Full Description

• Find out how your firm can save money and improve productivity by creating an effective intranet
• Read case studies of how firms just like yours have built effective intranets
• Get ideas for building or updating your own intranet
• Learn how an intranet can improve your corporate culture
• Get advice from firms with effective intranets and learn what pitfalls to avoid
• Find out how you can get your staff to use the intranet on a regular basis
• Get a feel for the time and money needed to build— and maintain— an intranet
• See how other firms organize their intranet and what content they post on it
• View screen shots of actual AEC firm intranets
• Get an overview of what you need to get started
• Don’t just learn how to create an intranet—learn how to create an effective intranet

Find out how an intranet can make your firm work faster, cheaper, and better.

While the Internet dominates the technology spotlight in most A/E firms, its little sister, the corporate intranet, hasn't received the same level of attention. Corporate web sites are more common than intranets in the design and construction industry, and firms generally spend more time, energy, and money on their web sites. But A/E firms that aren't focusing resources on developing an effective intranet are missing the boat.

Many progressive firms in the A/E industry are using their intranet to work cheaper, faster, and better. AEC Intranet Cookbook will show you how your firm can become one of them. This best-selling ZweigWhite publication will provide you with an overview of how to build an intranet that gets results and show you real-life examples of how A/E and environmental consulting firms are making intranets work for them.

ZweigWhite’s AEC Intranet Cookbook is the only book of its kind geared specifically for A/E firm leaders, information technology managers, marketing directors, and other design and construction professionals. If you don't have an intranet, this book will tell you why you need one and provide you with tips on how to build it. If you do have an intranet, this book will provide you with some ideas for upgrading your site. And, it's delivered in straightforward, easy-to-understand language without any technical jargon.

Not sure what an intranet is? AEC Intranet Cookbook will fill you in and provide you with statistics on the use of intranets by A/E firms. Find out how an intranet can help you save time, lower direct costs, boost productivity, and improve company culture. Also, get tips to make sure your staff uses the intranet on a daily basis and that your intranet project doesn't become a money pit.

In addition, AEC Intranet Cookbook is filled with illustrated case studies that let you see A/E intranets in action. The case studies profile firms of all types and sizes in the design and construction industry so you can see how firms just like yours are using intranets to their advantage. Case studies include screenshots so you can get a better feel for their content, organization, and design.

In an industry where knowledge is for sale and time is money, intranets can be an especially valuable technology to allow firms to work cheaper, faster, and better. Make sure your firm has an intranet that gets results.

Contents

Introduction

• AEC industry uses of intranets

• Return on investment

• Buy-in from senior management
• Project team
• Outsourcing intranet developing and hosting
• Hardware and software
• Intranet security
• Setup costs

• What content can you post?
• Human resources information
• Project management information
• Financial information
• Marketing information
• Technology information
• Corporate information
• Intranet organization
• Who should maintain the intranet?

Chapter 5— Ingredients for an Effective Intranet

Chapter 6— AEC Intranet Case Studies

Chapter 7— Additional Sources of Information