Simple Intranet Deployment: Why It Doesn’t Have To Be Difficult

If you’ve put deploying a company intranet in the too hard basket, then it’s time to think again! Although many businesses have realized that there are several benefits to be had with a company intranet, some haven’t been able to get over the mental hurdle that they are too difficult to implement. This is especially so for those of us who are not so confident with new technology.

Well, in this post, we will put paid to that myth! The truth is deploying a company intranet can be a straightforward, low-stress, and low-cost process. What’s more, the principle of simplicity is carried through to the ongoing management of your intranet. Whether it’s publishing pages, editing text, or updating users, it’s an equally straightforward process. A simple intranet has much to offer for small businesses in particular, which may have limited internal IT resources and tight budgets. So, let’s find out exactly how easy your business intranet can be.

Utilize Pre-Built Modules

Cloud intranets such as MyHub’s come with pre-built intranet page templates and a range of powerful business modules and tools, all out of the box. What this means for you is that there’s no complicated intranet software to install and configure and no company server is required to host the intranet.

And far from being a one-size-fits-all solution, your intranet template is capable of being fully customized. So whether it’s your company colors, logo and branding, or customization in terms of the business modules you require, the end result will be a totally unique cloud intranet that is in keeping with your company image.

The basic design, site map and layout is all provided for you – all you need to do is put your own stamp on it. Why waste valuable time and energy on designing and organizing your company intranet when you don’t have to? With a drag and drop page builder, the intranet template option allows for a flexible layout and you can easily insert text, images, videos, iframes or widgets to really make it your own.

A cloud intranet comes with a powerful set of tools and modules already included. Take your pick from the following options:

• News blogs and newsletters on a company-wide or team basis
• Corporate calendars to highlight key company events, milestones and deadlines
• Quizzes and surveys to canvas staff views and opinions
• Company staff directories to connect employees
• File and document storage making it easy to locate information and share files internally and externally
• Online forms and workflow processes to streamline and automate operations
• Pre-built page template populated with common workflows
• Team and project collaboration and project spaces to facilitate joint working
• Social intranet features such as user profiles and activity walls to enhance communication.

What’s more, you don’t need any great technical know-how to deploy the intranet software. Indeed, your business intranet could be up and running in just a matter of hours. The intuitive, five-step builder process means that no IT resources are needed – a complete technology novice such as Mary in Marketing or Guy in HR – can confidently go about building the intranet. And help is available in the shape of ongoing support from your cloud intranet provider who can hold your hand throughout each step of the process if needs be.

Eliminate The Need For Testing

Another factor that has influenced companies’ reticence to deploy an intranet solution is the time and hassle involved in piloting and testing the software. This is particularly the case for small- to medium-sized enterprises that may lack a dedicated internal IT resource. It’s a difficult enough process building an intranet from scratch, let alone the added complication of going through the necessary testing and piloting. For most companies, time is always in short supply and if you are wanting to deploy an intranet in response to a particular issue or pain point, then time is probably a luxury you can’t afford.

With a cloud intranet, all the modules have undergone extensive testing already. In fact, they are being used on a daily basis by a number of companies just like yours. Therefore, you can have absolute confidence in your intranet’s functionality and ability to do the job.

Simple Intranet Demo

Most cloud intranet providers will be happy to give you a free demonstration or shared screen tour of their software and you can even get your hands really dirty with a free trial. In that way, you can be certain the cloud intranet is a good match before you even sign that bit of paper. Why bother reinventing the wheel if you don’t have to? The pre-tested and quality assured nature of the cloud intranet provides peace of mind that you’re making the right investment for your business.

For Small Business

For small businesses in particular, as well as an easy to deploy and manage intranet, a transparent fee structure and cost-effectiveness will also be a top priority. Small businesses will be looking for value for money and a good return on investment. Those things really go without saying, but the only way to guarantee them is by utilizing a cloud intranet. Try building your own intranet from scratch or downloading do-it-yourself intranet software from the web and you may as well be signing a blank cheque. With those options, it’s very hard to maintain control of the costs, which can quickly escalate as you discover you need this add-on or that plug-in to supplement the functionality that your business requires.

