A portal application is a software tool available through a secure website that provides access to related and unrelated links, services, and applications. Portals can be vertical or horizontal, and the main purpose is to satisfy specific user needs while allowing administrators to track activity. Portal applications fall into three groups: communication, data presentation, and data manipulation. The programming language used varies, and commercial tools are available.
A portal application is any type of software tool available through a secure website. The term portal in information technology is typically used to describe a delivery method for a range of related and unrelated links, services, and applications. The appeal of a portal application is the service provider’s ability to track users’ web activity once they log into the portal. From a users perspective, they can modify the portal to display quick links to sites of interest, links to emails and chat rooms, as well as the ability to change the background and colors.
All web portals fall into one of two categories: vertical or horizontal. A vertical portal is focused on a very specific topic or interest. Horizontal portals provide access to multiple companies in the same industry. The purpose of portals remains the same: to provide access to specific applications or data in a controlled way, while allowing the administrator to control and track the activity.
The main purpose of any portal application is to satisfy a specific user need and to use the customers’ profile to derive their personal information. For example, a secure online messaging service is commonly found in a banking portal. The user logs into their bank account to gain access according to their profile. From within the portal, he can access the messaging service to ask a question. Customer service personnel are provided with your account details, username and other relevant information to help them answer your question quickly and accurately.
The computer programming language used to create a portal application varies widely, depending on the technology used to create the website, the operating system in use, and the skill of the developer. Commercial tools and programs are available to meet the needs of most users. However, it’s important to consider the cost of the software against the overall benefit to the customer and the business.
Most portal applications can fall into three groups: communication, data presentation, and data manipulation. Communication tools include instant messaging, secure email, and online chat. Presenting data from an external or corporate system may require the development of a portal application. Data manipulation applications use existing data to populate a web page, but allow the user to run what-if scenarios without reposting the data to the computer each time.
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