What is a Portal?
A portal is a Web solution that brings together, in a single place, the most important information people need to do their jobs. A portal can be a site that contains all the key information necessary for a particular function, such as loan processing, supplier/customer collaboration or student test score monitoring. On the other hand, a portal can be the central entry point to access and perform multiple functions.

A portal helps people more efficiently find the information they need. To do this well, a portal must be:

• Closely integrated with the underlying systems that supply data to the portal.
• Centered on a well-designed information architecture.

B2B has core competencies in both systems integration and information architecture - two key elements of a portal. B2B also has extensive practical experience building a wide variety of portals, such as:

• Supplier Portals - Secure extranets to support collaboration between a manufacturer and its suppliers.
• Customer Portals - Secure extranets to provide an array of "self-serve" functions to customers.
• Employee Portals - Secure access for employees to manipulate and view information. Employee portals are usually personalized to the needs and permissions of the employee. These portals often provide a single entry point to multiple internal systems. This is implemented either through Active Directory or through SharePoint Web Parts.

Microsoft's SharePoint Portal Server provides many of the most commonly needed features out-of-the box. With third-party or customized Web Parts there is no limit to the scope of capabilities a portal can include.