An intranet is a private website for your staff. It’s used to share internal news, store documents, manage policies, and support collaboration. Microsoft SharePoint Intranet does all of this. It helps teams communicate, work together, and stay informed—without adding extra tools or licenses.
| “Using an intranet solution is an easy way to give your employees a modern experience. However, sharing and managing many intranet solutions is difficult and costly. This is not true when you use SharePoint.” – Julio Aversa, Vice President of Operations, Tenecom |
Intranets are not the only way for businesses to share internal information or support collaboration. Some companies rely on shared network drives, team chat platforms, project management tools, or all-in-one communication hubs. These tools work for short-term tasks, quick updates, or storing files. What they don’t do as well is keep company-wide content organized.
The rest of this blog will explore why SharePoint intranet is the ideal choice for many organizations. We’ll explore how the solution works, its benefits, and where you can find expert consultants who can help you implement your SharePoint solution.
Can You Use SharePoint as an Intranet? Why Would You?
You can use Microsoft SharePoint as your company’s intranet. In fact, many businesses already do. SharePoint is part of Microsoft 365, so if your organization uses that platform, you already have access to SharePoint.
SharePoint also offers strong security, cloud storage, mobile access, and ongoing updates from Microsoft. If your goal is to create a central place for your team to work and stay informed, SharePoint gives you a clear starting point.
How Does SharePoint’s Intranet Solution Work?
SharePoint intranet works by using different types of sites.
| Team sites | Team sites support small groups that work together. These sites are used to store shared files, manage tasks, and organize day-to-day work. They’re typically private and only visible to the team members. |
| Communication sites | Communication sites share information with a broader audience. For example, HR or company leadership might use a communication site to post company news, policies, or announcements. These sites are designed for reading, not editing, and usually look more polished. |
You can also group related sites using a hub site. This makes it easier for staff to browse content across departments or projects.
SharePoint also has built-in features like news feeds, calendars, forms, videos, and quick links. You can embed this content with Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Viva Engage, Stream, or Power BI. You can also add your own branding, set up permissions, and organize pages based on your company’s needs.
Plus, SharePoint is cloud-based, so there’s no need for on-premises servers. Microsoft handles the technical side. You just manage the structure and content.
Top 7 Benefits of SharePoint Intranet
1. Simple Structure
SharePoint helps keep your internal communications well-organized and easy to navigate. You can set up dedicated sites for teams and departments and link them through hub sites for a coherent structure.
This clear structure reduces confusion and saves time compared to shared network drives or email threads. Since workers spend an average of 28% of their workweek checking and responding to emails, this can be a huge time saver.
2. Powerful Search Functionality
Employees spend an average of 3.6 hours per day searching for information, but finding information is much quicker with SharePoint’s intelligent search engine. The platform’s search will comb through everything – pages, documents, lists, even file metadata – to return relevant results.
3. Customization
SharePoint intranet is highly adaptable to your business. You can customize sites with your branding, choose layouts, and add features as needed. This adaptability means your intranet site can easily evolve with your organization.
Source: Microsoft
4. Accessible Anywhere
Modern SharePoint intranets are cloud-based, so employees can access them from any location or device with an internet connection. There are SharePoint mobile apps that let staff read news, download or upload files, and even collaborate on documents right from a smartphone or tablet. As CloudSecureTech points out, 68% of workers now work remotely, so this feature is vital.
5. Strong Security
SharePoint delivers enterprise-grade security features. You can control access to SharePoint sites, document libraries, or even individual documents via granular permissions settings. SharePoint follows Microsoft’s data protection standards, and you can add extra login security with multifactor authentication.
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6. Document Management
One of SharePoint’s strongest suits is document management. It provides a central, shared space for all your files with version control, co-authoring, and permission settings. Instead of emailing attachments around, teams can work off a single document in SharePoint – with multiple people editing simultaneously and changes tracked automatically.
In these cases, employees always access the latest version of a file, and you can see the history of edits if needed.
7. Cost-Effectiveness
If your business already uses Microsoft 365, using SharePoint for your intranet is extremely cost-effective. There’s no need to buy a separate intranet product or pay for additional hosting. SharePoint is included in most Microsoft 365 business plans, so you’re essentially getting a modern intranet platform as part of the package.
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Work With Expert SharePoint Intranet Consultants From Tenecom
Setting up a SharePoint intranet takes planning. It’s important to get the structure right, connect it with your business goals, and train your team to use it properly.
Tenecom is an experienced IT consulting firm that specializes in Microsoft solutions. We’ve helped companies across Canada, and internationally, build SharePoint environments that fit their business. Our offers include help with setup, content migration, permissions, branding, and Microsoft 365 integration. We also provide training and ongoing support.
Reach out today to get started.