Much new thinking about portals comes from the corporate sector, e.g. from commentators like Firestone. The most impressive and advanced applications team multinational corporations with market leaders in the technology. Public sector organizations can only dream of having the budget and command-line leadership style to exploit the latest technology in the same way.

However, what is really happening in the corporate sector is often difficult to gauge. We are likely to take the trade literature and sales brochures with a very large pinch of salt. They often do not really seem to come down to specifics (presumably it is that as much as the code one pays for). However, the two chapters in this section go some way to explore the truth behind the flood of white papers. Sugianto and Tojib review much of the existing case-study literature, in itself a useful exercise – but they are realistic about the potential benefits and drawbacks. White's authoritative chapter dissolves much of the hype with a refreshing dose of good sense. Both frame evaluation as a key issue.