Not long ago, information professionals were hampered by the limitations of information technology. This was especially so in fostering the creation of new knowledge and connecting people in meaningful, non-text-based ways. While technology considerations remain important ones, most info pros agree that now the really tough challenges in increasingly complex organizations are related to people and processes. The goal is to deliver content in context—in a convenient form and format for information and knowledge exchange, with as little disruption and as significant a performance boost as possible—to individuals, teams, and organizations. With this focus shift, there comes an opportunity to be creative, to reassess and increase the capabilities of the intranet, to determine the usefulness of adopting Internet trends (like the shift of "power" to the individual), and to consider ways to leverage emerging forms of information sharing and communication.

There are, in fact, more technology choices to make than ever before—which can be hard. On the other hand, choices free info pros to create solutions that make sense for the communities they serve. Freedom of choice requires the info pro to align solutions with the organization's culture, workflows, and objectives. A key consideration in solutions alignment is that as work gets more complex (the nature of a knowledge-based society), information and knowledge access must be conveniently available in ways that make it simpler for individuals, teams, and organizations to use.

One creative way in which information can be conveniently delivered in a single view (that makes potentially obscure relationships transparent) is the integration of external and internal information through line-of-business applications. Success requires inserting information and knowledge exchanges at critical decision-making points in the context of how decisions are made. The ability to create new knowledge is also critical. In 1991, KM-guru Ikujiro Nonaka pointed out that new knowledge always begins with the individual and, through a series of implicit and explicit exchanges, creates organizational growth. Info pros who facilitate means for the rapid exchange of information and knowledge between individuals serve a significant purpose. Personal portals, instant messaging, communities of practice, online meetings, people profiles, etc. all help to connect people with people and what they know. As info and other intranet professionals look at creative solutions, success will require adopting technologies that are easy for end-users to interact with.

In assessing the potential impact of an evolved intranet, info pros have the chance to deliver information in context, conveniently tailored for evermore sophisticated end-users. Several years ago, it was widely quoted that 2% of enterprise users chose to personalize a site. Perhaps this was due to the absence of standards like XML, UDDI, and SOAP, and the absence of content management and information architecture practices. Now that these are available, there has been a shift to an individual user experience.

Another area to assess is the relationship between intranets, extranets, the Internet, and other communication and information-sharing devices. While intranets tended to be "walled gardens" in the past, this is no longer true. As users demand convenience in form and format—as evidenced in their use of cell phones, BlackBerries, team sites, Web meetings, text messaging, IM, blogs, and collaborative workspaces—what relationships must info pros enable between employees, the public, partners, suppliers, and customers? What governance models will need to be in place? Where will this effort make the biggest difference to the organization's objectives?

With the change in focus from technology to the triumvirate of content, context, and convenience, info pros will increasingly need to align their work with the culture, workflow, and objectives of the organizations they support. The shift will require them to create more relevant and likely more personal, user experiences delivered in the context of decision-making and knowledge exchanges, in convenient forms and formats. It will require an assessment of the intranet not only as a stand-alone entity but as one that moves information and provides an exchange of knowledge in relationship to the ever-increasing types of communication channels relevant to their target audiences.