A quick guide to intranet software tools
So, you’re looking for simple intranet software, but where to begin? Well, it all boils down to your organisation’s ambitions. Any proposed new intranet solution should align with your strategic goals and be sympathetic to how your business operates.
Okay, this might seem blindingly obvious, but we often encounter organisations that go shopping for software without any accord in their team on their vision for an intranet.
Keeping your strategy front and centre will make it easier for you to identify what business tools are non-negotiable, and the nice to haves. Do you want to improve internal communication and make your employees feel more connected? Maybe you want to transform how your people communicate and collaborate? Or perhaps you’d like an easier way to share files, especially in this era of remote working.
Here, we take a quick tour of some of the common, and not so common, intranet software you’ll encounter. And we give you a few pointers so that you can ask your potential provider the right questions and don’t burn time and money on a system destined to flop.
Intranet core features
When you check any intranet comparison site, you’ll find that most intranet software providers offer these features as standard:
- Activity/News Feed
- Discussions/Forums
- Content search
- Blogs
- Calendar Management
- Policy Management
- Content Management
Of course, their look and feel – and level of sophistication – will vary hugely but you can use them as a benchmark for reviewing potential intranet systems.
Feature-rich intranets
In a crowded marketplace, you’ll encounter a dizzying array of bells and whistles as intranet providers jostle to differentiate their products.
Much like chocolate bars near supermarket tills, it can be tempting to add them to your basket, so always keep your core objectives in mind. Unless there’s a compelling use case for a particular feature, you may introduce more complexity than you need or end up paying for stuff you won’t use.
So, with this in mind, let’s take a quick spin of other intranet options you’ll come across, and you can be the judge of their relevance and value to your organisation:
| Intranet Capabilities | Intranet Resources | Intranet Software Tools and Functionality |
| Customisable – extending beyond mere branding | Pre-built templates | Targeted content, e.g., for different job roles and locations |
| Cloud-based – can be consumed from anywhere | Drag and drop page builders | Real-time push notifications and alerts / broadcast critical information |
| Lives in your cloud environment/Office 365 tenant – no access / traffic (in either direction) by vendor. | Workflow-enabled self-serve forms (e.g., for purchase orders or HR requests) | Project management and task management |
| On-premise intranet software | Knowledge base / unified corporate library | User analytics and reports |
| Device agnostic; can be accessed from any device, including mobiles | Learning zone, admin, and user training | Social media feeds |
| Native integration with proprietary solutions, like Microsoft 365 | People directories and org charts | Social elements – emojis, reactions, gifs |
| Integration with third-party apps and line of business systems | Language translation | File sharing and document management |
| Scalable | Surveys and polling | Supports multi-lingual content |
| Identity and access management, security controls, data backups | Content tags, bookmarks, and information categorisation | |
| Gamification | ||
| Event management | ||
| Supports other content mediums, like videos and podcasts | ||
| People search | ||
| Employee profile and home page / dashboard personalisation | ||
| Holiday management | ||
| What’s new? Updates on stuff missed |
Do you want to go it alone, or work with a partner?
Are you confident flying solo with off-the-shelf, simple intranet software? Or do you want to engage with subject-matter experts who will help you achieve your long-term goals?
Some providers will help you with implementation, and quite possibly user adoption, but then you’re left to get on with it.
Be realistic about the expertise and resources you can draw from in-house. Do you have the technical capabilities and intranet success know-how to guarantee the longevity of your investment? If not, an internal comms and intranet specialist who parachutes in once a month could prove a wise investment.
Support with your intranet
What level of support do you get, and what flavour is it? For example, set up, change management and technical support. You might also have the option of a dedicated account manager or client success manager.
Speed of deployment
Will your intranet be deployed in a matter of weeks or months?
Your sector
Does the provider get your sector and have clients in your industry to show for it?
Intranet costs
How are the costs of the intranet software structured? Is it a flat annual fee or monthly subscription? Is there a pricing scale determined by user numbers? As they say, the devil is in the detail, so be clear on what’s included and what you might have to pay extra for.
Wrapping up
We hope this helped with some of your thinking, but there is a broader, more fundamental question. What do you want your intranet to be? Are you okay with a largely stand-alone system, or do you want to embed it as the beating heart of your organisation, connected to every artery?
There’s a world of difference between, for example, an on-premise intranet solution and a cloud- enabled intranet which is the gateway to a modern, digital workplace. So, paint your big picture and be sure you’re joined up with your stakeholders before getting into the nitty-gritty.
Click here to book a demo of our Fresh intranet, or here if you’d like some friendly advice.
Thanks for reading.