A Knowledge Strategy

is that a single large data source becomes expensive and unwieldy to maintain.
The path to follow is that of the virtual data warehouse – one having several
subject specific data marts that can be created quickly as and when needed in
response to changing business needs.
Probably the most exciting technology to appear on the ICT horizon has been
the advent of portal technologies with the revival and integration of document
management and creation systems. This technology promises to inaugurate the
knowledge management workflow and information sharing culture so necessary
for any such strategy to succeed. The portal should now start to usurp the
ubiquitous organisational intranet as a more interactive and workflow orientated
technology that allows end-to-end collaboration by enabling aggregation,
reorganisation, and search facilities for individuals and teams through a single
interface. The ability to integrate these portals with electronic messaging systems,
traditional data base technologies and document management systems presents a
feature rich tool set with which to enable knowledge management.
Figure 6: Hierarchy of knowledge management
Executive information systems
Executive
Management
Corporate memory systems
Analytical/Expert systems
Unit
Business intelligence
systems
Data Marts/
Warehouses
Functional units
Customer relations
management
systems
Document management systems Portals/Intranets Application systems
Development Bank of Southern Africa 47