Access to important, current information on a just-in-time basis through the Internet is driving most application modernization today. Customers want to know their current banking account balances, the status of orders or availability of products. Suppliers want to know when you may require more raw materials. Employees need access to information to do their jobs most effectively. Portals are great tools for this type of web enablement. They provide value to many companies because they are a gateway, or a major starting point, for users when they get connected to the Internet. Portals – and the associated executive dashboards -- are a way for companies to experience more valuable interactions with customers, employees and partners, and more effectively monitor operations and make decisions.
Many companies are implementing portals to meet the needs of customers, suppliers, partners and employees. By providing a single secure, integrated and easy-to-use web interface to new and existing functionality, companies can ensure that relationships continue to meet the needs of all parties.
Not only does the company better satisfy its customers and trading partners, but it also can save on costs and improve operational efficiency with a portal.
Not sure whether you need a portal or what it can do for you? Summa's Business Value Assessment for Portals can help you to evaluate the ROI and provide a customized "Day in the Life" Demo showing how a portal will impact at your business.
Portal strategies should answer these questions:
If you're frustrated with the limitations of your poorly integrated applications or "green screen" applications but rely on them; if you're looking for a way to tame your document management and information-sharing problems; or if you just need to deliver the right information at the right time to different participants, portals may be the right modernization strategy for you. Web enablement through portals helps your company provide web accessible interfaces to mission-critical business applications that allow your users to seamlessly interact with your applications like any other web application. Web enablement provides companies with extensive investments in existing systems and applications to extend access to these applications and data to a broader set of employees, customers and business partners. The end result is better customer service, improved collaboration, more efficient workflows and reduced costs.
Summa has extensive experience creating portals, especially using the IBM WebSphere family of products. Enterprise Portals have been a natural extension of Summa's deep experience in large-scale web application development.