- Anne-Sophie Duport
- December 19, 2024
How to modernize your traditional intranet?
Long considered rigid and unattractive, the intranet is now at the heart of organizational change, redefining collaboration and employee engagement.
A modern intranet is no longer a choice, but a strategic necessity for organizations that want to remain agile, attractive and successful.
Content
In this blog, we’ll explain what a modern intranet actually is, how you can successfully set it up, and what the benefits are for your organization.
1. What is a traditional intranet?
An intranet is a private computer network, accessible only to employees of an organization. It’s an internal communications tool that looks like a static website. It is limited to centralizing an organization’s internal information, broadcasting messages downwards and hosting administrative documents. The employee’s role is usually passive: they can only consult information, with no opportunity to interact. A traditional intranet often reflects a pyramidal corporate culture, where information is purely top-down.
A classic intranet uses obsolete technologies, offers a less than ergonomic interface and provides a complex user experience. Updates are rare and centralized, requiring the intervention of the IT department for any change, which considerably slows down the flow of information.
What’s more, a traditional intranet is rarely accessible outside the organization, and frontline workers or remote employees cannot access it on a smartphone or tablet.
2. What is a modern intranet?
A modern intranet provides a personalized, interactive and user-centric experience.
2.1. A social, interactive intranet
A modern intranet is first and foremost a social intranet, breaking completely with the classic codes of top-down communication. It draws its inspiration directly from consumer social networks, to provide a collaborative and interactive digital workplace. Employees are full players on the platform, moving away from the passive role they play in a traditional intranet. They exchange in real time, create content, share information, comment, like…
In concrete terms, this social dimension translates into :
- detailed profile pages to help you get to know your colleagues better
- activity feeds (global or by theme) in which employees can publish information
- working groups by theme or common interest
- discussion spaces by project or department
- or communities.
The social intranet thus helps to recreate links between employees in an increasingly digitalized environment.
2.2. A mobile intranet, accessible wherever you are and responsive
A modern intranet needs to be accessible from any device, at any time, wherever the employee is, to meet the needs of different teams: remote work, hybrid work, frontline workers. Gone are the constraints of connecting only from a fixed workstation, replaced by a smooth and easy user experience whatever the tool used: whether from a smartphone, a tablette or a laptop, employees can instantly access information and tools they need. A mobile application can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store for easy access to the intranet.
A responsive platform is also a prerequisite. The interface must automatically adapt to screen size and orientation, to guarantee optimal readability and ergonomics. Key features must be available regardless of the device used: creation and reading of documents or notes, information sharing and interaction, project management…
2.3. An intranet that enables decentralized communication
A modern intranet enables decentralized communication and promotes the horizontal circulation of information. Dedicated workspaces enable each employee to launch a discussion, share an idea, project or news, without waiting for the manager’s approval. These spaces, designed as open and inclusive platforms, enable the creation of cross-functional thematic communities that go beyond departments and divisions.
Instant feedback is at the heart of the decentralized communication model. An employee can comment in real time on a publication, make suggestions, like or share content. Feedback mechanisms are simplified and decompartmentalized: everyone can interact directly with other teams, or even with management, without going through traditional hierarchical channels. These interactions enrich the corporate culture and encourage innovation.
2.4. A collaborative intranet
A modern intranet can become collaborative, providing features that encourage teamwork. It can integrate workspaces that enable employees to work together smoothly and agilely.
For example, it can include:
- Document co-editing: several employees can work simultaneously on the same file, with systems for tracking changes, versioning and comments.
- Project management: Kanban, list or plan-type interfaces enable employees to track the progress of tasks, share dashboards in real time, assign responsibilities and easily visualize the overall progress of a project.
2.5. An intranet that delivers a unified and personalized experience
The traditional intranet already provided centralized access to some business applications, but it was often limited to a simple list of tools, with no real coherence or personalization. The modern intranet completely redefines this experience, placing the user at the heart of the platform.
The unified experience is based on a single, intuitive interface that brings together all the tools, resources and information needed by the user, all in one place. This centralization is underpinned by advanced interoperability: the modern intranet is designed as an open platform, with the capacity of connecting easily to existing office and business tools. This simplifies processes, reduces data duplication and improves the flow of information within the organization.
A key feature of this experience is single sign-on (SSO), which gives each employee instant access to all business applications, with dynamically configured access rights. What’s more, the modern intranet provides advanced personalization: each user has his own space where he can select his favorite tools, set preferences and configure notifications to meet his specific needs.
