Intranet Evaluation Checklist

View our handy tick-box sheet to help you compare different
intranet solutions and choose the right one for your business.
Get started with an initial needs analysis.

Intranet Software: Needs Analysis

For most businesses, there is some issue or pain point that has arisen which has sparked an interest in intranets as the solution. Often it’s an identified weakness in internal communications. Maybe it’s a desire to break down information silos and encourage better joint working. For others, it’s a realization that employee engagement needs to be improved. Or perhaps the driving force is the need to find efficiencies in operations with automated workflow processes.

Whatever the case may be, it’s important that you set clear aims and objectives for your intranet from the start. This will make the process of matching and selecting the best intranet for your company a much easier task. As an organization, it’s worthwhile spending time determining what the priorities are for your intranet.

One way to do this is to conduct an intranet needs analysis. Ask staff for their views on what information and tools an intranet needs to have. Supplement this with more detailed consultation with a series of focus groups.

Or why not consider undertaking a task analysis to really dig down into how staff are currently completing work processes in your business?

If you only have a handful of staff, then consider holding a brainstorming session with colleagues. Use their collective wisdom to examine how an intranet could support efficient and effective working within the business.

Intranet Software For Start-Ups And Small Businesses

Cost will be an important consideration for young and smaller businesses. With limited finances, a cost-effective solution is top of the list of requirements. In addition, having a small number of employees means that there is a limited amount of internal resources available. Therefore, these businesses will also be looking for an intranet solution that is quick and easy to set up and manage on an ongoing basis.

 

intranet evaluation

When it comes to pain points an intranet needs to address, the number one priority is often connecting with remote workers. Many startups and small businesses utilize the services of a virtual team of remote workers and freelancers. And so team communications and staying connected can be a challenge.

For these types of companies, intranet software that promotes internal communications, connects employees in a social intranet and that can be accessed remotely will be essential.

What’s more, these businesses will be looking for a solution that is flexible and adaptable and can grow alongside the company. Investing in a technological solution is a big deal for startups and small businesses and they will want a platform that they can stick with in the long term.

Intranet For Larger Businesses And Corporates 

For larger companies and big corporates, it’s often information needs that tops the list of pain points. Managing and sharing information across several layers and many teams, departments and even office locations has its challenges. These types of companies will be looking for a solution that streamlines and facilitates the sharing of complex information and data streams.

Another potential pain point as organizations grow is the management of business processes. Reporting requirements, compliance recording and simply getting everyday things done, such as ordering supplies and equipment or even managing holiday requests from staff, requires an enormous amount of form filling and paperwork. And often these business processes are being completed via cumbersome paper- or email-based systems. 

The potential for important documentation to get lost or for errors to creep in is huge. Intranet software that can automate these business processes making for quicker and more accurate transactions will be of great interest to these types of companies.

Employee engagement is also another potential pain point for larger companies and corporates. With hundreds or even thousands of employees perhaps located in different towns and states, promoting a common company culture as well as maintaining employee engagement is often a real challenge. These types of businesses will be looking for intranet portal software that supports employee engagement with features such as company and team news pages or blogs, employee self-service, staff directories and profiles as well as a survey functionality.

Evaluation Checklist For Intranets

For larger organizations with unlimited resources and a dedicated internal IT team, then a custom built intranet may be a feasible option. And for others, creating your own intranet with an off-the-shelf locally hosted intranet may well be the way to go.

However, for the majority of businesses – both large and small – a cloud intranet soluton will tick all the boxes we have identified above. The truth is in terms of simplicity, ease of use and ongoing management, cloud intranet solutons are hard to beat. With comprehensive functionality, it also offers flexibility and adaptability as features and tools can be swapped in or out, designs can be customized to your branding and the platform can grow alongside your business.

For most businesses a cloud intranet will most definitely be fit for purpose and will, in fact, deliver so much more. Interested in exploring the possibilities?

The following handy checklist will enable you to quickly and easily compare different intranet solutions and providers and will help you make a final decision. The simple tick-box type format means that you can see at a glance which intranet software option is a match for your business.

We also made this checklist available as a Intranet-Software-Evaluation-Checklist and Intranet-Software-Evaluation-Checklist downloads as follows:

evaluating intranet checklist

 

Priority Area

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Price

 

 

$

$

$

$

Is the price all-inclusive?

 

 

 

 

Is it fixed?

 

 

 

 

Does it include ongoing support?

 

 

 

 

Set Up

Is the intranet software easy to use?

 

 

 

 

Can you easily set up the intranet without any great technical knowledge?

 

 

 

 

Is there help and support readily available?

 

 

 

 

Is the intranet software customizable with your own brand?

 

 

 

 

Does the intranet software utilize pre-built intranet templates?

 

 

 

 

Ongoing Management

Can you easily add and delete users?

 

 

 

 

Is it possible to set up permission rights and restrict access to sensitive information?

 

 

 

 

Is it a straightforward process to create, edit and delete content, images and videos?

 

 

 

 

Modules & Business Tools

Does the intranet software have the right mix of tools & features to address the needs of your business?

 

 

 

 

Are the modules and business tools inclusive or will you need additional plugins?

 

 

 

 

Can you use the intranet software to create customized automated workflow processes?

 

 

 

 

Can you bulk upload and download documents and data?

 

 

 

 

Is it possible to share documents and files internally and externally?

 

 

 

 

Does the intranet software allow for collaboration and joint working across the business?

 

 

 

 

Are social intranet features inclusive with the software?

 

 

 

 

Are news pages and blogs an integral feature of the intranet software?

 

 

 

 

Does the intranet software incorporate features that will enhance employee engagement?

 

 

 

 

Security

Is the provider responsible for ensuring the security of company data on the intranet?

 

 

 

 

Does the intranet software incorporate advanced security features such as SSL?

 

 

 

 

Are you able to securely share files and information internally and externally?

 

 

 

 

Mobile Access

Can the intranet be accessed remotely?

 

 

 

 

Is the intranet software mobile responsive?

 

 

 

 

How well does the intranet software perform on smartphones and tablets?

 

 

 

 

Fit For Purpose

Is the intranet software fit for purpose in your business?

 

 

 

 

Want to Know More? 

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