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SharePoint Intranets

The Backbone of Internal Business Communication

As companies increase in size and geographic distribution, the complexity of their communications and data access becomes correspondingly large and cumbersome. If allowed to grow unchecked, a company’s information resources can reach a critical point where they transition from asset to liability.

A properly planned and professionally executed SharePoint intranet can prevent bad information from being propagated and allow current data and ideas to flow back and forth between personnel.

Why SharePoint

SharePoint is a leader in intranet solutions, a top choice at many companies looking for reliable, advanced functionality out of the box. It provides high caliber service and reliability, without the investment and maintenance involved in creating a proprietary system.

SharePoint is not flash-in-the-pan software cooked up by a single-product developer. Fully backed and supported by Microsoft, it integrates with other Microsoft products such as Office and OneDrive, without requiring them to function. It also has excellent interoperability with legacy systems, and numerous apps are available to plug in and customize the SharePoint experience.

But perhaps the most convincing argument on behalf of SharePoint is its high acceptance rate by users. Intranets that create a clunky, unwieldy interface will see low levels of acceptance, as employees will find work-arounds to avoid the headaches involved in working with the lower quality products. SharePoint excels at providing an intuitive environment where users feel comfortable that they can find the information they need, when they need it.

 

What An Intranet Can Prevent

The most immediate, tangible benefit of a high-quality intranet is time recouped. In an intuitive system, users will rapidly find that they are able to locate or distribute information more effectively, saving time and preventing aggravation.

If a document has gone through several iterations in multiple departments, simply identifying the final version can be a challenge, let alone tracking the chronology and sign-offs of the revision process. SharePoint allow companies to track documents and communications with confidence, allowing the cost and effort that would have been sucked into a time-consuming folder-by-folder search to be spent on more productive activities. This is especially useful when dealing with documentation-heavy issues such as compliance questions or potential legal concerns.

 

What An Intranet Can Achieve

While a SharePoint intranet can prevent lost time searching for documentation, it can also act as a spark for more productive behaviors and in-house communication. Having one key area for information distribution simplifies the act of spreading a given message across the organization, and gives an option to have one central area for feedback. This is one of the reasons SharePoint intranets are so popular with human resources departments, as they allow for easy updates to employee handbooks or training materials, and a central location to turn to for internal job openings.

Setting up a SharePoint intranet can actually be a culture-changing event. One of the greatest uses of this centralized technology is “silo-busting”, or the demolition of the walls that insidiously creep between the different departments of an organization. By creating a free-flowing exchange of ideas which are not constrained by internal politics or non-compatible systems, disparate elements of a single organization may find themselves working together to reach goals neither of them could have achieved on their own.

Taking into account its ability to stem the tide of wasted time and the potential gains in communication and data access it provides, it’s no wonder that SharePoint is the leading choice for intranet solutions. By providing a strong backbone for internal document management and communication, SharePoint provides a single solution for companies searching for help with their in-house data organization.