Consequently, processing transactions between applications can provide strategic value. Many portals offer a knowledge-management component that lets information be automatically or manually categorized into clusters. This allows for an alternative searching metaphor. Open to interpretation. Users can go to one place and perform searches across disparate repositories such as a Lotus Notes database, Microsoft Exchange public folders, Web sites, file systems, databases, and a collection of other repositories.
Some portal vendors incorporate some level of document management in their systems.
This provides a way to manage documents and Web content throughout the project life cycle. It can include versioning, security, metadata searching, and a host of other features. Integration and compliance with global directory services. Portals are designed to be used by one or many companies and as such are often tied into global directory services such as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, Novell Directory Services, or Windows NT Domain Services. This eliminates or minimizes the duplication of data for user and group information.