iD 4.2 is now available for a download and is one of our most significant releases to date, containing more than 600 updates, fixes and enhancements.

Some of the exciting new features include:

• New iD CMS components – We’ve added 5 new iD CMS components, allowing content from Ad Manager, Company Calendar, Quick Poll, People Search and Forum applications to be easily incorporated into iD CMS pages.
• Advanced SharePoint search integration – While iD is not based on SharePoint, Enterprise Search now allows the integration of SharePoint site searches with iD searches. You can customize the search tabs in order to search content from SharePoint sites and return the results in the same format as iD search results.
• Lightning fast performance enhancements – iD 4.2 adds a massive performance boost through enhanced caching. Testing has shown that iD 4.2 performs up to 4x faster than the previous version and transmits up to 8x less data. This results in ultra-fast page loading and a reduced bandwidth usage.
• Useful top rated forum topic RSS feed – We’ve added a great new RSS feed of top-rated forum topics based on ratings given by users.
• Flexible user group based login redirection – New functionality is available to configure Front End User login redirects at a user group level. This allows users to be directed to a specific subsite or iD content page when they log in. Previously this functionality needed to be set individually, but now it can be managed swiftly at a group level.

Here at iD, we think a great intranet should be easy.

Which is exactly why our latest version – iD 4.1 – includes an all new Video Component. We have added it to the already impressive suite of included iD CMS components to help simplify the process of displaying a video in your intranet.

We think we’ve succeeded because now all it takes is a simple drag, and drop.

Upload, store and display video files directly within iD, without the need for any additional software. We’ve taken all the hassle out of displaying videos, clearing the way for you to create your most interactive and engaging intranet yet.

The Video Component includes 3 players as standard – HTML, Silverlight and Flash, and also supports embedding from external sources such as YouTube.

Other bonus features include:

• Inbuilt automatic encoding of uploaded videos
• Multiple file type support (AVI, WMV, MOV and MP4)
• Auto play: Set your videos to play automatically as soon as a page loads
• Looped playback: Set the video to restart automatically once it has finished
• Customizable start image
• Full screen mode
• Automatic selection of optimum playback format (HTML5, Silverlight or Flash)

To showcase just how easy it is, we’ve (ironically) prepared an instructional video – check it out here.

Like what you see? See the rest of iD 4.1 in action or contact sales@intranetdashboard.com for more information.

To coincide with the release of our all new iD API, we have created a series of comprehensive help resources to help you get started building your very own custom iD Apps.

It has always been our policy to make it as easy as possible to get the most out of iD, and the new iD API proves no exception.

We have collated the mountains of information being passed between the enormous brains of our Development Team, condensed it, checked and rechecked it and have now officially made it available to you via the iD Help Site.

Visit the iD Help Site and take advantage of the wide range of resources including:

• Getting Started Guide: Explains the iD API basics including instructions for use, installation information, and system requirements.

• iD API Documentation: Navigate through the namespaces, classes, methods and properties that make up the iD Platform.

• Developer Forums: Currently only available to iD Clients – Ask questions, suggest features and be a part of the community.

Click on the lovely green button below to get your hands on all the info you need to start creating new add-on iD Apps & iD CMS components.

With the all new iD API, it’s easy to build the intranet that works for your business.

Janet Jackson once said “The best things in life are free…” – so we just took her word for it and have decided to give iD’s all new SharePoint Connector away at no extra charge.

Created using the  iD API, the SharePoint Connector is an add-on app designed to help you harness the power of SharePoint via iD’s user-friendly framework.

Content including Document Libraries and Task Lists can now be surfaced within iD, creating a window to SharePoint within your intranet. Technical ‘know-how’, or ‘I-don’t-know-how’ as the case may be,  need no longer restrict your employees accessing the information they need from SharePoint.

Merge the respective strengths of both platforms and give your intranet users the best of both worlds.

All the documentation you need to get up and running as quickly as possible, including the source code and a comprehensive ‘Getting Started’ Guide, can be found on the iD Help Site.

The SharePoint Connector is available in the latest release of our wonderful software – iD 4 – so contact us now to sort out your upgrade.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are very excited to announce that the highly-anticipated iD API is now available with iD 4, the latest release of iD.

Do not adjust your computer screen, your industrial strength bi-focals have not failed you – iD now comes bundled with an all new API, here to make all your development dreams come true.

We have officially opened our software to allow you to build your own custom iD applications and components. What was already an impressive suite of intranet apps can now be extended to create an even bigger and better intranet, unique to your organization.

Of course, we still give you everything that from our experience goes into making a great intranet – but because no one knows your business quite like you, we’ve included the iD API for any extras you might need.

For those of us metaphorically inclined – consider your Big Mac Meal upsized. We’ve taken something great and made it even better, all at no extra cost.

The iD API not only allows for new iD apps and CMS components to be integrated into your intranet, but also enables you to surface content from other 3rd party apps you might be using e.g. SharePoint, a CRM or HR system.

Anything you create using the iD API can leverage iD’s existing infrastructure, including Style Sheets and security settings. It all looks and feels just like iD, ensuring a seamless experience for your intranet users.