By comparison, cloud intranets provide greater cost certainty. Once you sign up with a provider, you’ll know exactly what it will cost and what you’re getting. Here at MyHub, for a fixed monthly fee, we offer unlimited data and an unlimited number of users. There’s no need to pay per user, all of our pricing plans include unlimited users, unlimited data storage, and ongoing support. This makes a cloud company intranet a very affordable and cost-effective solution for small businesses.

Security Assured

In addition, many small business owners don’t know their spyware from their malware and so will probably need help when it comes to intranet security. There’s no doubt about it, intranet security is a complex and constantly changing subject. Keeping on top of the latest viruses and new ways to combat security threats is almost a full-time job in itself.

Do you want to have that responsibility in your company? No, thought not. It’s no wonder then that many businesses have been reluctant to implement a company intranet because of concerns around online security. Well, with a cloud intranet, it’s the provider who retains responsibility for assuring the security and integrity of all the data and information on the intranet. Now, that’s one major migraine-sized headache taken care of for you!

Automatic Updates And Backups

Another great advantage of the cloud intranet for small businesses is that you need never worry about backups and updates ever again! All your important company information and data is automatically backed up in the cloud so that if there was a natural disaster or a major power outage, you can be confident that everything you need is safe and secure in the cloud.

The cloud intranet provider will take care of all product updates too. These will happen automatically and without any interruption to your service. In fact, with high availability and uptime – typically 99.9 percent of the time – computers going down or technical difficulties will be a thing of the past for your small business.

Easy Intranet Management

The straightforward approach extends beyond deployment to also encompass ongoing management. After all, what use is an easily deployed business intranet if it is cumbersome and difficult to manage? And so the intuitive approach can be seen throughout the cloud intranet’s easy to use administration tools.

Managing users is easy with the intranet’s bulk user management tools so that you can quickly and easily add, enable, disable and delete users with just a few clicks of the mouse. It’s an equally intuitive process to assign administration rights to multiple users and you can also restrict user access to sensitive company information such as personnel records or financial details. Role-based access to the site, its pages and files ensures that staff members are only accessing the data that is relevant to their job.

A business intranet is only as good as its content. Outdated, redundant information and pages, broken links or data that is simply no longer relevant will see your intranet fail to engage with staff. Instead, you are likely to see users logging off and reverting back to the old ways of getting things done, such as email and paper processes. Worse still, it could see employees seeking out their own solutions and downloading software directly from the internet without any central oversight. In fact, it’s such an important issue that MyHub has made it super easy to edit published pages whether it be text, images or video. You can add an unlimited number of pages and sub-pages to your site using the in-built drag and drop page builder with flexible design options. We recommend undertaking an audit of all intranet content at least once a year to ensure the information is current. And with the cloud intranet’s uncomplicated administration tools, this isn’t an onerous task.

Easy To Use Intranet

A simple intranet also needs to be easy to navigate and utilize for end users. No business wants to spend valuable dollars on an extensive staff training program to ensure that employees know how to get the best out of the platform. With a familiar file explorer-type interface, your staff members will be able to hit the ground running. Often all that’s needed are some cost-effective webinars or how-to videos to set staff on the right track because the intranet software itself is so intuitive to use. Straightforward site navigation is backed up by a logical menu of tools and resources together with advanced search functionality so that employees can quickly and easily find the information they are after.

It’s also possible to embed G Suite or Office 365 directly into the pages of your intranet. As well as ensuring compatibility with your existing software investment, embedding these apps in the intranet means that you can also provide important contextual information alongside. The monthly sales Excel spreadsheet, for instance, embedded in the intranet page means that you can display the notes explaining how to complete it alongside the form. And it also means that multiple users can be working on the spreadsheet at the same time with the intranet automatically saving the latest version.

