As a consequence there is no loss of control, flexibility or capability, as is often the case with the classic ASP model. With this option, the customer is enabled to fully deploy and manage every aspect of the portal, with solely a Web browser for an interface. A strength of this option is that the organization still has complete control over content and even the look and feel of the site, although they are fully relieved of the costs and overhead of actually managing the component pieces and platform for the portal. The technology is such that even a person with little or no Web development background can create a site as function-rich as any on the Internet. These types of functions are a must to enable the site to be fresh and have constantly updated information without your organization having to create it all.
Most organizations address a community of users.
The portal should allow a group to make their site as unique as they want it to be. This does not mean simply changing the color scheme on a site. It means allowing the Web master to change graphics, designs, logos, content and almost everything else on the site. The technology in this area will change rapidly, so it is important that a portal service be flexible. In the next few years we will see a growth in hosted applications and services.