How a Global Mobility Company Enhanced Communication and Collaboration
Introduction
A global mobility company in the transportation sector sought to improve internal communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing by developing a customized SharePoint-based intranet. The goal was to create a centralized platform for real-time communication across departments and geographies, integrate the existing M365 ecosystem, enhance user experience, and align with the company’s branding and operational needs.
Project Objectives
Enhanced Communication and Collaboration
Develop an intranet portal that facilitates seamless inter-departmental and inter-location communication.
Improved Usability and Accessibility
Ensure an intuitive and user-friendly interface for employees to access information and resources effortlessly.
M365 Ecosystem Integration
Integrate with Microsoft Teams, Yammer, OneDrive, and other M365 tools to enhance functionality
and collaboration.
Customization and Branding
Reflect the company’s brand identity across the intranet, making it cohesive and recognizable
Security and Compliance
Implement robust security measures, ensuring data is encrypted and role-based access controls
are in place.
Challenges
The existing SharePoint Online environment was limited to document libraries, without a dedicated intranet portal or meta-tagging system for document searches.
Lack of a centralized platform for real-time communication and knowledge sharing across multiple geographies.
Difficulty in seamlessly integrating other business applications, such as HRMS, CRM, and ITSM, into the SharePoint framework.
Require a highly customizable platform that aligns with the company's brand while ensuring adaptability for future scalability.
Solution Approach
Requirement Gathering
VE3 initiated the project by engaging stakeholders across various locations, conducting interviews and surveys to identify pain points, and gathering insights on what employees needed from the new intranet portal.
System Evaluation and Gap Analysis
VE3 conducted an in-depth analysis of the current SharePoint environment, identifying usability issues, storage constraints, and integration gaps. This allowed VE3 to create a roadmap for the new system's features.
M365 Ecosystem Integration
The new intranet was designed to seamlessly integrate with existing M365 tools like Teams, Yammer, and OneDrive. VE3 also evaluated how other business apps, such as HRMS and ITSM, could be integrated to provide a unified user experience.
Customization and Design
VE3 developed a fully customized and branded intranet, incorporating essential features like announcements, news feeds, discussion boards, and employee directories. The design was mobile-responsive, ensuring accessibility across devices.
Advanced Features Development
VE3 created personalized dashboards, collaboration spaces, task management tools, and automated workflows to streamline content approval and operational efficiency.
Security and Role-Based Access
VE3 implemented strong security measures, including role-based access control (RBAC) integrated with Active Directory, to ensure secure user authentication and data protection.
Testing and Quality Assurance
Rigorous testing was conducted to ensure all features were functional, secure, and user-friendly. User acceptance testing (UAT) was done with key stakeholders to confirm alignment with company needs.
Phased Deployment
The deployment followed a phased approach, starting with less critical components and gradually rolling out the full portal across departments and locations. VE3 used Azure DevOps for continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD).
Ongoing Support
VE3 provided 24/7 support post-deployment, ensuring real-time monitoring and quick issue resolution through tools like Azure Monitor and Azure Log Analytics. VE3 also offered continuous updates and support to keep the system running efficiently.
Key Outcomes
Enhanced Collaboration
The new intranet portal significantly improved cross-departmental and inter-location communication, allowing employees to collaborate more efficiently on a single platform.
Operational Efficiency
Integrating task management tools, workflows, and business apps streamlined operations, enabling employees to manage tasks and access relevant information more easily.
Improved Usability
The mobile-responsive design and personalized dashboards improved the user experience, making it easy for employees to navigate the portal and find the information they needed.
Security and Compliance
Robust security protocols ensured that sensitive data remained secure, while role-based access control (RBAC) provided appropriate permissions based on user roles.
Integration with M365
The seamless integration of M365 tools like Microsoft Teams and Yammer enabled real-time collaboration and enhanced the intranet's overall functionality.
Track Record
Intranet Portal for a Leading Global Education Group
VE3 developed a SharePoint-based intranet for an international education group, integrating personalized dashboards and a robust knowledge base. This resulted in a 30% increase in productivity and streamlined employee onboarding.
Collaboration Portal for a National Transportation Provider
VE3 implemented a SharePoint-based collaboration portal for a national transportation provider, improving cross-team communication and reducing task completion times by 40% through automated workflows and project tracking tools.
Intranet Solution for a Financial Regulatory Authority
VE3 delivered an intranet solution for a financial authority, ensuring secure document management and real-time updates. This project improved operational efficiency and compliance with regulatory standards by 25%.
Conclusion
VE3’s expertise in designing and implementing SharePoint-based intranet portals was instrumental in successfully developing and launching the company’s new intranet. The project enhanced communication and operational efficiency and provided a secure, branded platform that aligned with the company’s goals. VE3 continues to support the organization with ongoing maintenance, ensuring the portal remains secure, scalable, and up to date.
