Intranet Basics:

• What is an Intranet?
• Potential Intranet Costs
• Intranet Applications
• External Hosted Options
• Open Source Intranets
• Intranet Outsourcing
• Intranet Design Errors
• Administration Errors

Intranet Advanced:

• Securing Your Intranet
• Using Multiple Servers
• The Client-Server Model
• Promoting Your Intranet
• The GTD Concept
• What is Intranet 2.0?
• Standardized Intranets

Intranet Tips:

• Creative Intranet Uses
• Saving Storage Costs
• Intranet Myths Debunked
• Using RSS on an Intranet

Intranets & Google:

• About Google’s Intranet
• Using Google Mini

Free Open Source Applications for Your Intranet

If you didn’t have applications on your intranet, it would be useless. But to get licenses to most applications you’ll need to shell out more money than you’d like - especially for smaller businesses. What makes open source applications so intriguing is that they are completely free - and what’s not to love about that?

#1) OpenOffice – (www.OpenOffice.org)

OpenOffice could be compared to Microsoft Office - without the price tag. Sure, students and other individuals can snag Microsoft Office for around $100, but businesses are left out in the cold on these deals. Depending on the specific package, be prepared to shell out a few hundred dollars for Microsoft Office’s steep fees.

Of course you could also go with the free open source application aptly named OpenOffice. Most notably, you will be able to create, maintain, and edit databases with OpenOffice just like you can in Microsoft Office. The database is one intranet tool that can expand dynamic content, efficiency, and ultimately create an entirely different intranet than your classic static intranet.

But aside from the database manipulation, OpenOffice has most of the functionality Microsoft Office features. Clones of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and others are available in the package; eliminating most need for Microsoft Office.

#2) Drupal – (www.Drupal.org)

Drupal is a content management system, or CMS. This type of application will enable you to create an intranet homepage quickly and painlessly. The best part is: hundreds of plug-ins and add-ons will give you as much functionality as you can handle.

If your intranet needs it, Drupal probably has it already. If you need a login system, look no further. If you want to display news, blogs, or other feeds - it’s there. If you need any type of chat, email, instant messaging, form to mail, or other communication integrations - again, Drupal has it.

What sets Drupal apart from other CMS designs is that it is just so easy to use and maintain. Making a clean looking design, adding modules, content, and setting up accounts is no problem at all. If you plan on having interactive CMS content, be sure to give Drupal a good look before anything else.

#3) Achat – (www.achat.sourceforge.net)

How many times have you searched through honeycombs of folders and files, just to find one file on the network? If you are constantly having to deal with wasting time on finding files, communicating with employees, or are just wanting to improve infrastructure - Achat is your application.

Achat is an open source application that enables you to create chat rooms on your network. Different channels can be created; perhaps one for every department. Sending files or screenshots is so painlessly easy that we have to recommend it over other LAN chat programs.

These types of chat programs are perfect for development departments, maintenance staff, or even for a general troubleshooting/help room. It certainly saves time by just sending an instant message, rather than going down a few flights of stairs to talk to another department. If desired it could even be a commonplace for meetings, among other things.

#4) Scribus - (www.scribus.net)

Scribus is a very innovative tool used for professional publishing. If you publish a company newsletter, for instance, Scribus would be your best bet in getting the job done.
The user interface is quite intuitive, don’t expect too many “How do I do this?” moments to keep you stumped for long. We also like that it was cross-platform; meaning that it will run on Mac, Linux, and Windows machines.

We are ecstatic over the interface and functionality, but Scribus really shines as a professional publishing tool. Creating a professional looking document for newsletters, magazines, and even books is easy to do. Scribus even obtained fame in the renowned Google Summer of Code program, where Scribus mentored two of the projects listed. If Google is perfectly fine with them, then so are we.

#5) Ekiga – (www.gnomemeeting.org)

Ekiga is the type of open source application that could replace programs such as NetMeeting. It is geared towards VoIP and video conferencing. What we enjoyed about this program in particular was that it had so many features for such a simple idea, which shows it clearly had a lot of work put into it.

Ekiga will do just fine for missed meetings, important calls to the office from home, and hundreds of other situations that show dire need for your presence - even if you aren’t there.

Closing Comments

If you want something free, usually you only need to look. These five examples are proof that money doesn’t mean anything as long as you know where to find what you need. The world of open source is quickly becoming popular, and as it does, we can only all sit back and enjoy the (free) ride.