This personalization can also extend to the accessible content and features: the intranet can automatically tailor the displayed information based on the user’s role, department, and interactions. For instance, a salesperson might be prioritized to access customer management dashboards or the CRM, while an HR manager would see tools related to employee management. This contextualization ensures a seamless and optimized experience, enhancing both efficiency and employee satisfaction.
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3. How do you move from a traditional intranet to a modern one?
Switching from a traditional intranet to a modern one requires a structural and cultural transformation that goes far beyond a simple technological change. This transition begins with a profound rethinking of the way in which internal communications are conceived, and involves a strategic, multi-stage approach.
3.1 Assess your current needs and limitations
The first step is to rethink the intranet not as a simple top-down communication tool, but as a collaborative and dynamic platform. This starts with a thorough analysis of your employees’ needs and existing obstacles. This assessment phase is crucial to understanding your organization’s challenges and expectations.
Start by analyzing the use of the existing intranet, by collecting quantitative data such as connection rates, time spent on the platform, pages most read, and then qualitative data. What are the main bottlenecks? Where are employees wasting time? What information is hard to find?
To do this, drive satisfaction surveys, organize collaborative workshops, individual or group interviews. The aim is to give users a voice, to understand their practices and expectations. This feedback will be essential in defining the foundations of your new intranet.
3.2 Choose the right technology and the right partner
The next step is to completely overhaul your technological infrastructure. This raises a number of questions, such as:
- Do you want to choose an open-source solution to avoid dependence on a proprietary system?
- Is data sovereignty an essential criterion for you?
- How can we guarantee a high level of platform security?
- Will the intranet be hosted on premise or in the cloud?
- How familiar are your users with digital tools?
- What features are essential for your future intranet?…
The solution you choose will determine the success of your project. A modern intranet must meet several imperative criteria: agility, scalability, security and interoperability. Make sure the solution you select is compatible with your existing systems, has open APIs and provides regular updates.
Additionally, prioritize a partner with expertise in intranet solutions and a strong track record in driving digital transformation for organizations. Assess their ability to understand your specific challenges, their mastery of the latest technologies, their capacity to integrate your existing tools, and their agility.
It’s important to note that change management, which is critical to ensuring user adoption, is not necessarily handled by the solution provider. If not, consider engaging a dedicated partner specialized in change management. This approach will maximize the chances of success for your project.
3.3 Involve your staff in the project
It’s essential to involve your users from the very start of the project, by creating cross-functional working groups representing different departments and hierarchical levels.
Transformation also requires change management support. Identify “ambassadors” who are representative of your different departments and user profiles. Involve these key employees at every stage: design, testing, deployment. Their involvement will ensure broader buy-in and faster adoption of the solution. In this way, users are fully involved in the change process.
3.4. Define governance
Governance is a key point in your intranet project. This is the time to define new processes for publishing, distributing, moderating and updating content, adopting a more horizontal and participative approach. The aim is to move towards decentralized communication with greater transparency and spontaneous exchange, and to create a digital ecosystem that boosts engagement, facilitates collaboration and improves the employee experience, while meeting the challenges of productivity and internal communication.
3.5. Plan the migration
Content migration is a complex undertaking. Which documents, notes and information should be kept? Which ones need to be updated or archived? Draw up a precise content map and a step-by-step migration plan.
Then draw up a detailed timetable to minimize the impact of the change on employees. Plan transition periods, full-scale tests and backup mechanisms. The migration must not paralyze the organization’s activity, but be integrated seamlessly into its operations.
3.6. Train and support your users
Training is essential to your project. Design a multi-channel support system: face-to-face sessions, webinars, video tutorials, step-by-step guides, FAQs… The teaching methods must be adapted to the different profiles (beginners or experts) and to the roles of each person on the intranet (facilitators, ambassadors, publishers, administrators…).
Beyond the technical aspects, these training courses must instill a new collaborative culture. It’s a good time to show how the new intranet will make daily life easier, and encourage sharing and innovation.
Migration to a modern intranet is a profound cultural transformation. Patience, method and collective involvement will be your best allies in making this change a success.
4. What are the benefits of a modern intranet?
A modern intranet is a strategic lever that directly impacts an organization’s performance, engagement and capacity for innovation. Far from being a simple communication tool, it becomes a true digital ecosystem that rethinks ways of working and collaborating.
The benefits of an intranet are manifold, covering employee engagement, productivity, communication, corporate culture and cost reduction… Let’s take a look at some of the concrete benefits.
