That means lots of options-but also plenty of confusion. As enterprise portals gain momentum, they lend credence to predictions that the browser will replace Windows as the standard desktop interface to access data from any IT source, not just the Web. The definition of a portal and the technology to make it happen are something of a moving target. Everything from intranets to extranets to plain old Web sites are being rechristened portals. Portals may incorporate triggers that alert users when new information comes in, or they may kick off events in enterprise applications.
Some portals let users conduct business transactions.
The first step is aggregating your basic sources of information, then adding navigation and structure and more information. Of course, compiling data from multiple sources isn't a new concept. What's new with portals is the ubiquity and ease of use of the Web browser interface, and the availability of innumerable new data sources on the public Internet, many of them in real time. Balderston compares the portal phenomenon to the frenzy that accompanied push technology three years ago. But if there's a way for companies to manage the fire hose of information that's coming at their desktops, then that's a reasonable thing to do.