Picture it, you’ve gone through the entire buyer’s process, launched your intranet with best practices in mind, and driven adoption rates up. But lo and behold, while attending the next conference for workers in your field, you realize that your intranet software is already becoming out-of-date. Even worse, your once modern intranet software may not be updated to integrate with the newest tools and technologies your workforce is increasingly relying on.
Currently, we are on the cusp of a new era in modern intranet software. The 3rd generation of the intranet, “Intranet 3.0”, is slowly making its way into the workplace. While most of the intranet solutions currently on the market may be of the 2.0 era, it’s important to buy software from a company committed to evolving and updating their software, so you’re ready for tomorrow, today. Let’s break down some things you should look for to ensure you are getting an intranet software solution ready for the present and future.
Modern intranet software is more than just a document repository
The very first intranets were simple document repositories that were static and had very few features other than “upload” and “download” (and at dial-up speeds, in many cases!). These intranets were not social platforms or communication platforms.
Modern intranet software solutions are so much more than this. An up-to-date solution should give you the power to communicate and get feedback from your staff and to do so dynamically and engagingly. And while core features from the document repository days should still be present, they should be enhanced with automation, read and agrees, and version tracking and history—all to simplify and streamline everyone’s workflows.
As we look to the future, more personalization and streamlining features come to the forefront.
Where modern intranet software is headed
Future intranets will offer more bespoke solutions, which can be personalized by individual employees, to solve the modern problems your workforce is facing. For example, IC’s Push communications extension allows employees to choose the channel they want to receive notifications on—from Teams, Slack, email, or SMS. When employees can personalize their interactions with their intranet and digital workplace, they’re more likely to engage with your internal comms. And more engaged employees = more productive employees!
Being mobile-accessible is also a significant must for modern intranet software. As our workforces adopt hybrid and remote models, our desire to access vital information on the fly (from our homes, in the field, or even in cafes) grows. Your intranet should be accessible not just from home networks, but also from cell phones and tablets. This is especially important for field workers. One of our customers, Sun Peaks, uses our Push communications extension and highlights how important it is to reach their employees at various locations along the ski resort. Mobile-friendly software can be a game changer in fast-moving, physically demanding environments like the alpines, or to reach employees in any industry working on the front lines.
Finally, the modern intranet software of the future should feature purposeful and intuitive integrations. To ensure your intranet remains a vital single source of truth within your organization, it should also integrate with the tools that your workers rely on. The digital workplace features messaging tools, SSO, HRIS, and document builders. Having these tools integrate into your intranet solidifies the software you invested so much time and money into as remaining more relevant than ever within your organization.
How to shop for state-of-the-art intranet software
To ensure you are getting intranet software that is, and will remain, modern, it’s essential to attend demos and discovery calls with the future in mind. Don’t be afraid to ask your potential intranet vendor about their future release plans. Ask about features that you believe will be especially relevant to your industry, and find out plans for bringing those to their intranet platform. Any solid intranet vendor will be more than eager to share their future features with you and outline how they plan to work with their customers to ensure their needs are addressed. That way, everyone feels like they are working on the most modern intranet software on the market.
Ultimately, exploring these things now saves you a lot of time and money in the future because after “Intranet 3.0” comes “Intranet 4.0”, and if you choose an innovative software provider now, you would automatically be put on the 4th generation of the intranet when the time comes.
IC: building modern intranet software since ‘99
At IC, we’ve spent over 20 years building modern intranet software. Our customers can rest assured that we are constantly looking to the future and bringing the features of tomorrow to them today. Book a call with our team to find out how our intranet is already blasting off to the future.
