New ways are required to improve internal communications, foster increased productivity and seamless operations, and promote employee engagement, as more organisations transition to remote working and the hybrid occupancy of company premises.
One avenue for achieving these aims is the business intranet – a digital workplace and management platform for company data.
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What are the types of intranet?
A business intranet or company intranet is a private network that an organisation can use to share information with its employees, clients, and other stakeholders.
The company intranet was once limited to document management, news channels, staff profiles, and a policy manager. However, the modern business intranet now offers multiple applications and services for keeping employees connected, streamlining internal communications, and creating a dynamic employee experience.
These include corporate social media feeds, tools for increased employee engagement, and productivity apps, as well as integrations with third-party systems, e-forms and workflows, eLearning, and project management.
A comprehensive and well-configured business intranet can empower organisations to create a corporate website with engaging intranet pages that promote high employee usage – and content that targets specific teams and business units. Only authorised users may gain access to the all-inone platform of an intranet, which provides a digital workplace and management channel for company data that can benefit the organisation in numerous ways.
In general, there are two types of business intranet: the on premise intranet, and cloud based intranets
The standalone or on premise intranet is a digital workplace platform constructed from hardware, software, and network infrastructure that is hosted on servers within the company’s own network, and typically managed by the organisation’s own IT department.
The web-based or cloud based intranet uses an internet connection, and is hosted on external servers. These are typically owned and operated by a cloud intranet solution provider.
Within these broad definitions, business intranet deployments may be further sub-classified into corporate intranets, departmental intranets, and individual user intranets.
What is cloud intranet?
Unlike an on premise intranet, the infrastructure and cloud services for a cloud based intranet solution are furnished by a cloud based intranet provider. Client organisations will typically pay a one-off installation fee for the cloud based intranet software, and a monthly subscription to the cloud provider for the ongoing provision of cloud software, cloud computing power, and cloud services.
A cloud based intranet confers several advantages, starting with reduced capital outlay for business consumers (no hardware to buy, install, and manage — and no recurring software licensing costs), and ease of installation.
Modern cloud intranet solution providers offer easy setup and configuration options, which often require little or no direct involvement from your IT department. Cloud based intranet providers also roll out updates to cloud based intranet software automatically, further reducing your IT burden.
With a reputable and established cloud based intranet provider, cloud intranet offers a high degree of security, and assurances of business continuity. The best cloud based intranet platforms will provide security and data governance standards in line with regulatory compliance regimes like HIPAA, ISO 9001:2015, and ISO 27001, and provide backup servers to ensure round the clock access to company data and cloud intranet resources
Having 24/7 access to cloud based intranets via an internet connection makes them ideal for mobile and remote working.
With the cloud services and digital workplace tools of a cloud based intranet instantly available, company information, project updates, and other company data may be easily shared with remote working employees. For most organisations, this contributes to increased employee engagement, greater productivity, and more seamless operations.
Is intranet a private cloud?
Private cloud is a form of cloud computing where company data and cloud services are hosted on the company’s own servers. Organisations can use a private cloud to create virtual servers and virtual storage space that they can use for business applications, analytics, the company website — and the apps and serves needed to support a business intranet.
Strictly speaking, a business intranet is the internal network of a company, which is accessible only to an organisation’s staff, and designated stakeholders. In this way, the organisation can make internal IT systems available that would not otherwise be accessible to the public via an internet connection.
However, by using a private cloud architecture, organisations may exploit an internet connection to produce a cloud based intranet solution that is more reliable, secure, and recoverable than a standalone intranet.
What is undeniable as organisations transition to a hybrid and remote working scenarios is that a cloud-based intranet solution provides a cost-effective way to promote collaboration, increase employee engagement, and meet vital business needs, using an all in one platform that acts as a digital workplace for the business.
How is cloud intranet improving business communication?
As we have seen, the cloud intranet option meets several business needs, including an organisation’s requirements for collaboration, better internal communications, round the clock access to company data, and increased employee engagement.
A cloud based system also enables a business to instantly share company information concerning issues such as changing industry standards and compliance regulations, emergency incidents, and staff training.
A successful cloud based intranet also enables seamless integration with external tools and platforms that form an essential part of the way businesses work.
With integrated cloud intranet systems and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), cloud intranets become a digital workplace hub, enabling most organisations to put all their necessary tools and relevant information in one place.
Research by Gartner indicates that at least 40% of intranets fail to deliver a return on investment due to inadequate adoption. Integrated cloud based intranet and APIs help to smooth the cloud intranet adoption process, by connecting the apps your employees routinely use — especially on mobile. This is increasingly important as organisations transition to remote working.
A recent study by FierceMobileIT suggests that 71% of employees spend over two hours a week accessing company information on their mobile device.
Getting started with cloud intranet
A successful cloud intranet deployment depends greatly on the pedigree of your cloud intranet provider.
Claromentis has been in the intranet business for over 20 years, so we know exactly what tools, organisations need to support their teams. We’ve built company intranets for every industry including financial, education, and healthcare – and we’re proud to be HIPAA, ISO 9001:2015, and ISO 27001 compliant.
Our cloud based intranet solution includes our cloud software, installation, Google hosting, backups, and more, in one monthly subscription.
To find out more about how Claromentis can help improve your business communication using cloud based intranet, book a demo with our experts.
