Intranet News & Articles

The language we use defines our national identity and culture. In the UK most of the people living in Wales can speak English but under the 1993 Welsh Language Act all public-sector websites that contain information relevant to Wales have to be in English and Welsh. Certainly English is a very useful default language, and it is fairly easy to work with around 850 words. The other 1 million are just there to confuse everyone, including many native speakers.

I took a peek at the article last week reporting on the NNG 10 best intranets of 2012 with some curiosity regarding what would be reported and I found something that was infinitely more interesting to me in the user comments.

Interact Intranet wants to make sure enterprise social networks are used to the fullest, with users not missing a beat when it comes to online interactions, conversations and relevant updates. The release of version 5.0 of Interact's popular on-premise and SaaS Intranet solution introduces user-centric features designed to make interaction more convenient for users.

Since it was founded in 2008 in Ontario, Igloo has grown steadily in North America and the EMEA. Its growth has been aided by the confluence of cloud computing, social media, and mobile technologies. And this year, it's set to grow again and has raised C$ 5 million to push growth.

I am still writing 2011 when I sign documents, but useit.com has already announced its 10 best designed intranets for 2012. This makes the 12th year the uber-minimalist site has given praise to intranet sites for their design prowess.

Despite my darkest fears, the villagers never came after me with torches and pitchforks last week when my article proclaimed that “top X tips lists are beyond worthless”. The biggest criticism came from what was a completely unexpected source; an oversight on my part in the headline. I boldly proclaimed that “top 10 lists suck”, forgetting to insert the word “tips”.

The success of social networking tools like posting to a Wall to help boost collaboration, is now being applied to intranets in the latest release of Intranet Connections Social Intranet Software, an out-of-the box solution that now includes a new Social Employee Directory. 

This week in the Art of SharePoint Success it's time to talk Strategic Lenses (aka "what do I do with SharePoint?") -- specifically Value and Knowledge Management. Let's take a closer look.

The title of this column is also the title of a very good new report from Stephan Schillerwein, Director of Research, Infocentric Research AG. My last column on the probable death of the intranet provoked a lot of comment both on and off this site, which is exactly the purpose of writing this column. This time, I again want to gaze into the future and consider what a digital workplace might look like.

Follow the lead of successful startups and you'll find valuable lessons to improve your company's intranet.

Intranet professionals that gathered in New York City for the first Intranet Global Forum in November 2011 were given a rare treat: a glimpse at some of the world’s leading intranets.

Highlights of the forum include a firsthand look at IBM’s new intranet design, Verizon’s evolution into a social intranet and PepsiCo’s revolutionary internal video library.

There has been a lot of coverage lately on the future prospects of corporate intranets. Some say the intranet is dead, some say the intranet is alive but "limping" into the future. I somehow manage to agree with both.

The intranet as we know it is dead and it is currently limping into a new future where, once we arrive, we will not be able to recognize old-school intranets as intranets anymore. It wouldn't surprise me if the intranet concept undergoes a total rebranding and drops the moniker of "intranet." In predicting this future and how it will become concrete, one must understand many different perspectives.

A recent poll we conducted showed that employees want more how-to content on intranets. But how do you design an intranet that puts “how to” content at the center of your strategy?

Since the dawn of time, primates have relied on social networks to help the whole group with their environments. This of course applies to humans and our enterprises as well. First of all, information disseminates easier and faster through networks than through hierarchies. This makes it possible for us to gain access to and act upon new information faster. We have the ability to be more responsive. Second, the lack of bureaucracy and hierarchy encourages communication and interaction. This makes it easier for us to share more information continuously. If we put these two things together, networks can help both individuals and groups of individuals make better decisions faster -- decisions that benefit the whole group.

The previous article, 50 Ways to a Better Intranet, listed 20 ways an intranet can be improved in the areas of finding information, completing work tasks, interactivity and improving intranet performance. This article provides 30 more ideas for a better intranet in the areas of content, maintenance (governance) and look and feel.