Best Practices for Staff Intranet Development
Introduction
In today’s digital age, having an efficient and user-friendly staff intranet is crucial for organizations to streamline communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing among employees. SharePoint, a web-based platform developed by Microsoft, is widely recognized as one of the leading solutions for intranet development. This article will explore the best practices for staff intranet development, including SharePoint development, intranet design, and outsourcing SharePoint development.
Choosing the Right SharePoint Development Agency
When embarking on a staff intranet development project, it is important to choose the right SharePoint development agency. A reputable agency will have a team of experienced SharePoint developers who can understand your organization’s unique requirements and design a customized intranet solution. Look for agencies that have a proven track record in SharePoint development and have worked with organizations similar to yours.
Designing an Effective Intranet
The design of your staff intranet plays a crucial role in its usability and adoption. Here are some best practices for intranet design:
- Keep the design clean and clutter-free to enhance user experience.
- Use a consistent and intuitive navigation structure to help users find information easily.
- Ensure the intranet is mobile-friendly, as many employees access it on their smartphones or tablets.
- Include search functionality to allow users to quickly find the information they need.
- Personalize the intranet by allowing users to customize their homepage and choose relevant content.
Developing a SharePoint Intranet
SharePoint offers both on-premise and online solutions for intranet development. Here are some considerations when developing a SharePoint intranet:
- Choose the right deployment option based on your organization’s needs. On-premise SharePoint requires infrastructure and maintenance, while SharePoint Online is a cloud-based solution.
- Customize SharePoint to align with your organization’s branding and design guidelines.
- Integrate SharePoint with other business systems, such as CRM or HR software, to enhance productivity and streamline processes.
- Implement security measures to protect sensitive information and ensure compliance with data privacy regulations.
- Regularly update and maintain your SharePoint intranet to ensure optimal performance and security.
Outsourcing SharePoint Development
Outsourcing SharePoint development can be a cost-effective and efficient solution for organizations that do not have in-house expertise or resources. Here are some benefits of outsourcing SharePoint development:
- Access to a team of experienced SharePoint developers who specialize in intranet development.
- Cost savings compared to hiring and training in-house developers.
- Faster development and deployment of the intranet, as the outsourcing agency has the necessary expertise and resources.
- Ongoing support and maintenance from the outsourcing agency to ensure the intranet remains up-to-date and secure.
Managed SharePoint Services
In addition to development, many SharePoint development agencies also offer managed SharePoint services. These services include ongoing support, maintenance, and updates for your staff intranet. By opting for managed SharePoint services, you can ensure that your intranet remains secure, up-to-date, and optimized for performance. This allows your organization to focus on its core activities while leaving the technical aspects of intranet management to the experts.
Conclusion
Developing a staff intranet using SharePoint requires careful planning, design, and implementation. By following the best practices outlined in this article, organizations can create an efficient and user-friendly intranet that enhances communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing among employees. Whether you choose to develop the intranet in-house or outsource the development to a SharePoint development agency, it is important to prioritize usability, security, and ongoing maintenance to ensure the success of your staff intranet.