Portal Technology

Beth Forrest WarnerDirector, KU Digital Library Initiatives

bwarner@ku.edu

PUAD 839 March 27, 2002

Defining the issue…

Today’s government agencies at all levels should note that the citizens they serve are “little concerned with which level or unit or organization delivers a service, but are increasingly concerned that those services be sensible, cost-effective, convenient, and of high quality.”

(Sharon S. Dawes, Peter A. Bloniarz, Kristine L. Kelly, and Patricia D. Fletcher, “Some Assembly Required: Building a Digital Government for the 21st Century”, Center for Technology in Government, University of Albany, SUNY,

March 1999, p. 6)

Defining the issue…

In public organizations, successful use of information determines the ability of governments at all levels to serve their constituents

Presenting the Virtual Enterprise is key in removing barriers that separate government agencies from sound management and service to constituents

The Virtual Enterprise

Mission: to serve citizens with increased efficiency through digital delivery of public services

Key Principle: leveraging the internet to simplify government

Core Competency: online service delivery by government

Investment Levels: State, local, and federal spending for e-government will grow from $1.5 billion in 2000 to more than $6.2 billion by 2005 (GartnerGroup)

Characteristics of the Virtual Enterprise

Lack of geographical boundariesAbsence of informational barriersFluid form (no rigid organizational

structures…)Capable of co-opetition and instant

partnershipsInformation drivenExceptional speed and agility

Basic Principles (NASCIO)

Any digital government presence should be founded on principles ofConvenience and AccessibilityTrustEfficiency & Accountability and Innovative Investment

Convenience and Accessibility / Citizen-centricity

Citizens will have access to on-line government services that are citizen centric, including a complete selection of easy to use integrated services that are built around the citizens' intentions with universal interface design. (“MyGovernment”)

Each citizen should have a personalized set of account options, providing individual and automated access to government information and services.

Digital government will be visible and easy to find through marketing and promotions.

Citizens will have access to online services in a way that is intimate.

Trust

Online services will be secure, resisting attacks that can compromise the confidentiality of data and availability of services

Digital government developers will assess the risks of deploying information online

Each citizen will be fully aware of the privacy policies regulating collection and storage of personal data, including sharing of data among governmental entities and public dissemination

Critical online services will be reliable, providing a high-level of service in adverse conditions (ex. storms)

Efficiency and Accountability

Streamlining of business processes will make government less costly to the citizens

Government must be supported by integrated systems

Laws should enable digital governance in the Information Age

Enterprise-wide digital government requires standards for diverse agencies

Innovative Investment

Deployment of services will require significant investment and re-investment

Digital government will provide a return on investment through multiple funding streams to support the [states’] general funds and IT enterprise opportunity funds

The Vision…

“Leading-edge governments are rethinking their web strategies from their citizens’ perspectives. Instead of launching online services on a department-by-department basis, they are aggregating services across departments, accessible through a common portal.”

(Janet Caldow, “The Quest for Electronic Government: A Defining Vision”, IBM Corporation Institute for Electronic

Government, July, 1999, p. 7)

The Reality…

Virtual government has not yet become reality Currently have “government online”

preliminary forays onto the Internet, static, non-interactive Web sites

Websites often dubbed “portals” seldom offer citizens more than an aggregation of

agency sites – each of which remains a silo of agency Web pages

So, what is a portal…?

A gateway to web access A hub from which users can locate all the web content they

commonly need Provides a user with structure and navigational tools; gives

user the ability to share and collaborate; synthesizes material or provides a place where one can find synthesis; allows user to profile and personalize their interaction with the enterprise

A portal pulls in sets of relationships, builds communities of interest; provides the ability to customize and have services and interactions with people and with information

Portals involve collaboration between the user and the system to shape data into a form that is the way the user wants it

A Portal is…

A one-stop client-oriented website that personalizes the portal’s tools and information to the specific needs and characteristics of the person visiting the site, using information from the [organization’s] databases.

