Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) has chosen NetObjects Authoring Server (NAS), a powerful collaborative Web development and content management solution, to build an intranet site for its more than 3,500 employees.
According to John C. Herzberg, manager of intranet design and development at the credit union, NFCU evaluated every possible solution it could find before deciding on NAS.
Constructing a robust intranet has been no small feat. Dubbed eNet, the intranet is available to all NFCU employees around the world and includes the following features:
Over 175 internal operating procedures, searchable by keyword, in Adobe PDF format.
On-line conference room reservations.
On-line employee surveys.
A separate site for each division within the credit union.
Phone lists/directories.
Computer-based training.
Up-to-date news and events, e.g., award winners, weather updates, promotional events such as employee dinner dance, Black History Month, sporting event tickets.
Marketing information, such as samples of marketing pieces (direct mail, and statement inserts, newsletters, posters, etc.).
"NetObjects Authoring Server provides an ideal solution that allows more than 200 of our employees to contribute to the NFCU intranet," said Herzberg. He told The Credit Union Journal that these 200 employees consist of a variety of content specialists and subject matter experts working on the design and development of more than 20 individual sites that contain more than 3,500 pages. "The expertise in HTML ranges from novice to expert," he added.
"Perhaps the greatest benefit of NAS is that it allowed us to get up to speed quickly," he said. "With only one day of training, our non- technical staff were able to effectively contribute and manage website content." Overall content control is handled by Herzberg, with help from divisional team leads.
Other Support Software
While NetObjects Authoring Server provides the core development tool for eNet content, it's not the only software that keeps the system running. Other applications deployed on the intranet include Lotus Notes, Microsoft Internet Information Server IIS, Windows NT, Ultraseek search server, and WebEvent calendar software.
NFCU officially launched and introduced eNet to its employees at its in-house Technology Expo in August 1999. At inception, the project was divided into four phases, each of which is to last 4-6 months.
The first phase, which Herzberg calls "static content development," has just been completed.
Phase 2 will bring with it more dynamic content, such as direct access to database information and live data feeds.
In the third phase, NFCU plans to integrate some of its legacy technology into the intranet environment and also develop more in-house training.
The fourth and final phase will consist of fine-tuning and system maintenance.
