Couranto Discovery is an empowerment tool for knowledge managers – delivering an intuitive user experience that drives usage and user satisfaction, and improves the value of your library across your entire organization
If you’re working for a large organization, you’ll probably accumulate a substantial number of information sources across a range of vendors. In turn, end users enjoy access to a wide variety of these sources, each with its own advantages but each also its own specific access steps and – well – quirks.
This can quickly become overwhelming for your colleagues, and there is a risk that only the most determined people will get the most out of what’s available to them – while everyday users won’t maximize the value of your subscription licenses.
Couranto Discovery is designed to solve that problem. In this article, we’ll outline how Couranto Discovery works as a consolidated portal to make it so much easier for users to discover and access information sources.
One reference for every resource
Without appropriate assistance, users can easily get lost in a maze of vendor websites that all require unique processes to gain access, including their own username-password combinations. Established resources that you’re still paying for can lie buried at the bottom of a long bookmark list, and new users won’t always know what’s available to them.
The Couranto Discovery portal is a single place where information specialists can build information resources into a unified list that improves accessibility and that also functions as a communications hub. Instead of hundreds of widgets or bookmarks, end users now have a central resource that they can consult.
Simplified, seamless access
Discovery is more than just a repository of resources —it’s also effortless access. With Couranto Discovery, users just click on the information resource they want to use and are then taken to the vendor website – and automatically authenticated.
We achieve that through a mix of IP authentication with the vendor, a SAML handshake, and single sign-on. This simplified access process removes one of the biggest hurdles to optimal utilization as there’s no longer any friction or obstructions to access. Users are seamlessly logged in when they want to access a resource.
Fully searchable for quick discovery
Because scrolling through an extensive list of resources can still be tedious, no matter how well-presented, the entire Couranto Discovery page is searchable.
Instead of browsing for resources, users can simply enter a resource name or a keyword to find what they need. For example, searching for “clinical trials” will surface related resources and any posts on the portal that contain useful tips, news, or training material around clinical trials research and data.
Helpful tips on the fly
Making the most out of information resources sometimes requires more than just simplified access. Users need to understand what the resource is for and to whom it is available, and sometimes require training to get the best out of it.
That’s why Couranto Discovery allows you to add a descriptor to each resource. When users hover over a resource they can see key information about the product and determine how to best use it. For example, your descriptor might explain that the resource may be under occasional access restrictions due to licensing limits on concurrent sessions.
Self-service and up-to-date
Listing all available information sources in a central place is not a novel idea – companies have used tools such as SharePoint for many years to do just that. However, SharePoint portals are often maintained inconsistently because update requests are stuck somewhere in a ServiceNow queue and attended to late – or never.
Couranto’s Discovery is a purpose-built portal that differs from SharePoint in that it is fully self-service: information practitioners can actively and immediately respond to changing circumstances. Yes, it might create a bit of extra work for the practitioner at the outset, but in the long run it streamlines efforts as information experts deliver key knowledge to their audiences faster.
Fully configurable
The Couranto Discovery portal can be easily configured, too, no coding or IT skills needed. Information professionals can adjust the layout by choosing from a horizontal or a vertical view, create individual widgets, and fully tune the visuals to fit their corporate identity.
The dashboard also offers several sections that are easily customizable. For example, you can pin common questions to a “Did You Know” section so it’s visible for newcomers and use the “Training and Resource Centre” to post announcements for internal or external training events that cover specific information products.
What’s more, different divisions in the company can have distinct dashboards. An organization’s consumer division can see the resources they need most on a dedicated page – while the R&D division might see resources focused on research and development.
Conclusion
Information specialists can tailor Couranto Discovery to be the one resource to which they can send everyone—from the fresh starter in marketing who is just beginning to look for market data, to the long-standing colleague in legal who would benefit from an update or two, to a senior scientist who needs ready access to the latest research in her field.
Once set up and running, your Couranto Discovery dashboard acts as an empowerment tool for knowledge managers – delivering an intuitive user experience that drives usage and user satisfaction, and improves the value of your library across your entire organization. You can learn more about Couranto Discovery here.
Courano is a WBENC and Disability:iN certified diverse company with more than 30 years experience in corporate information contract management, Couranto serves clients globally with strategic programs that maximize the value of information portfolios by reducing costs while improving access to licensed content, data resources, intellectual property, corporate memberships and related contracts. Couranto’s Discovery and Clarity platforms provide custom-configured end-to-end information access, budget planning and license management tools. Built on deep expertise and a long history of client successes, Couranto solutions add value to your information and help drive innovation throughout your organization, creating enduring impact.
