More and more organizations using Microsoft 365 are choosing SharePoint as the basis for their intranet. And that’s a good choice, because SharePoint is part of Microsoft 365 and is therefore already part of the digital workplace that employees work in every day. That brings quite a few benefits. Not only for employees, but also for IT, communications and finance.
Yet standard SharePoint does not offer enough for every organization to fully meet the needs of an intranet. That’s where Fresh Intranet can be a godsend. Fresh is an intranet add-on that runs on top of SharePoint and adds functionality specifically designed for intranet use. This gives you a SharePoint Intranet that is easier to manage and better suited to the needs of the organization. In this blog, we share 5 reasons why it’s an advantage to have Fresh Intranet running in Microsoft 365 and what it gives you.
When your intranet runs on Microsoft 365, you automatically benefit from the strong security and governance the platform provides. Microsoft continually invests in security, compliance and data management. Think access management, audit logs, compliance settings and extensive data protection capabilities. Because Fresh Intranet runs within this environment, the intranet directly leverages this existing security structure.
This also means that permissions can easily be based on existing Microsoft 365 groups and permissions. Information therefore remains visible only to the right target group and is consistent with the governance already established within the organization. For IT departments, this is a big advantage: the intranet does not form an additional platform that needs to be secured separately, but remains part of the familiar and well-secured Microsoft 365 environment.
An intranet running on Microsoft 365 integrates seamlessly with the digital workplace that employees already work in every day. Many employees use Microsoft Teams, Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint for their daily work. When the intranet is part of that same environment, it feels instantly recognizable and familiar. Employees don’t have to learn a new platform, use additional accounts or switch between different systems.
In addition, the intranet can also be easily integrated into Microsoft Teams. This allows employees to access the intranet directly from Teams, the place where many organizations collaborate and communicate anyway. News items or important updates can also send notifications to Teams, as well as through Outlook. The intranet thus becomes not just a place where information is stored, but an active part of the daily digital workplace.
By using SharePoint as the basis for the intranet, you get more value out of the existing Microsoft 365 license. Instead of introducing an entirely new intranet platform, you build on technology that already exists within the organization and that employees already work with on a daily basis.
Fresh Intranet adds additional intranet functionalities that are often limited by default in SharePoint. Think of better possibilities for internal communication, targeted content for specific target groups and an intranet that remains clear and user-friendly for employees. In this way, you take full advantage of the power of Microsoft 365, while at the same time creating an intranet that better suits the needs of the organization.
Another key benefit is that all intranet data stays within your own Microsoft 365 environment. Because Fresh Intranet runs on top of SharePoint, pages, news items, documents and other content are simply stored within your own Microsoft 365 tenant. So the information is not stored on an “external” platform or in a separate environment outside Microsoft 365.
This gives organizations more control over their data. You know exactly where information resides and what security and compliance settings apply to it. For organizations that value data management, privacy and compliance, this is a significant benefit.
A common challenge with a standard SharePoint Intranet is that communications departments often depend on IT for modifications. Think of customizing navigation, creating new pages or changing sections on the intranet. As a result, communications staff don’t always feel they can easily manage the intranet themselves.
Fresh Intranet adds functionality that actually makes management more accessible to communications staff. With clear templates, clear management options and user-friendly tools, communications staff can publish content, modify pages and manage the structure of the intranet themselves. This keeps the intranet current and relevant, without requiring technical knowledge or IT support for every change.
The great advantage of an intranet running on Microsoft 365 is that it suits the needs of different departments within the organization. For IT, the intranet remains part of the existing architecture and security of Microsoft 365. For finance, it means that existing licenses are used optimally and no additional platform is needed. And for communication, Fresh Intranet ensures that the intranet is easier to manage and can be better deployed for internal communication. A win-win on all fronts!
