If you’re looking for ways to improve communication and collaboration within your organisation—perhaps because employees are frustrated with how much time it takes to hunt down the latest policy documents, or your communications team is struggling to keep everyone informed, including those on the frontline or working remotely—the solution to many of these challenges often comes down to one thing: the right intranet.
A well-designed intranet boosts productivity by streamlining access to documents and resources, reducing search time and centralising communications. It reduces reliance on email, introduces collaboration tools, and automates workflows, making your operations more efficient.
For employee retention, an intranet enhances organisational awareness by sharing your vision and initiatives. It fosters a sense of community through social features and recognition efforts, helping employees feel more connected and empowered.
In employee onboarding, an intranet can streamline preboarding and onboarding experiences, simplifying mandatory training and paperwork. Early community engagement enriches the new employee experience and accelerates their path to full productivity.
But with so many types of intranets out there—SharePoint, customised SharePoint, third-party solutions built on SharePoint, bespoke, or SaaS—how do you choose the right one? We’ve broken down the options for you. So, read on to discover the different types of intranets and find out which one is the right fit for your organisation.
1. Out-of-the-box SharePoint intranet
Let’s start with the basics. If you’re using Microsoft 365, you already have SharePoint running behind the scenes. In its basic state, SharePoint is a content management system that can be configured to serve as your intranet.
Sounds easy? Well, yes and no.
What’s good: It’s already there. You’re using Microsoft 365, so you’re all set in terms of security, document management, and even licences. It integrates beautifully with Teams and Viva Connections—with no extra steps required. You can target content to specific user groups and there are even some useful page analytics to help you see how your news is performing.
What to consider: But there’s a catch. As your organisation grows, so too will your content—and as this happens your intranet needs will quickly outpace what SharePoint’s out-of-the-box solution can offer. As SharePoint is primarily a document management system rather than an intranet, you’ll need to think carefully about how to configure and customise it and whether you have the internal expertise to handle it (or the budget to hire consultants).
Read more: Considering using SharePoint as your intranet? Here’s what you need to know
2. Customised SharePoint intranets
If your out-of-the-box SharePoint intranet isn’t cutting it anymore, it’s likely you’ll be thinking your next step is customisations. Because with some clever tweaks, you can turn SharePoint into an intranet that suits your specific needs.
Want to pull in data from other apps? Need a flashier way to present news? Maybe you want notifications to nudge people who “forget” to check the latest announcements. These are all possible if you customise SharePoint.
What’s good: Why consider customisations? It’s tailored to your organisation, and you can scale it to fit your growing needs. It gives you more flexibility to integrate with other tools, automate processes and create a more engaging digital workplace within Microsoft 365.
What to consider: Yet customisations can get tricky. They’ll require ongoing maintenance and documentation. And, because SharePoint is constantly being updated by Microsoft, you might run into compatibility issues down the road. Keeping everything running smoothly can feel like a constant juggle, not to mention the expense.
Read more: Are custom-built SharePoint webparts worth the risk?
3. Third-party intranets built on SharePoint
Now, if you still want the flexibility of SharePoint but without the headaches of building everything from scratch, a third-party solution built on SharePoint, like Fresh, might be just the ticket. Think of it as giving SharePoint a major glow-up with an intranet system that’s ready-made for communication.
What’s good: Why you’ll love it? Third-party solutions like Fresh are designed specifically to be intranets, so you get all the features you could want—editorial calendars, analytics, push notifications and more—without having to cobble them together yourself. And the bonus is you’re still working within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, meaning it’s secure, which your IT team will love.
What to consider: There are additional licence fees on top of Microsoft’s and, depending on the vendor you choose, you could be looking at additional installation costs too.
Read more: Transforming SharePoint into a powerful intranet
4. Bespoke intranets
If you want to opt for something that’s 100% yours, you could go the bespoke route. That means building your intranet from the ground up, using whatever tools you want, whether it’s WordPress or something entirely custom.
What’s good: You get total control. You can build whatever features your company needs, and depending on what it’s built on, you’re not necessarily tied into any particular system.
What to consider: This is the most expensive option by far, and it requires serious in-house development expertise, proper planning and implementation. If your developer leaves halfway through the project or something breaks—well, you’re on your own. And keeping its architecture up to date or introducing new technology like AI? Well, that’s a full-time job in itself. You can also outsource the entire project, but it comes with its own costs.
5. Alternative intranet platforms
Finally, there’s an array of independent intranet platforms out there, often called Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. Whilst these are built specifically for internal communications, they typically operate outside of the Microsoft ecosystem.
What’s good: Why might you choose this? These platforms come with features for creating, distributing and analysing content. Plus, they can be attractive for companies that don’t need or have Microsoft 365 licences.
What to consider: If your company is already deep in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, adding a non-Microsoft solution might create integration challenges. And will mean you’ll be running two parallel systems as well as managing multiple licences and platforms concurrently—something not everyone has the time (or expertise) for. Plus, you won’t have access to the generative AI capabilities of tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Worse still, you may even find yourself in the murky world of “multiplexing”—a term used to describe when you create news posts in SharePoint but make them available in your intranet platform. Moving data originally created in SharePoint to your intranet platform for unlicenced users to consume means you are ‘multiplexing’, which if caught by Microsoft you’ll be landed with a hefty fine.
Read more: Common SaaS intranet integration and compatibility issues with Microsoft 365
So, which intranet is right for you?
At the end of the day, the right intranet depends on your organisation’s size, needs and existing systems. If you’re a small company with limited IT resources, SharePoint is a good place to start. But if you’re part of a mid-to-large company, with Microsoft 365 licences, and want more advanced intranet features, explore Fresh.
Whatever route you take, remember your intranet shouldn’t be just a tech solution—it’s a communication tool that should make life easier, help your team stay connected and keep your organisation running smoothly. So, take the time to assess what will work best for you and your team before making any big decisions.
Read our client stories for inspiration.
Need help with looking for a new intranet?
Download our free eBook: Building a business case for a new intranet. It’ll walk you through all the intranet options out there, outline functional and non-functional requirements you’ll need. Plus, it includes a handy guide on how to get your finance director on board to release a budget.
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