Intranets provide a means for companies with a large or decentralised workforce to cut costs and share knowledge. But what can we expect web-enabled internal communications systems to deliver, and what can we learn from previous failures and success stories?

This evening seminar takes a fresh look at intranets and asks: what's driving change, who's in control, and how do you convince employees to participate? In addition, we'll look at what works best from a corporate perspective, and consider issues relating to outsourcing and commissioning for agencies developing intranets for clients.

Topics include:

• Intranets or corporate portals?
• What lessons can be learned from successes and failures to date?
• What benefits can realistically be expected from a corporate intranet?
• Life at the sharp end - production control
• HR applications
• What opportunities exist for external developers and content producers?

Speakers

• Dr Peter Colman, Business Strategist, Scient
• James Duffy, Intranet Product Manager, INVESCO Global
• Sarah Walton, Back2Front
• Simon Collins, Account Director, eSubstance
• Chair: Patrick Towell, SimulacraMedia

James Duffy
James has been with INVESCO since Spring 2000 responsible for the Development and evolution of Connect, the INVESCO Global Intranet including vision and strategy. A large part of that has been devoted to communicating internally. James has several years experience in Intranet roles for organisations including KPMG, AMEC, and Conoco and has a background in IT Training, Technical Writing, and production and presentation of Radio and Television programmes.

Sarah Walton
Sarah started her career as a programmer and a frontend designer. She learnt her skills on the job and her BA in Linguistics helped her understand the levers and cogs of machine and human communication, whilst an MA in Interactive Multimedia got her thinking about what drives users in an interactive medium. She has always worked agency side. Clients have included BT, Post Office, Gucci, Abbey National to name a few. Project management was an obvious progression and she has managed both private and public sector projects for the EU. Sarah has developed and maintained intranets for both corporate monsters and SMEs. Sarah is currently running the London office for internet company Back2Front. She is also working with Douglas Englebart’s team at the Bootstrap Institute in California to initiate improvement communities within European Universities for the Augmentation Research Centre programme, the development and implementation of which could change the way intranets and all human/computer interaction is used in the future.

Simon Collins
Simon Collins is an Account Director at eSubstance the content solutions company. His seven-year career in interactive media has encompassed retail multimedia development for ekingfisher, e-commerce solutions for icollector and eBay, interactive entertainment for a number of major European airlines and intranet development for Shell, Guinness and BAE Systems. More recently he has focused on traditional and digital communications strategy.

Peter Colman
Peter is a senior Business Strategist with Scient, a leading consulting and professional services company. During the past two years, Peter has worked with some of the world's largest companies, helping them to realise cost efficiencies, generate revenue and strengthen customer relationships. Peter has worked in the Financial Services, Manufacturing, Retail and Energy industry sectors, focusing on knowledge sharing and digitisation initiatives. Before joining Scient, Peter was a Business Development Manager within the Financial Services sector of BT. Peter was responsible for developing new business propositions and marketing events, including developing partnerships between clients and BT Labs.

Presented in association with

and Digital Eve.

DigitalEve is the UK's newest resource for women who have a passion for the digital world and IT. Our aim is to provide women of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels an environment where they may learn about technology in a supportive community where questions, ideas, and creativity are shared. We have 15,000 members worldwide as well as several local chapters in the UK. For more information, visit www.digitaleveuk.org, or email Digitalshannon@yahoo.com.