-
Avoid Making a Rash Purchase: Portal server technology isn't right for
every project. Internal IT and external web teams should work together to
evaluate the investment benefits.
-
Align with Existing Skills: The quantity and skills depth of IT resources
required to develop and manage portal servers vary directly with integration
complexity.
-
Understand Application Development Life Cycle
Maturity: IT should
have experience supporting the full application development life cycle,
particularly in portals with custom portlets and application functionality.
-
Gauge Fit with Existing Applications: Aligning components like portal and WCM from
a single vendor can significantly reduce integration headaches.
-
Evaluate User Group Permissions: Organizations without the need to secure information
may be better off skipping the portal server altogether.
-
Review Integration Requirements: Enterprises with a strong need to integrate
third-party apps into a single interface will find a portal product the way to
go.
-
Consider Need for Consistently Branded
Interfaces: Project
owners with simpler sites — those without complex navigation and branding
requirements — may find skipping the portal server a faster option.
-
Determine Level of User Customization: This can add significant complexity to portal
version upgrades.
-
Weigh the Benefits of Interface
Customization: For end
users who don't mind switching between different application interfaces, simple
links between apps may suffice over a custom-designed unified UI.
-
Plan for Reuse of Portal Components: IT and technology stakeholders can get significant
reuse of portal assets (e.g., portlets and services) across multiple areas of
the portal or external apps.
TIM WALTERS,
Ph.D., is a senior analyst at Forrester Research, where he serves information
and knowledge management professionals. For more information, visit
www.forrester.com.
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