October 5, 1998
The key to intranet success
By Teri Robinson
Organizations today are finding that no matter how much technology they throw at a Web project, the success of an intranet--or an extranet--depends more on successful management than on the bells and whistles. It rests on the resolution of management issues such as who will be in charge of development; how will monetary and human resources be allocated; who will set standards; who will develop content; and when should outsiders be asked to lend their expertise. And resolution of these management issues means implementing better business practices.
At Saab Cars USA in Norcross, Ga., developing an intranet, and the intranet retail information system (IRIS), represents a better way to do business with its 225 dealers, 75% of which also sell other brands of automobiles, and its 10 service centers located throughout the U.S. And as a result, improved customer service.
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Saab's intranet gets current product and service information to dealers and, as a result, boosts customer satisfaction.
Source: Saab Cars USA
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Previously at Saab, dealers seeking information on parts, warranties, and the like generally had to log on and search three different data sources. Jerry Rode, director of IT at Saab explains that data is gathered from several sources, including the company's AS/400 server, a service bureau operated by a Caterpillar Logistics System that manages distribution of Saab parts, and the IBM S/390 mainframes.
Saab began its intranet project in September 1997 for completion in April 1998, just in time for the launch of Saab's new 1999 lines--the Saab 9-3 and Saab 9-5. Creating an intranet means that "Now there is one common face to the data using a plain, ol' Netscape browser," Rode says. What's more, the company is able to wake-up dealer systems early and "do data downloads in the morning." These downloads are completed before the dealerships open, so employees have the most timely data.
AT A GLANCE:
Saab Cars USA
The company: Headquartered in Norcross, Ga., Saab Cars USA, owned by General Motors, partners with 225 independent dealerships and 10 distribution centers nationwide. The company sold 28,453 cars in 1997 and has seen a sales increase of 52% since 1993.
The problem: How to get current product and service information to dealers and, as a result, boost customer satisfaction.
The solution: The Intranet Retail Information System (IRIS), architected by IBM, that links dealers to data in the company's S/390 mainframe and AS/400 system.
IT Infrastructure: A service bureau operated by Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill., houses a Caterpillar Logistics System that manages the distribution of Saab parts on an S390 mainframe. That system is linked to Saab through SNA 3270 Protocol Access. In-house, an AS/400 application server handles warranty and finance information. It's connected to a Lotus Domino Server via Token Ring and to a CST Inc. Jacada Server via TN5250 Host Access. The Lotus and CST servers link, via TCP/IP, to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to each dealer franchise where a Dealer Management System containing information and productivity applications is linked via Ethernet to two desktop PCs, equipped with browsers. Saab uses CST's Jacada for Java-based graphical client access.
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And Saab is not alone in its efforts to improve communication and efficiency within the company by deploying an intranet. According to Framingham, Mass.-based market researcher International Data Corp., 54% of the companies in the United States and Europe have turned to an intranet or extranet to better their business. "Among large companies, the percentage is greater," says Ian Campbell, director of collaborative technologies at IDC. "By the end of 1998, 76% of the companies in the U.S. and Europe will have some kind of intranet in use." And there are plenty of products cropping up--from Web servers to firewalls--to help companies build a solid infrastructure (see article, Stock up on intranet tools).
Working together
While most successful intranets are borne not from a showdown between IT and other departments, but rather through a team effort, it's often an uneasy coupling. It works if both sides understand the goals of the other. "Everyone has to do their part," says Bruce Overoye, manager of IT in the County of Santa Clara Tax Assessor's Office, who assumed control of the department's intranet five months ago. The intranet was developed to help the organization reach information on the $1.5 billion in taxes each year that comes in from assessments on 450 million parcels of land in the caounty of Santa Clara.This was previously only accessible on microfiche.
People and departments had to work together at Saab, too. "There were a lot of players involved--you have so many people it's hard to get control," says Rode. As a result, divvying up responsibilities was extremely important to the success of the project.
To get a handle on the players and the data, a 10-member advisory board consisting of five representatives from Saab dealerships and five corporate players made recommendations as the intranet was developed. "They were heavily involved in the design phase and conceptual phase," says Rode. IT was a guiding force on the board.
Other people participated as well. The company "started at the user level to determine objectives, then brought IT in," says Rode. "As we were working on the parts [segment], the parts people came in, and when we worked on the warranty piece, we had the warranty people in," he says.
Like other companies, Saab found that putting IT in charge of infrastructure and letting departments manage content to be a winning formula. IT at the company sets standards and more broadly follows the standards set by General Motors, Saab's parent company.
By having users or departments generate content, "it lets them better manage how information is delivered," says IDC's Ian Campbell.
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