Making seven intranets into one.... and then personalizing the content

Abstract

This case study provides a brief overview of intranet and portal developments at Boots The Chemists, a large chain of health and beauty stores in the UK. The story starts in 2001, when Boots Group had seven intranets,
each with a different look and feel. The intranet rationalization project was initiated to tackle this situation and
included the introduction of a content management system (CMS). The paper looks at the issues involved in having several intranets and how the new intranet management team implemented the necessary changes to move the intranet to the new model. It describes the benefits resulting from (and challenges involved in) introducing the new CMS. It examines the resulting single intranet and assesses its delivery of content to different audiences across the business. Finally, it discusses how the company has successfully used
portal technology, integrated with the CMS, to deliver true personalization.