Enterprise Knowledge Portals and eBusiness Solutions
Joseph M. Firestone · 2000
© 2000 Executive Information Systems, Inc.IntroductionPortal technology is currently in full migration to the field of e-business.Enterprise Information Portal (EIP) technology is equally applicable to internally-facing, trading communities, trans-enterprise and externally-facing enterpriseapplications of all types. Eventually when true Enterprise Knowledge Portal(EKP) products and solutions are implemented, they too will be used in e-business. Especially in trading communities, and in communities of practice inmedicine, pharmacology, architecture, engineering, science more generally, andin other areas where the distinction between true and false information is central.This paper looks at the EKP from the e-Business perspective. It examines:(a) Relations among business processes, knowledge processes, andeBusiness processes;(b) The Knowledge Life Cycle Model;(c) The Nature of KM(d) The EKP(e) EKP architecture(f) eBusiness Knowledge Portals and eBusiness SolutionsBusiness Processes, Knowledge Processes, and eBusiness ProcessesIT applications are purposeful. They support and partially automate humanparticipation in business processes. Portals are no different. So let’s talk aboutbusiness processes, ebusiness processes and knowledge processes before wetalk about knowledge portals.Figure One illustrates the idea that any business process (including knowledgeand knowledge management processes) may be viewed as a network of linkedactivities governed by validated rule sets, or knowledge. A linked sequence of