What IT Teams Should Look for in an Intranet Provider
In the digital age, choosing the right intranet provider has become crucial for IT teams. With so many options available, finding one that aligns with the organization’s needs can be daunting. Among the myriad considerations, scalability, integration, ease of implementation, and user adoption are key factors. The ability of an intranet provider to scale alongside the organization’s growth, seamlessly integrate with existing systems, deploy effortlessly, and garner widespread user acceptance directly impacts the overall efficiency and productivity of the company.
Security: The Paramount Among Everything
The shift to remote work has intensified cybersecurity challenges, with 66% of organizations acknowledging increased risks- (SEC). To address this, you must prioritize security measures like VPNs, SSOs, multi-factor authentication, employee training, and Zero Trust Policy. Choosing between on-premises and cloud-based intranets is an important decision that involves maintenance, flexibility, and scalability. And it’s more than that: data protection, access controls, role-based permissions, and many other security aspects to consider.
Check out this intranet security blog, which explains everything in detail.
Scalability: Growing with Your Business
Your intranet should change and grow with you. When picking an intranet provider, check if they offer something that can stretch or shrink. That way, your intranet stays useful no matter how big or small your company is.
Here are some things to think about when it comes to making your intranet flexible:
User Capacity
Do you really need the “Oops, we’re out of seats” scenario with your intranet? Not. You want to make sure there’s room for everyone to talk, mingle, and important documents.
So, when choosing an intranet provider, ensure it can handle your current user base without breaking a sweat. But here’s the real test: Can it take the projected growth? You want your intranet to be something other than the party that runs out of snacks before the nights even begin.
Flexibility
In a fast-paced business environment, the adoption of new tools and applications is inevitable. You want a provider that lets you snap those new pieces in effortlessly. Can your intranet play nice with the latest apps and tools your company adopts? If not, you might end up with a digital Frankenstein’s monster – cool in theory but prone to unpredictable behavior.
Performance
A sluggish intranet can hinder productivity and disrupt operations. A scalable intranet is essential, one that can handle growth without performance degradation. It should efficiently accommodate rising data traffic and user activity, maintaining responsiveness and reliability. An intranet that seamlessly adapts to increasing demands is crucial for efficient and productive workplace communication and collaboration.
Integrations: A Seamless Tech Ecosystem
Intranets don’t operate in isolation; they thrive when they seamlessly connect and collaborate with a wide array of tools and systems that your organization relies on. When considering an intranet solution, it’s crucial to thoroughly evaluate the provider’s integration capabilities. Here’s why:
Compatibility with Existing Tools
Your intranet should act as the central hub for your organization’s digital workspace. This means it must effortlessly harmonize with your existing software suite, spanning across human resources (HR), project management, document management, and collaboration tools. The ability of your intranet to interact fluently with these systems ensures that data flows effortlessly and that your teams can work cohesively without disruptions.
Customization
One-size-fits-all is so last century. Your intranet should be a tailor that can stitch custom integrations to fit your unique needs. Can it do that, or are you stuck with pre-made integrations that might not quite fit? You want your intranet to be the bespoke suit of the software world, not the off-the-rack hand-me-down.
API Availability
In the ever-evolving tech landscape, the flexibility to create custom integrations is invaluable. APIs provide the building blocks for creating tailored connections between your intranet and other software applications in use within your organization. Before committing to an intranet provider, check how dynamic their APIs are, so that it can be configured to fit right into your existing infrastructure.
API availability empowers your IT and development teams to craft unique solutions that cater to your specific needs. For instance, you might wish to link your intranet with a proprietary analytics tool, enabling real-time data insights within your digital workplace or a widget to find the best coffee near your office locations. APIs open the door to endless possibilities, allowing your organization to adapt and grow seamlessly in the digital age.
The success of your intranet greatly depends on its ability to become an integral part of your organization’s tech ecosystem. Compatibility with existing tools and the availability of APIs are pivotal factors to consider when choosing an intranet provider. These capabilities not only enhance productivity but also future proof your organization’s digital infrastructure, ensuring it remains agile and competitive for what’s ahead.
Ease of Implementation and User Adoption
Deploying a new intranet is challenging. Aligning the stakeholders, handling time and resources efficiently, getting everyone on board is a daunting task. The average time taken to develop a successful intranet is 25 months – Reworked, but there are out-of-the-box intranets like PeopleOne that can be deployed in as little as 3 weeks. Either you choose to develop one for your own or pick an out-of-the-box solution, your chosen provider should serve as a knowledgeable partner, facilitating a smooth onboarding experience to minimize disruptions. Their guidance ensures that your employees readily embrace the intranet, fostering enthusiasm and effective adoption, rather than turning the implementation into a daunting ordeal.
Here are some essential implementation and adoption factors to consider:
Onboarding Support
Look for intranet providers that go the extra mile by offering comprehensive onboarding assistance. This includes not just a user manual as thick as a phone book but real, live human beings who can provide hands-on training and helpful documentation.
User-Friendly Interface
The intranet’s user interface should prioritize simplicity and accessibility, ensuring that even employees with limited tech expertise can navigate it effortlessly. It should be intuitive like opening a refrigerator, where finding something doesn’t require a manual. Users should experience a sense of familiarity, not confusion, as they interact with it.
Migration Assistance
If you’re making the leap from an existing intranet or a platform, your chosen provider should offer migration assistance. They should ensure that your valuable data and content make the journey seamless, avoiding any bumps or hiccups along the way.
Wrapping It Up
In conclusion, selecting the right intranet provider is a critical decision for IT teams, especially for CTOs and IT Directors concerned about data security and ease of implementation. By prioritizing security, scalability, integrations, and ease of use, IT professionals can ensure they are making a sound investment that not only protects their data but also enhances their organization’s overall efficiency and productivity. Remember, a well-chosen intranet provider can be the backbone of a resilient and future-ready IT infrastructure.
Why PeopleOne
Choosing the right intranet platform is crucial for embracing a world-class digital employee experience, and PeopleOne is perfect. With its employee-centric approach, seamless integration of digital tools and platforms, and empowering employee self-service capabilities, PeopleOne provides a comprehensive solution for your organization to create a digital workplace that enhances communication, engagement, and overall organizational success.
