Is Your Intranet Holding You Back? Here's Nine Reasons Why SharePoint Is Your Best Intranet Solution

Your intranet is like your organization's digital heartbeat. When employees lack a central hub for communication and collaboration, this can hinder the success of both your team and the organization. 

The costs of an outdated intranet extend beyond mere frustration. When departments can't easily share information, projects stall. When employees spend hours searching for documents, productivity suffers. When your systems fail to integrate properly, opportunities slip through the cracks. 

Whether looking for a new intranet solution or considering upgrading your current system, you may see the benefits of using SharePoint Online. This article highlights the benefits and differences between SharePoint Online and other platforms and how it can help your organization advance. 

1. SharePoint is the world's most popular choice for intranets

Microsoft is the most trusted technology company worldwide. SharePoint’s reputation as the world’s most popular base technology for intranets is not only based on our experience but also on its adoption levels. As early as 2020, SharePoint already had over 200 million active monthly users and continues to rise. Over 200,000 organizations rely on it for intranets, team sites, and content management, setting the gold standard for enterprise collaboration. 

Various global intranet awards, such as Nielsen Norman Group’s annual top ten intranets and the Step Two Intranet & Digital Workplace Awards, regularly feature SharePoint intranets as the winners. These recognitions are a testament to the art of the possible with SharePoint, showcasing its capability to adapt to diverse organizational needs and push the boundaries of what an intranet can achieve.

2. Integration with Microsoft 365

For organizations already invested in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, using SharePoint as your company intranet is a no-brainer. SharePoint seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 tools, including Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, and Office apps, which means your team can easily move between tasks, Teams chats, and OneDrive files without leaving the SharePoint environment. This makes SharePoint a powerful productivity tool and a competitive advantage over standalone intranet platforms, as your team works within a connected ecosystem rather than multiple fragmented tools.

SharePoint Online team site home page. Source: Microsoft.com.

3. Flexible and customizable intranet solution 

SharePoint offers unmatched flexibility and versatility, enabling organizations to design and customize their intranet to meet their needs. While some platforms may offer pre-defined templates, SharePoint enables deeper customization with advanced web parts and design capabilities. 

This means you can customize everything from the site appearance to align with your brand or specific workflows that reflect your unique business processes. The platform's flexibility means you're never locked into a one-size-fits-all solution—your intranet scales and adapts to meet your organization's evolving needs.  

4. Strong scalability and usability

SharePoint supports organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises. It can handle vast amounts of content and users, where some platforms may fall short. Whether you're storing thousands of documents or managing complex workflows across multiple departments, SharePoint maintains its speed and reliability. 

The platform can easily accommodate sudden spikes in usage, additional departments, or new organizational structures without requiring significant restructuring. This scalability extends to storage capacity, user management, and site complexity, ensuring your intranet investment remains viable as your organization scales. 

Modern document library experience in SharePoint Online. Source: Microsoft.com.

5. Document management and publishing

SharePoint excels in document storage, management, and collaboration. Its advanced document-handling capabilities exceed those of standard document storage platforms. Tools such as sophisticated version control, which tracks all changes, co-authoring options for real-time team collaboration, and intelligent content organization through metadata tagging enhance its functionality. 

An advanced search function enables employees to find documents by content, author, date, or specific custom attributes. These features ensure that your organization's knowledge is not only stored but also easily accessible and available for use. 

6. Enhanced security and compliance 

Built on Microsoft's secure infrastructure, SharePoint offers enterprise-grade security features and compliance tools, which are particularly beneficial for industries with stringent regulations. Features such as automated retention policies, compliance tools, and integration with Microsoft Purview Information Protection help protect and manage sensitive information across your entire data estate. 

Administrators can implement granular permissions to control access to specific resources, utilize data loss prevention policies to protect sensitive information, and employ multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security over company documents. 

The SharePoint mobile app on Windows, iOS and Android. Source: Microsoft.com.

7. An intranet that's ready for AI

SharePoint features advanced AI capabilities and built-in workflow automation, transforming your intranet into an intelligent workspace that anticipates user needs. 

The advanced search allows you to search for information in natural language based on unique metadata tags and content classification categories. It also provides intelligent content recommendations based on user behaviour and preferences and predictive analytics for enhanced content engagement and management. 

8. Microsoft's ongoing investment in SharePoint

SharePoint is a platform that evolves in response to new technologies and workplace trends. Microsoft's significant investment in SharePoint's development and commitment to excellence ensure you receive regular feature and security updates, access to emerging technical trends, an expanding ecosystem of third-party tools and applications, and ongoing development. Microsoft’s dedication to innovation ensures that your organization’s intranet solution will remain current and capable as technology and workplace needs evolve.

9. Connection with Microsoft Viva 

Microsoft Viva Engage is an employee experience and communication platform that leverages the power of Microsoft Teams to create a space where employees can connect, collaborate and engage with each other. 

It offers a central platform for communication, knowledge exchange, recognition, and feedback. From the familiar Teams interface, employees can keep up with company news and updates, engage in discussions, access learning materials, and celebrate successes.  

With features like Communities, Storyline, Answers, Campaigns and Analytics, Viva Engage offers significant enhancements to your SharePoint intranet and a way to drive even more meaningful connections in your organization. 

Bridge the Gap with Viva Engage Connections 

Microsoft Viva Connections is the framework for delivering your intranet. It takes your SharePoint intranet content—news feeds, documents, and resources—and brings it directly to where your employees spend most of their workday: in Microsoft Teams. Complete with your company's branding, it looks and feels like your SharePoint intranet, without switching platforms. 

 While a well-run SharePoint intranet is essential for successfully delivering Viva Connections, it acknowledges that most employees primarily operate in Teams. Instead of switching between platforms, it integrates the content they need to see directly into their workflow. It’s like a gateway to your organization’s intranet—it has the same content but a different entrance and offers a more streamlined way to keep everyone connected and informed.

Bring Your Workplace to Life with a Modern SharePoint Intranet 

The most effective intranet is the one that employees actively engage with. Each day, your team faces the challenges of an outdated intranet, which translates into lost productivity, missed opportunities, and growing frustration. SharePoint offers the robust foundation necessary for success, whether you're overseeing a hybrid workforce, expanding operations, or striving for team cohesion.  

Ready to Build Your Custom SharePoint Intranet? 

Transform your workplace with a modern SharePoint intranet that brings your workplace to life. Envision IT creates custom staff portals that empower your employees to start and end their day with confidence. Ready to explore the possibilities? Contact us today to book your free discovery call and see how our custom Microsoft SharePoint Online Intranet solutions can help encourage engagement and simplify work.