If you asked ten different people to define the term portal, you would probably receive ten different responses. To some it might mean the home page of an Internet web site, while to others it might mean an Internet search engine or online service.
Patty Born, Bob Henderson, Angus Rhodes, Michael D. Scott, Meg McGeady · 2006
A good technical definition of a portal is a web-based application that integrates content and applications within a user interface while providing a platform for communities of people to collaborate, communicate, and share information. Although these definitions vary, they all share a common goal to provide a platform for sharing information. Risk managers can realize the benefit and value of communicating, collaborating, and sharing information online by using a portal provided by their broker. What Should Risk Managers Expect From a Portal? Portals for risk managers and their teams can be very powerful tools if they are designed well and the information is kept current. The portal should be fully interactive, providing risk managers and their teams easy access to information, people, applications, and reference tools through a customizable, user-friendly interface. Aside from the portal’s design, several key technical issues should be addressed: • Security. Ensure the portal provides an appropriate layer of security to safeguard your data from unauthorized access. Ask for information about how user accounts are set up and maintained. It is important to understand the process for activating and deactivating user accounts. • Data Backups. Ensure that the data and information stored within the portal is backed up and available in the event of a system failure. Ask for the broker’s data backup and retention policy. • Data Encryption. Ensure that data encryption is being used to provide an additional layer of protection for data being transmitted over the Internet. SSL is a protocol that provides this protection. You can easily identify whether the portal you are using provides this level of protection. In the example below, Internet Explorer displays a lock near the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Moving your mouse pointer over the lock displays the level of encryption being used and double-clicking the lock provides additional information about the certificate. The preferred level of encryption is 128 bit.