4.1. Improve employee engagement
A modern intranet transforms the relationship between employees and their digital work environment, and enhances the value of each individual contribution. Equipped with interactive and social features (like, comments, shares), it enables every employee to express themselves, share their ideas, celebrate their successes and feel that they are an essential link in the company life. The modern intranet stimulates participation, creates a genuine community and strengthens the sense of belonging.
Tools such as kudos, badges and contribution programs motivate employees to become more involved in the organization life. Recognition is immediate and possible between peers.
4.2 Increase productivity
Having a single solution that centralizes all your tools and information represents a considerable productivity gain. No more navigating between 5 or 10 different applications, duplicating content or wasting time searching for a document. A modern intranet is a unique interface where everything is accessible with just a few clicks.
According to a McKinsey study, employees spend 1.8 hours a day (around 20% of their time) searching for and gathering information. In a modern intranet, centralized content and intelligent search features give your users quick access to the resources they need for their work.
4.3. Strengthen corporate culture
A modern intranet reflects the company’s values and culture. By broadcasting messages aligned with the organization’s vision and highlighting internal initiatives, it unites employees around a common mission. All employees, wherever they work, can instantly connect to the company life.
Social features, such as news sharing and highlighting employees, create links where traditional organizations lose cohesion. A successful project, a customer testimonial or an internal innovation can now be celebrated and shared in real time.
4.4 Optimize costs
The rationalization of digital tools leads to real savings. Gone are the days of multiple subscriptions to compartmentalized, uncommunicative software. In fact, a modern intranet centralizes several tools: internal communication management, project management, document collaboration, knowledge management, chat, videoconferencing… which significantly reduces costs and simplifies the digital ecosystem by providing a single, scalable platform.
In addition to direct savings on licenses, this also means gains in operational efficiency. Fewer training sessions, simplified maintenance, centralized upgrades: the initial investment in a modern intranet quickly pays for itself.
4.5. Facilitate communication and collaboration, whatever the way you work
The modern intranet is an indispensable tool for any flexible organization. Accessible from any device at any time, it guarantees continuity of work for teams, whether on site, remote work, travelling or frontline workers.
Features such as document sharing and co-editing, chat and videoconferencing, and project management, reduce the complexity associated with geographical distance. An employee in Paris can work just as easily with a colleague in Bordeaux or New York as if they were in the same room.
4.6. Develop innovation
A modern intranet is a catalyst for innovation, creating an environment where ideas can flow freely. Collaborative spaces, discussion feeds and knowledge-sharing tools enable ideas to be confronted and innovative solutions to emerge.
The transparency and accessibility of projects also encourages a culture of open innovation. Employees can comment on and enrich current initiatives. The intranet thus becomes a genuine platform for collective intelligence, where innovation is no longer the preserve of a few experts, but a shared responsibility.
5. Conclusion:
A modern intranet is more than just a technological tool. It’s a real lever for organizational transformation, reinventing the way companies collaborate, communicate and innovate. In an ever-changing professional world, the intranet is a gas pedal of performance and engagement.
The success of this transformation depends on the involvement of all employees, but above all on that of managers and their ability to drive a new collaborative dynamic.
company intranet
FAQs
What is an intranet?
intranet is a term used with abundance whenever the subject of internal communication and collaboration is brought up which makes defining it a bit challenging. In its simplest form, an intranet is an internal website for your organization. It is used mainly for top-down communication where employees can access corporate news, policies and announcements.
What are the different types of intranet solutions?
To gather a thorough understanding of intranets and their different types, let’s walk through its history from the early days up to now:
- Intranet Portals
- Enterprise Social Netwrok (ESN)
- Intranet 2.0
What is the difference between intranets and extranets?
The main difference between intranets and extranets lays in the target audience. Intranets typically target users from a specific organization whereas extranets is the hub that can group users from multiple external organizations ranging from partners and suppliers all the way to clients
➝ Discover the real difference between intranet and extranet
What are the benefits of intranet solutions?
Different types of Intranet solutions from the early days up to the intranet 2.0 (commonly referred to as digital workplace solutions) bring a host of benefits to businesses of all sizes and industries. Below is a list of benefits often associated with intranets:
- Streamline internal communications
- Connect employees and eliminate silos
- Foster collaboration
- Improve knowledge sharing
- Recognize and reward employees
What are the different strategies for a successful intranet adoption?
Here are three different strategies for a successful intranet adoption:
- User focus strategy
- Global community management strategy
- Private communities focus strategy
- Tags: Digital workplace, Future of work, intranet
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