There’s loads more to learn about the iD API so click here to find out more.

We are very pleased to announce that the upcoming release of iD will include an all new Application Programming Interface (API). Built using the .NET Framework, the API is an exciting new addition to iD, opening up the software to enable it to interact seamlessly with other programs.

iD will now be an even more versatile and customizable solution. The inclusion of the API means you will now be able to build on iD’s existing platform and create all new custom applications to complement and extend your intranet. Keep an eye on the blog for more exciting iD API news over the coming weeks.

Having moved passed an almost irresistible urge to break into metaphor/song regarding Kathmandu climbing their ‘information management’ mountain, we’re feeling quite chuffed with our self control.

The outdoor clothing and equipment retailer – and iD client since 2008 – has tested us at every turn. Puns, similes and other ill-considered jokes such as ‘weathering the storm’, ‘withstanding the elements’ and ‘paddling their own canoe’ have proved equally difficult to ignore, but we have arrived safely at the end of their case study without being too cheesy.

With 90 stores and counting throughout Australia and New Zealand, Kathmandu is one of the largest and most recognizable retail chains of its kind. Plans to expand operations meant they needed a way to better communicate with stores. With new outlets opening every few months, Kathmandu was on the lookout for new and improved ways to properly support their retail network, including streamlining the management of internal processes and reporting – integral elements of any successful retail business.

The retail giant selected Intranet DASHBOARD (iD) with the aim of enhancing operational efficiency and getting the business fit for battle on the global stage in the years to come. Read the full case study, and get all the gory details of exactly how they did it.

A wise man, following an undoubtedly long period of profound self-reflection, once coined the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

Of that great man, we know only three things for sure:

1. He is most definitely single.
2. He has never seen an episode of ‘Pimp My Ride’ and/or ‘Extreme Makeover’ – whether or not he is better off as a result is a discussion for another time and place.
3. He has yet to experience iD 3.

While we trust your current version of iD is in perfect working order, the latest version of iD is our biggest release to date and we simply couldn’t live with ourselves if we didn’t share it.

iD 3 includes a host of exciting new functionality – some quick highlights being an all new CMS, powerful enterprise search engine and flexible role-based security model to name a few.

At the risk of sounding like a bad infomercial, there’s still more…

Other great reasons to upgrade include:

• Enhancements have been made across the board to our already comprehensive suite of 40 business applications;

• You’re paid up and proud, so why not take advantage of it and get your users working with the best version available;

• Upgrading now will mean future upgrades are even easier & support queries can be logged and processed more efficiently.

Click here to check out all the exciting new features and enhancements available.

Clients including VLM Airlines, Superpartners, Healthscope, Kathmandu and the NRL have already upgraded and are enjoying all the new functionality the latest version of iD has to offer. Upgrading is easy, much gentler than a face lift and much cheaper than turning a Datsun into a Porsche – simply fill out the upgrade form and we’ll be in touch to discuss the next steps.

Disclaimer – This article in no way suggests you turn your ‘eback’ on traditional textual content for your intranet. Words included in this article such as ‘carousel’ may encourage a fun theme park notion, leading the more impressionable among us to seek a ‘higher level of interaction’ and communicate to users through a series of brightly colored pictures only. While ultimately hilarious, this is not a wise idea. Think of it this way – just because your liturgical dance skills would put a mute Olympic ribbon-twirler to shame does not mean you should stop talking.

So to reiterate – great content is always going to be one of the most important factors in keeping intranet users engaged. That said, including exciting visuals and interactive functionality is another great way to enhance the overall user experience and push previously underrated intranet pages into the spotlight.

To set the scene – your boss has returned victorious from a phenomenally successful sales expo with a series of high resolution images so majestic and thought-provoking you will be fielding head-hunter calls from The National Geographic for months to come. They would like you to share them on the intranet, and have visualized them sliding smoothly/gracefully onto the screen.

With iD CMS, available in the latest version of iD, this is one request you can fulfill with ease using iD CMS’ HTML component.

Click here to read more »

Note: This is one for the CSS-savvy (cascading style sheet) among us.

As any truly stylish individual will tell you – if you can catch them between latte’s, sample sales and Davidoff Slim’s – variety is the spice of life. Sure you have your basics – dependable, crowd-pleasing items that go with everything, but a truly fabulous wardrobe is one with much more than just black; it needs at least a few unique, standout show-stoppers.

iD CMS’s Formatted Text component is one such wardrobe.

The Formatted Text component enables authorized users to create page content using a WYSIWYG rich text editor. The WYSIWYG editor comes with a predefined set of styles and formatting options that authorized users can quickly and easily apply to their text. Cue a fabulous coat thrown over an otherwise dull outfit.

What you might not know is that this set of styles can be further customized and expanded to suit your particular needs – enter some highly sought after tailor. Text styles are all defined in the ‘Theme Style Sheet’; for now we’ll use one of our default themes – the lovely ‘Classic 3’ – to demonstrate how to make changes.

Click here to read more »