0

Ok so ive been tasked with doing "research" on building an intranet for a potential new client for my company and they want some kind of answer by Monday (like any company, they REALLY want this project).

That said, ive been doing "Reasearch" and have so many tabs/windows open that im going nuts and getting lost since my research doesn't have direction...taking in too much and need assistance.

i have 2 questions after a brief explanation.

Essentially, From my understanding, an Intranet is...well in plain terms, a website that is offline? has a deeper framework because of the documents that will be available(i think its for a school)and the ppl who can access them but can also have access to the internet? Since its for a school(not sure if its mainly for teachers or teachers and students ) im assuming alot of documents either way.

aside form being private, throughout my research, ive read alot about file security, firewalls, and...and.. im starting to get overwhelmed.

Me myself, am a web designer/so-so developer. decent knowledge of js/jquery and php/mysql though i feel like im just getting started in the web-developer part. Good knowledge of standards HTML/css, designer tools etc...

That said, these are my questions.

1.What is actually involved in planning to create this? What tools( read CMS if possible ) can i use to create any of this. Like to make this happen what do i actually need, and need to know? what direction should i take. If you can direct me and help me close some of these 30+ links spread across my 3 monitors id owe ya lol.

  1. i can build many things and dont mind giving it a HARD go but, this seems like a HUGE project and, im SURE that if my company takes this job, id be put on it. now i can do some of the parts of this project but not 100% sure im the right person for this. Theyre counting on me for a yes/no answer as to whether i can do it (they know its big and itll take time to accomplish) but so...with my skills posted above, am i the right person to do this? or is this more akin to an ACTUAL tried and true developer?

Thank you for your time and, any tips/links/cms info/ i mean ANYTHING that would make this easier PLEASE dont hesitate to share. i dont mind doing the research but i need direction.

i dont want to tell them "YES i can do it" and in a month or two im on pause stuck and the yes turns into a "no i cant do it"

John Saunders
  • 160,644
  • 26
  • 247
  • 397
somdow
  • 6,268
  • 10
  • 40
  • 58

2 Answers2

1

If you have no experience in setting up networks, then you are probably not the man for the job (unless your client is willing to let you have a shot at it for the experience, on a no-win, no-fee basis). Certainly do not over-promise and under-deliver!

I deal with quite a lot of schools, and I know many of the smaller ones will use the secretary's computer as a server, with a simple Windows home network to place files in a shared directory. Its a cheap and cheerful alternative, within their own skillsets to manage.

You should also check with the govermental department with relevant oversight (Dept. of Education, I'd imagine) to see what guidlines, requirements, and grants, are available or required. There may be a specific recommended route to take here, with made to measure firewall protection provided to you.

Larger schools will have invested in proper servers, with automatic external backups in place. I'm not qualified to give advice on how to set those up however. Hopefully someone else here will :)

Best of luck!

Eamonn
  • 1,338
  • 2
  • 21
  • 53
  • Thanks for your reply. Aside from setting up my own home network, then no lol. So since you deal with this kind of stuff, on a smaller scale (like the secretart computer one lol) what would i need in general? – somdow Apr 14 '12 at 11:51
  • Well, first of all realise that for ALL SCHOOLS EVERYWHERE - its all about the money. They either don't have it, or they need it for something else. Therefore your solution needs to be the most cost effective option for long term usage. Secondly, realise that what you are looking at is fundementally a hardware question, not a software one. You set up a network, not install one. You need to research server hardware and cabling, wireless network options to reach far-removed or external classrooms, and the tradesmen required to fit them. Your firm sounds like it would have to subcontract this. – Eamonn Apr 14 '12 at 11:58
  • To follow on - if you are looking at the software first (i.e. a CMS) then you are approaching it backwards. A CMS is proabably not even needed as all they seem to be looking for (as most schools) is a central file depository. There is nothing there to do for a web designer, unless those files are going to be uploaded not to an internal server, but to an external website. – Eamonn Apr 14 '12 at 12:01
0

CMS may be included as a Intranet website, but Intranet includes much more than CMS. Your best stragetic is tell your boss find a network system integrator to do this project collaboratively. Intranet involves more networking technology (L2, L3, switching, routing, firewall, wireless, etc etc) and physical instrument (ex. cabling).

dhchen
  • 1,178
  • 2
  • 10
  • 24
  • as far as what you said, your talking about setting up the whole network? im just talking about doing the site lol...or does it go hand in hand? cause if it does, im immediately going to say no – somdow Apr 14 '12 at 11:49
  • Because your question suggests so. If you just want to setup sites only, and the school already has the network infrastructure, then nothing is different about intranet site or internet site. – dhchen Apr 14 '12 at 12:00
  • An intranet is not a 'website that is offline': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intranet - its essentially a local internet system, tying the machines of an organisation together in the same way the WWW internet ties machines together globally. – Eamonn Apr 14 '12 at 12:10