Published on April 22nd, 2019 | by Sunit Nandi

The Best Intranet Solutions for Your Business

Intranet frameworks have come a long way since the days their static pages did little but broadcast the most recent company line and bore employees with their uninspiring design and content. Today, intranet systems can act as an essential and engaging communication tool within an organisation, and can potentially be used for a number of tasks to improve the efficiency and productivity of an organisation, as well as generally being mobile-friendly. However, as a report from Gartner found that as many as 40% of intranets fail with low returns on investment as a result of poor adoption rates, choosing the right intranet strategy should be considered carefully.

What do you need from your intranet?

For companies that are starting out, remodelling themselves or updating an existing system, the many desirable benefits of intranet should ideally be delivered with minimal disruption throughout the installation stages.

There are also a number of other priorities to keep in mind that will depend on the structure and characteristics of the business in question.

An effective intranet system can help business practices become more streamlined, enable easier communication of crucial information and policies, and also provide greater access to resources in one central place.

Social intranet software is specifically used for engaging employees, motivating them to be more productive, and for networking, idea sharing, and idea generation throughout the organisation. It’s also used to keep employees connected and able to communicate about activities and events outside of work, as well as improving the community and social life at work. On the other hand, employee portals can be used for HR and more administrative tasks that are a part of the everyday working experience, and a system that can also enable individuals and teams to work together regardless of their location.

Intranet systems also need to be flexible and scalable enough to grow with the business with greater ease; they should be appealing to employees and easy for all individuals to use, and make use of tools to engage and encourage those that are less technologically inclined.

For international enterprises, language and/or translation may be an issue, so the most user-friendly tools should be employed to make smoother communication possible.

Once an intranet strategy has been decided upon, the next move could be to find a company offering IT support services in London that can help to choose and install the intranet software and assist with its use.

What type of intranet are available?

Intranet frameworks can be powered by different technologies, and these are primarily by Content Management Systems (CMS) or Software as a Solution (SaaS), a fast-growing industry that is expected to be worth over $130 billion by 2020.

SaaS intranets are conveniently hosted by the provider and are easy to get started with, but may show a lack of flexibility and performance.

CMS intranets, such as those from WordPress, which provides WOffice, Alliance and Thrive, are usually more affordable, are easy to install, and come with templates that can be customised to suit your specific needs. However, installing a WordPress intranet does require some technical skill, though some other CMS systems can be set up with greater ease, and may even be free of charge.

WOffice

Other types of intranet technologies may use social media platforms, such as Workplace by Facebook or Slack or Yammer, which don’t offer the same comprehensive range of services but are convenient and easy to use. Custom-built intranet solutions may be the preferable option for businesses with specific intranet requirements. Cloud-based solutions are increasing popular as the cloud industry is expanding, though some companies may prefer to keep things in-house for security reasons.

Workplace by Facebook

What are some of the best intranet software systems?

Jostle is a cloud-based SaaS intranet solution scoring highly in employee engagement and intuitiveness. It’s affordable, easy to install and learn, user-friendly, and simple and adaptable for internal communications, as well as matrix reporting, collaboration and events planning.

Jostle Intranet website

A social intranet that’s also cloud-based, Noodle has a Single Sign On (SSO) option that makes it easier to access. It’s easy to use with the ability to create polls, interactive forms, and make and merge calendars. It’s easy to set up, low in price, and high-quality customer support is also provided.

Noodle Intranet

ThoughtFarmer is an intranet solution focused on enabling employees to work remotely, increasing employee engagement and productivity. Features include calendar and content management, employee directories and knowledge management.

ThoughtFarmer Intranet

The winner of awards from Capterra, Samepage is real-time intranet software built for sharing and co-authoring documents and files, and collaboration through scheduling, discussions and instant messaging. This system specialises in combining content, tasks and conversations so everyone is kept on the same page.

SamePage.io

Honey is another top-rated intranet solution that excels in design, as well as connecting teams for the sharing of resources and team workflows. Easy to use and affordable, and optimised for mobile.

Honey Intranet

With so many intranet options available, it can sometimes be difficult to discern which is best suited to any particular business structure. However, finding the best possible strategy could make a considerable difference in efficiency and performance, as well as employee satisfaction, so the decision is not one to be taken lightly. Executives in doubt as to the best option could be well advised to consult with their IT support to avoid any blunders that a poor choice could potentially result in.

Tags: best, Intranet, solutions

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.