The NZZ Group of Switzerland (Neue Zürcher Zeitung – Zurich based newspaper) operates four intranets for different divisions of the publishing group on a single Content Management platform: contentXXL. With this multi-site solution some 600 sites are edited by 20 editors and updated for the employees daily. In doing so the content is not only stored and published in the different portals but also connected via automated or manual links.
This content relationship management organizes content across all user groups and portals to create a knowledge network. For this reason the over 1700 employees receive standardized access to information, applications and comprehensive knowledge.
Although the autonomous character of the different intranets is maintained due to their individual design, the collaboration on one technical platform strengthens the corporate identity and corporate culture within the NZZ Group. The project has been realized by contentXXL solutions partner namics AG from St. Gallen in Switzerland. namics is one of the leading IT and web service providers in Switzerland and Germany and offers excellent know-how in all web and IT areas, documented by a multitude of surveys, reference books and articles by experts.
Before the re-launch of the intranet, the NZZ Group, which is made up of many different subsidiaries, had an intranet infrastructure that was not standardized. The separate intranets did not have standardized information architecture or features, which unnecessarily complicated coordindation within the group. By bringing together the different intranets using a shared CMS platform contentXXL, the desire of NZZ Group’s management to provide all employees with common news, instructions and content at the same time was achieved, while still keeping alive the individual character of each division of the group.
Fig: The Intranet of NZZ-Group
Furthermore, the NZZ Group succeeded for the first time, with help of contentXXL, not only to store content centrally, but to create content relationships and to organize the content in an across-the-group knowledge network. The classification of information is executed automatically, for example by categories or manually by an editor. New navigation levels are created, for example lists of related objects, multi-level category navigation or alphabetic directories. In this way the knowledge of one person, a department or a whole division of NZZ can be easily passed onto others.
“We are happy to have taken this step. namics realised a multi-site intranet with different mandators, who all possess individual designs but have the same information architecture, structure and features“, explains Rolf Brun, informatics manager at NZZ. “Cross collaboration between employees from different divisions is easier, responsibilities are more transparent and internal operation and support processes have become more efficient“.
The NZZ Publishing Group uses a contentXXL full license including all premium modules like shop, picture gallery, surveys, events and SharePoint connection. With the SharePoint Connector documents and other data that are based on Microsoft SharePoint technology, can be administered with Microsoft Office, and likewise can be published on the NZZ intranet.
“The customer was so impressed by contentXXL CMS functions, that he ordered, on top of the various standard out-of-the-box modules, every available premium module“, explains Nina Braschler of namics AG. “And further extensions are already planned, such as a connection with Microsoft Outlook to make synchronization of dates easier.”
About NZZ Group
The NZZ (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) can look back on more than 225 years of tradition. As a middle-class liberal quality newspaper and as a Zurich newspaper with national standards and international recognition, the NZZ plays a leading role in Switzerland’s media and opinion exchange. Furthermore, NZZ stands for a modern media company that holds stakes in other newspaper publishing companies and print shops (for example “St.Galler Tagblatt” St Galler Daily, “Neue Luzerner Zeitung” New Lucerne Newspaper and “Zürcher Landzeitungen” Zurich County Newspaper), publishes the monthly magazine “NZZ Folio”, “NZZ am Sonntag” NZZ on Sunday and, since February 2007 the magazine “Z – Die schönen Seiten” Z – The Beautiful Pages as well as being responsible for a famous book publishing company. The company also plays an important role in the area of electronic media. NZZ Television produces regular TV shows that are broadcast in Switzerland and Germany. With NZZ Online, NZZ is available as an Internet service that offers the website visitor a multitude of services.
About namics ag
namics ag, a PubliGroupe company, is one of the leading IT and Web service providers in Switzerland and Germany with more than 240 employees. Since 1995 we have been offering first-class, professional services for brand communication and E-business to our customers. namics conceives, realizes and integrates web based business critical applications. Among our customers are AMAG, Clariden Leu, DekaBank, Daimler, Kanton Zurich and Nestlé. namics is located in Bern, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, St. Gallen, Zug and Zurich.
www.namics.com