University Portals FAQhttp://www.usask.ca/web_project/uwebd/portals_faq.html

Different kinds of portals

Vertical: VEPs or Vertical Enterprise Portals or Vortals

Horizontal: HEPs or Horizontal Enterprise Portals or MegaPortals

IntranetInternet: internet gateways, not

focused on internal enterprise functions

Components of a portal

SearchChannelsLinksRole-based models PersonalizationCustomizationWorkflow

Levels of portals

1. Intranet Entry Point: enterprise information, misc. content, basic search, links

2. Content Integration: 1 + extensive information, advanced search, directories, personalization

3. Workplace Integration: 2 + customer support, transactions, collaboration, role-based profiles, ERP integration

4. Marketplace Integration: 3 + procurement, supply chain management, e-marketplace integration, advanced personalization, EDI, XML, Java

GartnerGroup

Elements of a portal

Schedules, hours of operation

Discussion groups and chat Announcements and alerts Job openings, career

opportunities Reports and documents Access to data warehouse Search Collaboration – intranet and

internet Applications – including

access to legacy systems

Workflow News – campus and world Weather Maps and images Org charts Access to online shopping

and vendors Links – reference materials,

bookmarks Personal HR info – benefits,

medical info Email and address book Updateable by user where

appropriate

Homepage vs. portal

Is a homepage a portal? No

A homepage is pre-portalA homepage is primarily staticA portal changes the website from an

institution-centric to user-centric focus

Homepage vs. portal

Does a portal replace a homepage?No

External users still need your home pageWill still need the info on your home pageYou’ll need your home page as you transition to

a portal Yes

Gives external users a portal based upon their role. (Homepage can also do this.)

Provide the general info on your homepage as part of your portal

Designing Portals

What makes a good portal?Database and application windows – in

addition to linksGeneral, site, role specific, and channel

specific searchesPersonalization and customization – user

specific viewsProfilesSingle sign-on

Designing Portals

Who should design/build the portal?Need people who normally build web

pages AND people who know how to manage the specialized data needed for personalization.

People who normally build WebPages will need to deal with much more dynamic, customized and personalized data

Designing Portals

What are portal channels?A customizable page container (small

window) where specific information or an application appears (weather, news, search, reports, stocks, etc.)

Designing Portals

What roles should a portal support?InternalExternal

Customization vs. Personalization

Customization is done by a portal based on what it knows about you (e.g. your role).

Customization will probably be different for your different roles, or a portal might give you a view based on all your roles. Some roles demand very specific customization.

Customization includes what initial channels you subscribe to, what privileges you have to read, search and update items, what channels you can add, what personalization you can do, etc.

You Personalize a portal to make it work the way you do

Customization vs. Personalization

What should you be able to doSubscribe/unsubscribe to a channelPosition the channel on a portal pagePersonalize the channel content (profiles)Personal calculations, reports, and display Colors, backgrounds, fonts, when to update,

defaultsSupport for multiple display devices (computer,

PDA, wireless, etc.)

Multiple portals?

Many may want to have sub-portals within the main portal – resist…

Single sign-on and full customization for roles is more difficult

Keeping data in sync is more difficultConsistent look and feel and common

navigation, etc. more difficult to maintain

Policy issues to consider

AdvertisingCommercial channels Controlling information contentRecords managementPrivacy

Trust: Online services are only beneficial if citizens use them, and they will only use them if they trust the services implicitly.

Accessibility Digital Divide issues

Planning a portal…

Who is the owner(s) of the process – leadership and commitment

What do you really need to know “The real questions in not what data goes into an

integration system, but what information the organization needs to get out.”

Who will use the integrated data; who will it serve

What services will be offered – now and in future

What are your priorities

Planning a portal…

Can you leverage what you already haveGet, and keep, the right people involved

early onWho will do the work; understand rolesSet realistic expectationsScope out the big picture, but start smallUse available tools whenever possibleWatch for dirty data

Planning a portal…

Work to resolve turf wars before they start

Be choosy about what data you choose to access

Plan for growthRemember, it’s a journey…

Other considerations…Security

Authentication required for most vertical portals

Applications application servers context management engines (an application

that collects, analyzes and distributes personalization and customization information),

integration brokers (middleware that enables applications to share data)

Standards

Build vs. Buy

Build – expensive, large maintenance burden, training, cross departmental involvement, tech support, may need new skills

Buy – expensive, vendor needs to know details of your enterprise, dependent on specialized vendor; no standard or open systems yet; issues of advertising on portal, privacy, local customization

The bottom line…

Citizens will use the internet to build a relationship with government that is personal, custom-built for each user with features that are accessible.

Digital government must be easy to use, consistent in its appearance and functionality, offer a complete selection of services that are unified across agencies, and available around the clock.

The well-designed portal will permit companies and citizens to conduct business with their government online rather than in line.

Questions??

Beth Forrest WarnerDirector, KU Digital Library Initiatives

bwarner@ku.edu