ths of all workers by the end of 2000 (Gantz, 2000, p. 33). Making the Internet available to workers is neither difficult nor particularly costly; companies can set up a high-speed connection, a firewall to protect internal security, and provide browser software (which is readily available). Employees are then able to use the Internet for business purposes for everything ranging from research to making purchases over the Internet and using e-mail to keep in touch with clients and vendors.
Intranets, on the other hand, require a far greater investment than simply providing Internet access. An intranet uses hypertext markup language (HTML) pages similar to those on the wider Internet, but is contained within a single company. This means that the company must develop the intranet, including having the right hardware as well as software, create a strategy for how the intranet will be developed and maintained (and by which departments), and provide ongoing support for the intranet which simply providing access to the Internet does not require. Nonetheless, International Data Corporation estimated that 18 percent of employees had access to company intranets in December 1999, and that number is expected to grow to more than 69 percent by December 2000 (Gantz, 2000, p. 33).
Small and medium-sized companies tend to use intranets to provide general information to employees, such as providing the employee handbook on-line and commonly used HR forms. However, companies of this size are also using intranets to provide benefits information as well as information about the company's finances and sales (as deemed appropriate by management). According to a survey of small and medium-sized companies, 26 percent currently provide access to employee benefits election information on their intranets. In addition, 24 percent use the intranet as a way to collect and distribute personal data to and from employees, a feature which can be particular...