In simple terms a portal may be described as a doorway, gateway or entrance to a wall or fortification. It is important to understand workings of the world wide web (w3) to understand how portals exist in the digital world. In the early days of the world wide web, the web browser was considered the actual portal itself; i.e. the actual entrance into the web.

For example, Netscape, Alta Vista, Lycos and Yahoo all acted as general windows into the web itself. These sites became extremely successful with the selling of advertising space, however many of these companies did not survive the 'dotcom' crash of 2000 - 2001.

The modern portal has adapted itself somewhat and now acts as a direct link on a website, guiding the user to specific information held on a secure website.

For example:

1. The banking industry uses portals to allow individuals to directly access their confidential information. An example of this is the Teachers Credit Union website - THE TEACHERS CREDIT UNION. The website has two stages - the first is a general information page which gives general information about the bank. The second stage is where the user may log on and a new page opens. This page is the secure site which gives the user a direct link to their private information. From here the user may view their transaction history, account balances or pay bills. It is both effective and simple to use.

2. The Department of Education in NSW now offers a portal for all employees, giving them access to their e-mails and private information - THE DET PORTAL. This site is very similar to the bank example (given above) as it gives a direct link to the staff of the DET access to their individual information, e-mails, job applications, etc. It is a highly effective portal.

These are just two examples of what may be defined as the modern portal.