An intranet is an organised network that uses web technology to help members of entrepreneurial organisations to communicate among themselves and, like the Internet, it can be accessed from any part of the world.

In the intranets different information of interest to the company can be shared, namely documents, software, department information, calendar of events, procedure handbooks, company’s internal policy, information about orders and availability of stocks, about suppliers and clients among other possible functions. It all depends on the creativity and needs of the company or organisation in question.

In an intranet, the information is centralised in one place only which avoids dispersion and makes the gathering of important data easy for those that need to have a global view of the company. For example, a shareholder can, from his home, get information about the turnover or about the availability of certain goods in stock. Without the intranet he would need to consult several files and, probably, would not get as much information as what he can get there.

If it is well exploited and used, an intranet can revolutionise the culture of a company as it is an excellent means to optimize production and improve productivity in so far as there is an increase of efficiency and an automation of routines. We have insisted on the advantages of the intranet when well exploited, because if it is badly exploited, the information will also end up being dispersed, which brings no gain to the company. The fact that the Intranet is for “internal consumption” is no reason to neglect the presentation and usability. The intranet has to be easy to consult and use.

Seara.com has already got a portfolio of clients who are aware of the advantages of an intranet, in particular A vida é bela, Continental Mabor, Anje, Cofina SGPS among others.