An intranet is effectively an internal website. It can be used to connect an organisation’s employees over a single platform, sharing news, values as well as useful content and files. While there are many out-of-the-box intranet solutions on the market, most organisations will find no ‘one size fits all’ intranet meets their needs. Development teams must go through the process of identifying the specific needs and expectations of their users before deciding on the best system to choose. SharePoint is by far the world’s most popular technology for intranets. Here are five reasons why you should use SharePoint as an intranet:
Seamless integration with Office 365
If you are using Office 365, then choosing SharePoint as your intranet platform is a no-brainer. For a start, SharePoint Online is included with many Office 365 and Microsoft 365 licences, offering organisations 1TB of cloud storage at no extra cost.
What’s more, SharePoint seamlessly integrates with all the great features of Microsoft 365. This includes compatibility with commonly used apps (from Word to Calendar), as well as the administration and security setup that you have across your wider Microsoft 365 environment.
Complete intranet solution
When it comes to collaboration, SharePoint as an intranet covers all the bases. The application offers document publishing, sharing and editing, so multiple people can work on a document at the same time from wherever they are located.
Collaboration is also possible across teams with built-in productivity tools and reporting too, meaning SharePoint can effectively be used as a project management tool as well.
Customisable and flexible
While some other technologies claim to be more affordable, SharePoint’s ability to be tailored to precise requirements makes it the first choice for more complex needs and scalability. SharePoint can also be styled to align with your brand or even match your website.
SharePoint is fully customisable for branding and content
A place to be sociable
In a world that is increasingly turning to remote working, one of the essential functions of an intranet is to act as a social contact point. In dispersed organisations, it is often difficult for employees to grasp the unifying purpose of the work they are doing or how other teams contribute to it.
SharePoint allows users to see company statements and videos, outlines of company structure and descriptions of other groups. Sharing calendars, internal job adverts, newsfeeds, polls and competitions is easy. A well-branded and continuously updated SharePoint intranet will integrate and motivate even the largest and most dispersed workforce.
Why use Sharepoint as an intranet? Continuous improvement
Microsoft continues to invest in innovations to improve and develop its SharePoint Online technology. This means that your platform will have the potential to grow in-line with the latest trends. It also means SharePoint Online is updated automatically with the latest features and security.
Akita develops SharePoint through our Intelligent Solutions division. To discuss intranets and SharePoint projects, please get in touch:
