How to Build an Intranet for Your Business in 2024

Jeana Fleming
Jeana Fleming

Time to Read

10 min read

Calender

Published: Oct 31, 2023

Revised on: Mar 1, 2024

A company intranet is like a private online hub where employees can save and share information, collaborate with their team, and connect their work devices. However, the impact of an employee intranet goes beyond operational convenience. 

A company intranet can increase employee satisfaction by up to 40%, and 1 in 5 employees find it an indispensable work tool. These suggest that employees find intranets helpful and feel more valued when they have access to centralized, streamlined tools.

Here’s our curated shortlist and our reasons for liking each company; please click into each company to get more details:
  1. Assembly
    • Easy to use and intuitive interface. Many reviews mentioned Assembly is simple, easy to navigate, and user-friendly.
    • Good customer support. Reviews mentioned Assembly's support team is responsive in resolving issues.
    • Rewards redemption process is smooth. Users liked the gift card and other reward options that can be redeemed with points.
    • Integrates well with Slack and Microsoft Teams. The integration makes giving recognition quick and seamless.
    • Good for employee recognition and engagement. Reviews highlighted Assembly's peer-to-peer recognition features that help boost employee morale.
    READ MORE
  2. Workvivo
    • Easy to use and intuitive interface, similar to popular social media platforms like Facebook. Makes it easy for employees to adopt.
    • Improves employee engagement, connection, and internal communications across distributed teams and offices. Helps employees feel more informed.
    • Allows sharing of company news, events, photos, videos easily. Replaces email for some internal communications.
    • Provides analytics on usage and engagement that help HR and managers measure success of initiatives.
    • Ability to give recognition and shoutouts is motivating. Helps strengthen company culture.
    READ MORE
  3. Simpplr
    • Easy to use and intuitive interface. Many reviews mentioned Simpplr is simple to navigate and user-friendly.
    • Great for employee engagement. Customers found Simpplr helped connect employees and increase collaboration.
    • Robust features like content validation and analytics. Customers liked built-in features that help keep content updated and provide insights.
    • Easy implementation and setup. Customers had an easy time implementing Simpplr with help from the support team.
    • Integrations with tools like Slack and Office 36
    • Customers appreciated the ability to integrate with other workplace apps.
    READ MORE
  4. Haystack
    • Centralized communication and knowledge sharing. Haystack provides a single platform to find company info, resources, announcements, etc.
    • Easy to use and intuitive UI. The interface is clean, simple, and easy for employees to navigate.
    • Improved collaboration. Features like groups and integrations allow for better communication and teamwork.
    • Employee profiles and org charts. These help employees learn about each other and see company structure.
    • Search capabilities. The search makes it easy to quickly find documents, people, and information.
    READ MORE
  5. Happeo
    • Easy to use and intuitive interface
    • Good integration with Google Workspace/Drive for easy file sharing
    • Useful features like pages for static info and channels for discussions
    • Helps improve internal communications and engagement
    • Powerful search makes finding information easy
    READ MORE

Social intranet tools can boost productivity by up to 25%. Fostering collaboration and social interactions in a work-centric digital environment can lead to more efficient workflows and a more cohesive team.

While an intranet offers an effective internal communication platform, it also centralizes resources, streamlines processes, and bolsters team collaboration. Integrating a customized intranet can enhance your operational efficiency and workplace satisfaction, whether you’re a budding startup or a seasoned enterprise.

Explore our recommendations to find the best intranet solution for your organizational needs. Learn how to create a company intranet that supports your goals. 

How Do I Create an Intranet for My Business?

Follow these steps to create an intranet system that fulfills your organizational objectives:

  • Define objectives: Identify organizational challenges the intranet can address, like communication gaps or document sharing.
  • Assemble a team: Choose representatives from each department. Their insights will drive user adoption and provide continuous feedback.
  • Choose technologies: Purchase a packaged intranet solution considering functionality, hardware requirements, integrations, costs, and ease of use. Most packaged solutions will install the intranet for you and let you customize it as needed.
  • Install, train, and launch: Once you’ve selected the intranet solution that best matches your needs, install it into your organization’s network. Next, train your staff on how to use the system. After launching it, ensure regular updates and perform security checks.

While some organizations may prefer to build their own intranet solutions, this approach is not always accessible or cost-effective. The most efficient solution for most companies today is choosing a packaged, highly customizable intranet solution and adapting it to your organization’s needs.

What Is Needed to Create an Intranet?

There’s minimal hardware to consider for cloud-based solutions since the provider oversees most of the infrastructure. You’ll need workstations, networking tools like routers and switches, connected mobile devices, and security devices. However, it’s crucial to maintain a constant internet connection; disruptions can impede your access. 

On-premises solutions demand a greater hardware commitment. They need on-site servers, local data storage backups, security hardware, and uninterruptible backup power sources. While they offer you full control and can operate during outages, they come with higher costs and demand significant floor space on your company’s premises.

How Much Does it Cost to Create an Intranet?

The average cost of an intranet solution can be as low as $15,000 or as high as $100,000. Cloud intranet systems have a much lower upfront cost but require paying variable annual or monthly subscription fees. 

Choosing an on-premises solution minimizes running costs but requires a much higher upfront investment for hardware, software, and other features. Your intranet solution costs will also vary depending on the number of users, the apps and functionality, and support and maintenance.

What Should a Company Intranet Look Like?

A company intranet should be an intuitive and streamlined digital workspace. Navigation should be straightforward, allowing employees to easily access important documents and information from their dashboards.

It should also come with good collaboration features. This helps with clear communication, makes it easier to share ideas, and boosts teamwork. Just as important are engagement tools, which help with team recognition and bonding.

The intranet design should look and feel like the company’s brand, using recognizable design features and colors. A well-designed intranet feels like a natural extension of the company, balancing functionality with a sense of belonging.

Top 10 Intranet Solutions

Creating a company intranet can take a lot of time and can be expensive, considering both labor and infrastructure costs. Instead of starting from the ground up, consider using cloud-based platforms that are ready to use. This approach allows you to support your business operations immediately.  

The following are our top 10 picks for fast and easy intranet solutions to boost employee engagement, productivity, and company culture:

Pricing

$2.80 per user/month

  • Free version
  • Free trial available
  • Seat Minimum: 1 User

Rating 4.7 (291)

Assembly is an employee-centric intranet platform packed with numerous features to enhance team productivity and knowledge-sharing.

Assembly’s all-in-one communication & collaboration platform frees the flow of information between departments. Your team members will receive announcements and notifications most relevant to them based on their department and responsibilities. The team feed also allows employees to store, track down, and communicate the most important information for their current tasks.

Assembly’s intranet solution leverages the power of AI to make finding information easier than ever. Your team can use the integrated Dora AI assistant to search files, titles, and information quickly, ensuring no data gets lost. Dora AI can also summarize long-form files, giving your team quick insights for efficient decision-making.

Foster a culture of engagement and high performance with Assembly’s intranet solution. Assembly has a wide range of templates for companies looking to customize their intranet solution, helping transform it into an extensive and highly engaging data hub. 

For example, templates ensure new team members get to know each other through icebreaker questions, let you gather employee feedback with surveys, and aggregate content efficiently with the News Feed Flow

Assembly’s Key Intranet Features:

  • Full customization options and user-friendly design - Enhance team dynamics by using over 40 customizable workflows to boost productivity and streamline tasks (think announcements, anonymous suggestions, feedback, etc). Additionally, fosters a positive work environment with employee recognition features. These allow you to automatically send messages for milestones and give gifts as tokens of employee appreciation.
  • Leverage AI-powered search - Assembly’s Dora AI assistant helps team members track down the right files, avoiding information loss, and making informed choices using content summaries.
  • Complete suite of integrations - Assembly’s intranet solution can integrate with numerous other applications for more efficient data management. Compatible apps include file storage solutions like OneDrive and Dropbox, HRIS solutions like Deel or Namely, and instant communications tools like Slack and MS Teams.

Pros

  1. Easy to use and intuitive interface. Many reviews mentioned Assembly is simple, easy to navigate, and user-friendly.
  2. Good customer support. Reviews mentioned Assembly's support team is responsive in resolving issues.
  3. Rewards redemption process is smooth. Users liked the gift card and other reward options that can be redeemed with points.
  4. Integrates well with Slack and Microsoft Teams. The integration makes giving recognition quick and seamless.
  5. Good for employee recognition and engagement. Reviews highlighted Assembly's peer-to-peer recognition features that help boost employee morale.

Cons

  1. Limitations in analytics and reporting features. Some reviews wanted more detailed analytics and user statistics.
  2. Creating flows and automations can be tricky. Reviews noted workflows and automations are sometimes hard to setup.
  3. Limited customization options for recognitions. Users wanted more ways to customize recognitions with images/GIFs.
  4. Lack of mobile apps earlier on. Reviews mentioned lack of mobile apps made it hard to use when not by a computer.
  5. Confusion due to branding changes. Reviews noted frequent name changes of the reward units was confusing initially.

Pricing

Contact sales for pricing

Rating 4.8 (2,312)

Workvivo is a dedicated intranet solution designed to enhance communication and collaboration within organizations. The platform’s social intranet features an app launcher that provides quick access to essential tools, while the platform ensures corporate information is always at your fingertips. 

You can also boost collaboration through dedicated Q&A sections, promoting more effective knowledge exchange.

On the security front, Workvivo showcases its commitment with ISO27001 and SOC2 certifications, ensuring maximum data safety. The platform also boasts impressive integration capabilities, offering popular tools like Slack, Zoom, and MS Teams. This makes it a holistic solution for organizations that want to streamline operations and communication.

Workvivo’s Key Intranet Features:

  • Improved engagement -The Activity Feed keeps employees informed and connected, strengthening team unity and aligning with company goals.
  • Easy access to tools - The social intranet and app launcher bring essential resources to one central spot, making task transitions smooth and efficient.
  • Quick searches & connections - With the people directory feature and Workvivo’s advanced search, finding colleagues or information is fast and hassle-free, enhancing collaboration.

Pros

  1. Easy to use and intuitive interface, similar to popular social media platforms like Facebook. Makes it easy for employees to adopt.
  2. Improves employee engagement, connection, and internal communications across distributed teams and offices. Helps employees feel more informed.
  3. Allows sharing of company news, events, photos, videos easily. Replaces email for some internal communications.
  4. Provides analytics on usage and engagement that help HR and managers measure success of initiatives.
  5. Ability to give recognition and shoutouts is motivating. Helps strengthen company culture.

Cons

  1. Mobile app functionality needs improvement - some inconsistencies vs desktop, slower, missing some features.
  2. Notifications can be too frequent or irrelevant at times. Ability to better customize alerts needed.
  3. Formatting limitations for text, links, images in posts. Some find the editor clunky.
  4. Navigation and layout of pages could be better organized or simplified. Too busy for some users.
  5. Adoption not consistent across all employees in some cases. Full value requires high usage.

Pricing

Contact sales for pricing

  • Free trial available

Rating 4.6 (665)

Simpplr offers a complete set of intranet tools that simplify, tailor, and consolidate the employee experience on one platform.

With AI-driven features like Federated Search, Simpplr allows users to search across multiple apps, including Office 365 and Google Drive. You can target searches by site, content type, author, and publish date, or use free text, natural speech, and Boolean combinations.The platform’s internal communications features can also enhance company newsletters. They use AI to tailor content for employees, provide analytics like heatmaps to track engagement, and offer templates and collaboration features for easier newsletter production.

Auto-Governance Engine™ prevents the company intranet from becoming a catch-all dumping ground by automatically deleting or archiving expired content. It also showcases trending content to ensure it’s seen by your entire workforce and sends reminders automatically when content needs updating.

Simpplr’s Key Intranet Features:

  • AI-powered personalization -Adapts search and content to individual preferences.
  • Integrates with productivity tools -Simpplr integrates with your workplace’s favorite productivity tools, from Office 365 to Salesforce.
  • Automated content management -Ensures fresh and relevant content through the Auto-Governance Engine.

Pros

  1. Easy to use and intuitive interface. Many reviews mentioned Simpplr is simple to navigate and user-friendly.
  2. Great for employee engagement. Customers found Simpplr helped connect employees and increase collaboration.
  3. Robust features like content validation and analytics. Customers liked built-in features that help keep content updated and provide insights.
  4. Easy implementation and setup. Customers had an easy time implementing Simpplr with help from the support team.
  5. Integrations with tools like Slack and Office 36
  6. Customers appreciated the ability to integrate with other workplace apps.

Cons

  1. Limitations to customizations and branding. Some customers wanted more ability to customize themes, colors, etc.
  2. Steep pricing and add-on costs. Pricing was called out as high and key features required add-ons.
  3. Search needs improvement. Some customers felt search results could be more relevant.
  4. Dependence on Salesforce. Reliance on Salesforce for licensing created difficulties for some.
  5. Mobile limitations. Some features like admin posting weren't fully available on mobile yet.

Pricing

Contact sales for pricing

Rating 4.5 (1,664)

Haystack is a modern intranet software package aimed at connecting team members with organizational data and knowledge.

Haystack features a user-friendly interface that is customizable without coding. It is intended to serve as your organization’s knowledge center, with features to centralize information, enhance searchability, and keep content updated, even assigning “freshness scores” to documents. 

Haystack also enables organizations to display team member profiles, complete with work history and skill sets.

Haystack’s Key Intranet Features:

  • Fully customizable dashboard -Haystack’s fully modular design allows organizations and team members to rearrange the dashboard cards to fit the company’s content strategy.
  • Multiple notification channels -When an employee edits a document on the intranet, they can decide if and how to send notifications. For instance, Haystack can automatically notify through email, mobile, or even tools like Slack.
  • Detailed employee data view -Haystack’s intranet system includes a convenient employee information dashboard. Each team member can build a profile on the intranet, centralizing all relevant information, skills, and work history.

Pros

  1. Centralized communication and knowledge sharing. Haystack provides a single platform to find company info, resources, announcements, etc.
  2. Easy to use and intuitive UI. The interface is clean, simple, and easy for employees to navigate.
  3. Improved collaboration. Features like groups and integrations allow for better communication and teamwork.
  4. Employee profiles and org charts. These help employees learn about each other and see company structure.
  5. Search capabilities. The search makes it easy to quickly find documents, people, and information.

Cons

  1. Permission/settings can be complex. The permission system is powerful but has a steep learning curve.
  2. Information organization. Large amounts of data can be hard to organize logically.
  3. Customization limitations. Some users wanted more customization options for templates, pages, etc.
  4. Mobile issues. Some bugs and issues have been reported on the mobile experience.
  5. Cost. Pricing may be expensive for some smaller companies.

Pricing

Contact sales for pricing

  • Free trial available

Rating 4.5 (211)

Happeo is an intranet solution primarily designed to function with Google Workspace apps like Drive, Calendar, and Meet.

Happeo offers a seamless, unified intranet system with convenient social media-style features. It lets team members find knowledge on the intranet’s database through a federated search bar and customizable filters. Happeo will search within itself and all connected storage apps and workspaces, including integrated tools like Slack or Zendesk.

Team members posting new information on the Happeo intranet can access multiple tools to ensure it reaches the right people. For example, new announcements can be posted on customizable news channels and boards.

Happeo’s Key Intranet Features:

  • Seamless integrations -Happeo is 100% compatible with Google Workspace, allowing teams to easily find files, information, and dates from one place. 
  • Organize information in channels -Happeo’s social media-style intranet lets you classify posts, information, and announcements into channels. 
  • Team member directory - Happeo’s People Directory function lets you search for organization members, read coworker profiles to learn more about them, and list ways to reach them.

Pros

  1. Easy to use and intuitive interface
  2. Good integration with Google Workspace/Drive for easy file sharing
  3. Useful features like pages for static info and channels for discussions
  4. Helps improve internal communications and engagement
  5. Powerful search makes finding information easy

Cons

  1. Mobile app functionality lags behind desktop
  2. Limitations in page layout/design customization
  3. Analytics functionality could be improved
  4. Lack of native integrations with some tools like Slack or Asana
  5. Adoption and engagement of employees takes effort

Pricing

$3.00 per user/month

  • Free trial available
  • No Seat Minimum

Rating 4.3 (1,596)

Empuls is an employee engagement and recognition platform with a social approach to intranet features. Empuls allows team members to share information and stay engaged with their tasks through its social intranet system.

Empuls’s social intranet lets organizations centralize all internal communications on a platform resembling popular social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. It helps create an environment dedicated to information and resource sharing, gathering opinions and feedback, and recognizing employee achievements and important days.

Empuls’s Key Intranet Features:

  • Create a social intranet -Empuls offers a social media-like interface to foster idea sharing, collaboration, communication, and employee recognition.
  • Gather opinions and feedback -Empuls has a poll feature for gathering team opinions on various topics, from key decisions to workcation destinations.
  • Team member analytics -Empuls provides analytics to help managers and HR improve intranet usability and efficiency.

Pros

  1. Easy to use interface
  2. Good platform for employee recognition and rewards
  3. Provides effective employee engagement
  4. Lots of gift/voucher redemption options
  5. Good communication and collaboration features

Cons

  1. Issues with notifications not working properly
  2. Delay in receiving gift vouchers
  3. Needs more customizable features
  4. Scope for improving user interface
  5. Lacks advanced analytics and reporting

Pricing

$15.00 per user/month

  • Free trial available
  • No Seat Minimum

Rating 4.1 (10,984)

Zoho is an all-in-one cloud-based software package that includes Zoho Connect, its intranet software solution. It is a social media-style platform facilitating collaboration, team communication, and data sharing. 

Zoho Connect integrates many classic intranet features, such as internal knowledge bases and repositories, file-sharing functions, and integrations with third-party apps. 

Zoho Connect also offers a modern, social media-inspired communication platform. Team members can use mentions and notifications, create and follow forum topics to hold discussions, share ideas, and create polls. It also includes features for team leaders, such as a company wall for organization-wide messages and a mandatory reads feature for critical reminders.

Zoho Connect’s Key Intranet Features:

  • Fully-featured organizational communication - Zoho Connect offers a social media-like platform for internal communication, featuring forums, chat, polls, and virtual town halls for efficient collaboration.
  • Data storage and knowledge bases - For data storage, Zoho Connect allows easy file-sharing and management. It supports knowledge bases using wiki-style internal websites for easy organization.
  • Accessibility and integrations - Zoho Connect is web and mobile-friendly, compatible with iOS and Android. It also supports API integrations with CRMs, HRIS, and cloud storage.

Pros

  1. Affordable pricing compared to competitors
  2. Easy to use and intuitive interface
  3. Lots of customization options
  4. Good integration between different products in the suite
  5. Helpful customer support

Cons

  1. Steep learning curve for some products
  2. Limitations in functionality compared to specialized tools
  3. Some bugs and glitches
  4. Slow performance at times
  5. Lack of native integrations with major third-party apps

Pricing

$30.00 per user/month

  • Free trial available
  • No Seat Minimum

Rating 4.6 (1045)

Process Street is an AI-enhanced checklist and workflow software that complements existing intranet solutions. It offers features like workflow tracking, task management, and data storage. 

The platform uses AI to automate tasks, saving time and improving workflow efficiency. It also helps break down information silos by facilitating easier sharing of knowledge and data across various teams. 

Process Street offers multiple integrations with popular productivity and communication tools, including Slack, Google Workspace, Mailchimp, and Monday.com.

Process Street’s Key Intranet Features:

  • Leverage AI for data sets -Process Street uses AI to centralize and manage data sets, making workflows easily accessible. It can integrate intranet information into any document.
  • Use forms to collect data -Team members can collect data using Process Street's form-based system, which features intuitive conditional logic for organization and searchability.
  • Build a resource hub -Process Street offers a resource hub for managing organization-wide documents and information, serving as a centralized knowledge repository.

