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Whether you are creating a web presence (either an internet, intranet or extranet) or building onto your existing website, there are specific elements to consider. It is my intent to provide you with some thoughts before you proceed with your venture.

As a WebMaster I can assure you that page creation is very easy to accomplish. However, for enterprise level websites there are professional elements to consider. Graphic elements should be clean, appealing and minimal to reduce loading time of your page. The text content should be accurate and factual, do not forget to spellcheck. Posting database information to the web is where there are several issues for consideration.

For now and into the future "data", either gathering or posting, will be at the root of enterprise level web development. Corporations must decide what type of data will be posted to what websites and what type of data should be gathered from visitors to their websites.

Today's corporations must answer the following questions before they proceed with web development that will take them into the future.
1. What platform or platforms should be used for hosting? And Why?
2. What development tool or tools should be used? Why?
The same type of questions should also be asked about:

A note about databases
If you have a non-proprietary database and it is current with today's technologies I see no real issues with the ability to web enable the data. However, if your data is in a proprietary package or in an antiquated system, if you want to enable the data, chances are it will come with a pretty hefty price tag.
The lessons I have learned are:
1.) keep up with technology or pay the price for not doing so.
2.) use data packages that allow you to access and manipulate data.

Enabling data to the web and back
There are many packages and languages to choose from, Cold Fusion, Active Server Pages, Tango, Java, Perl, Tcl, php etc.
To enable data and to add functionality to a website I highly recommend a development package with a server package that is capable of residing with your existing web server.
As for Java, Perl, Tcl, php and the like I highly recommend a design build scenario in which you also are provided with all of the code and pre-compiled code.
With the development tools that exist, there is little and sometimes no need for a corporation to hire a programmer specifically for Java, Perl, Tcl, php and the like, though for certain situations there may be a requirement.

Regarding Development
The Internet has been and continues to be an ever-evolving entity. There is no one solution to a problem, and there are many methods to accomplish a desired outcome. With that in mind I also recommend providing your developers with a vast variety of tools and give them an hour per day to experiment with these tools. Better yet, give them a laptop with the tools installed so they can take them home and discover methods to make your corporation perform better on the net. In the hands of a loyal developer it will pay for itself.

Create a Web Department
This department should be a new department in and of its own within the organization. I can assure you that if your web development is done within the Marketing or IT departments they may be doomed to be dysfunctional.
Break out of this trap and hire a Chief Web Officer, a leader that can take your corporate web presence into the future. Someone who can also bridge the gaps that exist between technology and the web presence those departments within your organization will demand.

Outsource your website development?
Many times this is a required choice on the onset. I caution you to be aware of the technologies. Have you ever seen a quote for a password protected threaded discussion group? I created one in thirty minutes using Cold Fusion and FrontPage 97. I have been told I could sell that technology for $5,000. I have also seen vendors resell their web applications to many customers for new development prices.
If anything, make sure you have someone on your staff who is on your side. You should have someone who can guide and direct your corporate web presence without taking you to the bank.
I also encourage you to think into the future. You may outsource now, but be certain to consider the possibility that you may bring your services inhouse at some point. If so, development should be done with tools and on platforms that you are willing to support.

I hope that this report has been of some benefit to you. In the six years that I have been involved in the Internet I can assure you that the information I have provided comes from direct experience and the relationships I maintain with other developers in this field.
Should you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me.
e-mail wmtjr@cyberdude.com

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