Easy To Access Intranet

The days of being chained to a desk on a rigid 9 to 5 regime have now been consigned to history. Increasingly employees are demanding more opportunities to telecommute, work flexible hours or remotely. A cloud intranet means that you can satisfy this demand while still ensuring that the job gets done efficiently and effectively. Because your intranet is based in the cloud, staff will be able to log in, check out the latest company news and look up information as well as complete tasks and online workflow processes just as they would if they were physically in the office. All that’s required is internet access and a smartphone, laptop or tablet. As well as being a boon to overall productivity, the cloud intranet will also help employers to stay connected with and maintain oversight of staff members whatever their working arrangements.

And those staff members requiring remote access will find that the cloud intranet has been optimized for the smaller screens and touchscreen functionality of mobile devices. The intranet design is mobile responsive and optimized for smartphone and tablet use with an uncluttered overall look, minimalist menus, and graphics buttons. Staff will still be able to quickly and easily navigate their way around the site and will be able to enjoy all the same functionality as head office-based employees.

Intranet Design

And for those of you that have read this post but still feel as though you just haven’t got the time or internal resources needed to get started on deploying an intranet, then here at MyHub we offer a complete design service.

We will set up for you a fully functioning, totally customized company intranet that meets your needs and requirements. From developing the scope of works and the intranet’s aims and objectives through to site design and launch, we will take care of the whole process for you. We’ll even assist with handover and staff training as well as post-launch support. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the benefits that a well-designed, effective cloud intranet will bring to your business.  It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Simple Intranet Examples

So, now that we have a common understanding of what a simple intranet is all about let’s now look at some real-life examples of how businesses are using their intranets in practice.

Integrated intranet platform: Real estate consultancy Amplified Solutions had been using a range of platforms to communicate and share information with their large network of registered clients. Amplified Solutions were, however, finding it increasingly hard to manage the sheer number of platforms and logging into and out of multiple apps and screens was time consuming and a real pain.

An intranet with one log in for a range of diverse tools has made life easier for Amplified Solutions. Sharing information and data is now a much more streamlined and faster process and clients to appreciate the fact that communication takes place through only one platform supported by an intuitive search function.

An intranet for communicating across multiple offices: The desire to improve internal communications across multiple offices in different countries and time zones was the driving force for RWR Group’s deployment of their intranet solution. The shared drive that RWR Group had been using to communicate and share information had become too cumbersome and was no longer fit for purpose.

Since the launch of the intranet, the company has seen a big reduction in email and paper trails in the office. The group’s staff newsletter is now published online on the intranet’s news pages. As well as a fresh new look, staff now have the opportunity to comment and share news items and insights, making it a much more interactive process rather than passive reading of a bulletin.

Furthermore, RWR Group has been pleased with the additional business benefits that the intranet has also brought its wake. In particular, the company has benefitted from automating all its business processes on the intranet. Faster, more streamlined, automated workflows have resulted in more efficient and effective operations. The intranet is now the indispensable heart of the business.

One-stop-shop intranet: Home decorating specialists Guthrie Bowron were after a self-service platform that could tick a number of boxes all at once. A cloud intranet was the perfect solution.

The main motivation for deploying an intranet was the need to improve the lines of communication with the company’s more than 40 retail outlets. Guthrie Bowron has made great use of the many creative tools integral to the simple intranet to come up with an engaging news blog that features video, pictures, graphics and hot buttons.

What’s more, the intranet is used on a daily basis for document storage, information and data sharing as well as a corporate calendar that highlights important events and product launches as well as local functions and key dates. In addition, Guthrie Bowron’s staff are using the intranet to connect with other stores to discuss everything from the latest design ideas and trends to checking on stock availability.

Best Intranet Software

The bottom line is that introducing a simple intranet really doesn’t have to be too hard. In fact, when it comes to selecting the best intranet software, a cloud intranet is hard to beat. A flexible, versatile solution, that is cost-effective and is also easy to set and manage.

If you are looking for a low-stress, low-cost, cloud intranet deployment, then contact us at MyHub. Better still, sign up today for our free demo or 14-day no-obligation trial and discover for yourself just how easy it is to deploy a business intranet.