Information portals: a strategy for importing external content

Intranets and portals are supposed to provide an infrastructure through which end‐users can gain effective access to information sources needed to assist in daily tasks such as effective decision making, planning and research. This paper discusses the current lack of clarity on how to address the external information issue in conjunction with the current popularity of portals and their multiplicity, emphasising in particular the confusion in regards to what constitutes each portal type. The issue of definition intensifies when the term information portals becomes added to the current list of portal categories. Does the latter belong to a unique category of portals or should it rather be seen as an umbrella term for other portals? When is a portal an information portal? To conclude, what should a strategy entail to ensure that external information sources are perceived by an enterprise as of strategic importance?