on the top screen should be considered and designed in line with the high needs of employees.

• Countermeasures when information is not updated

Assign a department or person in charge of the internal portal and establish rules for updating information. It is also necessary to check the usage status of employees and implement enhancements according to the situation.

In addition, internal portals require strong security measures and a good development infrastructure. As the number of employees and business grows, internal portal requirements become more complex, so it is important to have a development tool that is easy to create.

  For more information on development tools, please refer toHow to effectively utilize development tools? Development tools" for information on how to effectively utilize development tools, including issues involved in switching and introducing development tools and information on choosing the right tools.

Introduction to ArielAirOne Functions

ArielAirOne offers a wide variety of configurations for key groupware functions. This facilitates information sharing according to corporate culture. The internal portal can be customized flexibly to meet the needs of the company's business and employees. The system contributes to the realization of "in-house portals that are used" because it is easy to develop applications and has excellent expandability for workflow.

Internal Portals Contribute to Smooth Business Execution

In-house portals provide a variety of functions such as internal information sharing, individual employee schedule and work management, question resolution, reports, and various workflow applications. Appropriate use of the system will improve the performance of the entire organization.

Based on the concept of "Activity Assistance," ArielAirOne is oriented to maximize the performance of the entire organization by supporting users. The intuitive UI is an important element that directly affects business performance. Please take a look at our introductory materials.

Product introduction materials

ArielAirOne" is the groupware for large companies

With an intuitive, lean UI and personalization based on the IT literacy of the user, a wealth of functions can be easily used for different purposes immediately after introduction.

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