SEARCH ENGINE, ITS PARTS, TYPES, INTRANET, EXTRANET, EXAMPLES, ITS ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

·      SEARCH ENGINE:

    “A search engine is a searchable database which collects information on web  

    pages from the Internet, and indexes the information and then stores the result  

   in a huge database where it can be quickly searched. The search engine then  

   provides an interface to search the database”.

 Examples :

    Google, Alta Vista, Exite

 PARTS:

     A Search engine has three parts:

v SPIDER:

     Deploys a robot program called a spider or robot designed to track down

     web pages. It follows the links these pages contain, and add information to     

     search engines’ database.

     Example:

     Googlebot (Google’s robot program)

v  Index:

     Database containing a copy of each Web page gathered by the spider.

v SEARCH ENGINE SOFTWARE :

    Technology that enables users to query the index and that returns results in a  

     schematic order.

 TYPES:

    In broad sense, search engines can be divided into two categories:

Ø INDIVIDUAL SEARCH ENGINES:

     An individual search engine uses a spider to collect its information regarding 

      websites for own searchable index. There are two types of individual search  

      engines.

i .  General search engines:

      Examples: Google, AltaVista, HotBot, Lycos

ii.  Subject specific search engines:

      Examples: MetaPhys, Chritech, ReligionExplorer, Chordie, ChemFinder

Ø META SEARCH ENGINES:

     A Meta search engine searches multiple individual engines simultaneously. It

     does not have its own index, but uses the indexes collected by the spiders of   

     other search engines.

    EXAMPLE:

     metacrawler, Ixquick, mamma

     ADVANTAGES:

ü Search engines are best at finding unique keywords, phrases, quotes, and information buried in the full-text of web pages since they normally index WWW documents word by word.

ü Search engines allow the user to enter keywords, and then they are searched against its database. Users can use advanced search techniques such as phrase searching, truncation/wildcard searching, as well as for Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT combinations).

ü With comparison to web directories, search engines are huge databases and contain a large amount of materials. Also, the database is updated at a variable  rate.

·       INTRANET:

Ø Intranet is system in which multiple PCs are connected to each other.

Ø PCs in intranet are not available to the world outside the intranet.

Ø Usually each company or organization has their own Intranet network and

members/employees of that company can access the computers in their intranet.

Ø Each computer in Intranet is also identified by an IP Address which is unique among the computers in that Intranet.

 

DIFFERENT FORMS OF INTRANET:

      Internets have been used by organisations to provide support for different  

      parts of an organization:

ü Personnel support

ü Sales and Marketing

ü Information Systems

ü Customer service intranet

ü Finance

PERSONNEL INTRANET

Ø Personnel departments have been some of the most enthusiastic developers of intranet applications.

Ø Relieves large amounts of paper-based processes that can be transitioned to the Web.

SALES AND MARKETING INTRANET

Ø  Fast access to accurate information can be crucial for the sales and marketing staff.

Ø Intranet provides an environment where product descriptions, sales scripts, marketing analysis and reasearch are all a click away.

 

INFORMATION SYSTEMS INTRANET

Many applications are being used to support information system processes.

§  Software and applications development and delivery

§  User documentation

§  Technical support and help desk

§  Network management

 

 

      CUSTOMER SERVICE INTRANET

Ø An intranet can find itself peering over the company firewall to directly interact with customers.

Ø An intranet allows a customer to help themselves or allow support personnel to find an answer faster.

FINANCE INTRANET

 An accounting intranet creates a centralized, open-standards platform for publishing that information and new interactive method for processing transactions with either internal departments, employees or external partners.

 

ADVANTAGES:

Ø Intranets help employees to quickly locate information and applications relevant to their roles and responsibilities.

Ø It can serve as a powerful tool for communication within an organization.

Ø It permits information to be published.

Ø Can serve as a powerful tool for communication within an organization.

·       EXTRANET:

    “An extranet is a website that allows controlled access to partners, vendors and  

      suppliers or an authorized set of customers - normally to a subset of the

      information accessible from an organization's intranet ”.

     ADVANTAGES:

Ø  Exchange large volumes of data using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

Ø  Share product catalogs exclusively with trade partners.

Ø  Collaborate with other companies on joint development efforts.

Ø  Jointly develop and use training programs with other companies.

Ø  Provide or access services provided by one company to a group of other companies, such as an online banking application managed by one company on behalf of affiliated banks.

DISADVANTAGES:

Ø  Extranets can be expensive to implement and maintain within an organization (e.g., hardware, software, employee training costs), if hosted internally rather than by an application service provider.

Ø  Security of extranets can be a concern when hosting valuable or proprietary information.