What is an Intranet? A Private Network for Internal Communication

If you work at a medium or large organization, chances are you use an intranet on a regular basis. But what is intranet? And why are they so common in businesses and institutions?

What is an Intranet?

An intranet definition is a private network that uses internet protocols and network connectivity to securely share information and computing services within an organization. An intranet is comprised of websites and webpages that are made available exclusively to employees and other authorized users.

Unlike the public internet, an organization’s intranet sits behind a firewall, protecting sensitive internal information from external access. While the public internet connects billions of websites together, an intranet only connects an organization’s internal websites not available to the general public.

Here are some key characteristics of an intranet:

• Uses internet and web technologies like URLs, HTTP, and HTML
• Content is privately accessible only within the organization
• Tools like search, forums, blogs, wikis, and more
• Centralized access to organization documents and systems
• Connects various locations and departments within the organization

An intranet provides a digital space for employees to access company information and applications through an internal-only website. It serves as a central hub for distributing resources, fostering communication, and enabling collaboration across teams.

Common Uses and Features of an Intranet

Intranets have a wide variety of uses within an organization. Here are some of the most common:

Internal Communications: News articles, company announcements, meeting minutes, and more.

Knowledge Management: Centralized access to policies, documents, manuals, and internal databases. Ability to search across all content.

Collaboration Tools: Forums, blogs, wikis, and social networks for connecting and collaborating with colleagues.

Business Applications: Tools for HR, project management, time tracking, expense reporting, and more.

Personal Productivity: Employee profiles, calendars, to-do lists, and other tools to enable productivity.

Staff Directory: A searchable directory of all employees with contact information.

Some other common intranet features include:

• Centralized document management
• eLearning platforms for online training
• Customizable employee portals and dashboards
• Integration with other business systems and databases
• Mobile optimization and apps

The exact set of tools and capabilities offered through an intranet vary by organization based on their specific internal needs. But most provide a combination of communication, collaboration, productivity, and access to business systems.

Benefits of an Intranet for Organizations

There are many benefits that intranets offer organizations across all industries:

• Improved Internal Communications – An intranet makes it easy for employees across all locations and departments to stay connected and up-to-date.
• Increased Access to Information – Relevant company information is consolidated in a central and searchable repository available to all employees.
• Enhanced Collaboration – Tools like forums and wikis break down silos and foster better knowledge sharing and team collaboration.
• Streamlined Processes – Automating processes like requesting time off or submitting expenses through the intranet saves time and paperwork.
• Cost Savings – Intranets can reduce printing/mailing costs by digitizing internal communications and document storage.
• Productivity Gains – Employees can quickly find information they need and work more efficiently with intranet applications.
• Better Onboarding – New hires have immediate access to resources they need through the intranet to get up to speed faster.
• Brand Building – The intranet reinforces company culture and brand values through its design and content.
• Competitive Advantage – More informed, connected, and productive employees achieved through the intranet provide a distinct competitive edge.

For distributed organizations with remote teams or multiple office locations, an intranet can provide immense value by bringing everyone together into a single digital workplace.

Key Differences Between an Intranet vs. Internet

While intranets utilize internet technology, they are distinct from the public internet in some key ways:

While intranets often contain select public internet content embedded or linked to, their main purpose is enabling internal communication and collaboration for employees. They represent a powerful evolution of the early days of static corporate intranets containing only basic HR policies and contact info.

Intranet Platform Options

There are a variety of options available for deploying and managing an intranet platform:

• Licensing an intranet software/SaaS – Packaged intranet platforms like SharePoint, Igloo, Jive, etc.
• Custom development – Building fully custom using web languages like .NET or PHP and a content management system
• Intranet-in-a-box solutions – Pre-built turnkey intranet on a plug-and-play appliance
• Hybrid approach – Mix of custom development and pre-built components

Organizations should carefully consider their budget, use cases, and technical capabilities when evaluating intranet software platforms. Building a fully custom intranet offers the most flexibility, but requires more effort to setup and manage. Pre-built platforms are quicker and simpler to deploy but offer less flexibility in customization.

Regardless of the platform, proper intranet governance, change management, training, and communication are key to driving adoption across the organization. The technology alone will not make the intranet successful – organizations must foster a culture and processes that fully utilize the intranet.

The Future of Intranets

While intranets have been around for decades, they continue to rapidly evolve alongside emerging technologies and the changing digital workplace. Here are some key trends in modern intranet design:

• Mobile optimization – Supporting BYOD smartphones and tablets with responsive design and mobile apps.
• Integration – Tighter integration between intranets and other systems like HR, ERP, CRM, and communication tools.
• Multimedia content – Use of rich media like video and presentations to make intranets more interactive and engaging.
• Enterprise social tools – Wikis, forums, microblogging, ratings, and social profiles create a more connected “social intranet”.
• Workplace analytics – Insights from intranet usage data to identify opportunities and make improvements.
• Cloud platforms – Increased use of SaaS models enables more frequent updates and better scalability.
• Personalization – Customizable portals, recommendations, and adaptive content tailored to specific users and roles.
• Enterprise search – Intelligent search across multiple internal and external systems from a single interface.

As intranets continue adapting to new technologies, they will become increasingly essential hubs for productivity, collaboration, and access to knowledge across organizations.

Conclusion

An intranet is an invaluable productivity and communication platform for today’s distributed digital workplace. Bringing together employees across locations and departments, intranets enable seamless collaboration, foster company culture, and reduce operational inefficiencies.

While early corporate intranets began as basic websites, modern intranet platforms are now robust hubs delivering enterprise social software, collaboration tools, mobile support, and platform extensibility.

Organizations in nearly every industry can gain a competitive advantage by thoughtfully planning, launching, and evolving an intranet tailored to their specific needs. Beyond just technology, fostering an engaged community and culture of sharing is critical to intranet success.

With proper strategy and execution, an intranet delivers immense benefits now and serves as vital infrastructure to enable the connected digital workplace of the future.