Pros

  1. Easy to create and customize checklists and workflows
  2. Good for documenting processes and procedures
  3. Allows tracking of task progress and completion
  4. Integration with other tools like Zapier
  5. User-friendly interface

Cons

  1. Steep learning curve for advanced features
  2. Occasional bugs and technical issues
  3. Limitations with free plan functionality
  4. Confusing navigation and interface at times
  5. Lack of native integrations with some platforms

Pricing

$10.00 per user/month

  • Free version
  • Free trial available
  • No Seat Minimum

Rating 3.4 (1,725)

Guru is an AI-powered intranet platform with enterprise search and wiki features. Guru’s platform is fully customizable and capable of tracking engagement metrics. It can also integrate with apps like Slack and Teams to enhance communication.

Guru’s AI-powered search engine works across multiple platforms, including Google Drive, Salesforce, and OneDrive. It also supports the embedding of videos and multimedia assets and HRIS integrations with Workato and Zapier. 

Guru automates draft creation and eliminates jargon to help employees produce content more efficiently. It also enables better knowledge-sharing by recommending subject-matter experts to answer specific queries.

Guru’s Key Intranet Features:

  • Get quick answers -Guru lets you search, store, and organize information using keyword search, tags, categories, and fuzzy matching. Data is stored in easy-to-read cards, facilitating knowledge sharing.
  • Engaging collaboration features. Guru’s card system allows multiple team members to create and update cards simultaneously. 
  • Seamless workflow integration -Guru’s browser extension allows team members to access the intranet and the cards in the knowledge hub without leaving their web browser using a simple toggle switch.

Pros

  1. Easy to search and find information quickly
  2. Well organized interface and ability to categorize/tag knowledge
  3. Integration with other tools like Slack and Chrome extension for easy access
  4. Centralized knowledge base to eliminate information silos
  5. Verification processes help keep information accurate and up-to-date

Cons

  1. Can be overwhelming with large amount of content
  2. Steep learning curve for some users
  3. Reliant on users to keep information updated
  4. Limitations around editing and customizing content
  5. Search not always accurate, can be difficult to find specific information

Pricing

$4.00 per user/month

  • Free version
  • Free trial available
  • No Seat Minimum

Rating 4.5 (281)

Jostle is an intranet solution and employee success platform that centralizes internal communications, making it easier for remote teams to stay updated.

Jostle’s activity feed keeps team members updated on company news and milestones. Additionally, its visual employee directory helps team members get to know one another, facilitating collaboration.

Jostle also offers a built-in library that houses all important documents in an easy-to-find manner. This library also syncs with Google Drive and OneDrive, allowing real-time document collaboration directly through the platform.

Jostle’s Key Intranet Features:

  • Simplify task management - Use to-do lists to assign and track tasks, while the Teams view keeps managers updated on project teams.
  • Enable seamless collaboration - Access files quickly in the library, edit in real-time with Google Drive and OneDrive, and easily manage content ownership.
  • Create custom pages - Jostle’s HTML powerup lets you embed links or create customized pages. You can also integrate third-party tools and tailor navigation menus to fit your needs.

Pros

  1. Its intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface makes it accessible for employees at all levels.
  2. Provides tools and features that enhance employee engagement, collaboration, and communication within organizations.
  3. Offers customizable features and functionalities to tailor the platform according to an organization's specific needs.
  4. Helps in fostering transparency within the organization by providing a centralized platform for sharing information, updates, and company news.
  5. The availability of a mobile app allows users to access the platform from anywhere, improving connectivity and accessibility.

Cons

  1. Limitations in integrations with other software or systems, impacting workflow efficiency.
  2. Some might still experience a learning curve while adapting to the platform.
  3. Occasional technical glitches or downtime, disrupting the user experience.
  4. Can be complex or time-consuming to set up specific customizations for certain users.
  5. Depending on the scale and features required, pricing can be on the higher side compared to alternatives.


Conclusion

Organizations use intranet systems to do more than simply store, manage, and organize their knowledge. Modern intranet solutions are also communication and collaboration tools, enabling employees to find and share documents, work together more efficiently, and streamline many tedious and repetitive tasks.

Companies and organizations looking to install a new intranet solution must ensure it comes with every feature they need to stay productive and competitive.

How to Build an Intranet for Your Business in 2024, featuring Assembly, Workvivo, Simpplr, Haystack, Happeo, Empuls, Zoho, Process Street, Guru, Jostle.
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