Teams | Collaboration | Customer Service | Project Management

Many organizations have high hopes when launching their intranet — fresh interfaces, new content and the opportunity for seamless collaboration. As the shine fades and initial excitement wanes, many intranets begin to suffer from a lack of ownership and governance.

SharePoint is one of the most widely used intranet solutions on the market, with more than 200 million monthly active users. It’s often the default choice for companies that use Microsoft 365 since SharePoint is included in the suite of products. While it’s bundled with Microsoft 365 and appears cost-effective, that doesn’t mean it’s the best option. Many companies are discovering that a SharePoint intranet doesn’t completely meet their needs.

Companies lose valuable time and resources when intranet content updates stall in administrative queues. The impact becomes clear when a department head submits critical policy revisions, but three weeks later, employees still reference outdated procedures. Projects stall, compliance risks increase, and frustration spreads throughout the organization.

Business is always a game of risks. Every day comes with fresh problems, and decisions have to be taken amidst uncertainty. Stress, too much information, and the necessity to be perpetually one step ahead become a daily work routine. And eventually, arrives the query: how you keep everything running so that you don’t have to waste hours searching for data or getting hung up in ageless email streams? The intranet solves it.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout my internal communications career — working in public education, nonprofits, state associations and now the ever-changing world of tech — it’s that the same employee communication and engagement barriers exist regardless of industry.

When employees feel genuinely appreciated, the entire organization thrives. The most successful companies create comprehensive workplace recognition strategies that drive engagement, retention and performance.

Communication sits at the heart of every significant modern leadership methodology going all the way back to Dale Carnegie. Yet many organizations treat internal communications as a secondary function — nice to have, but not essential to business success. This misalignment betrays a quiet but profound dysfunction in large organizations today.

Finding information shouldn't be a complicated treasure hunt. A smart intranet search engine serves as the digital hub for knowledge discovery, connecting employees to the people, resources and information they need across systems and platforms.

This article was originally published May 04, 2023, and updated on March 15, 2025. Refreshing and revamping your employee recognition and rewards program is essential for workplace success. In today’s competitive job market, attracting and retaining top talent requires more than just competitive salaries — establishing a culture of appreciation will set your organization apart.