You know you need a better intranet.
Maybe your current one is outdated and underused. Maybe your SharePoint environment has grown into an unstructured mess. Or maybe you’re relying on email, Teams chats, OneDrive, and on-prem file shares and calling it “collaboration.”
Today’s Intranet market is crowded. Full of vendors that promise “seamless integration,” “engaging UX,” and “intuitive design.” Some platforms are deeply embedded in Microsoft 365. Others stand alone. Many claim to do it all. And to be fair — many of them can work.
The problem: they all kind of look the same on paper. Which leaves you, the project lead (often in IT, HR, or Internal Comms), wondering: Which one is actually right for us?
Here’s the truth most software vendors won’t tell you: platform matters less than process. The organizations that get this right don’t start with technology. They start with clarity — about goals, users, governance, and outcomes.
They build strategy first. Then they choose the right tool.
Why Most Intranet Projects Go Sideways
We’ve worked with organizations of every size — from local nonprofits to multi-national manufacturers — and we see the same pitfalls again and again:
A platform is purchased before the business case is clear.
IT owns the tool, but Comms or HR is expected to drive adoption.
Leadership thinks “we already have SharePoint” means “we already have an intranet.”
There’s no roadmap, no governance, and no real understanding of what success looks like.
Ask These Questions Before You Pick a Platform
If you’re even thinking about launching (or relaunching) your intranet, press pause on the software demos — and start with these questions. They’ll save you from months of wasted effort and expensive rework.
Where does your content live today?
- Are you fully on Microsoft 365?
- Are you hybrid with Google or something else?
- Do people even know where the “official” source of truth is?
Who owns the intranet — and who should?
- IT might manage the infrastructure, but HR and Comms need influence over structure and voice.
- Do you have executive buy-in? If not, stop here and get it.
What does success look like?
- Is this a top-down comms portal?
- A self-service resource hub?
- A launchpad for a broader digital workplace transformation?
- How will you measure success?
How important are governance and compliance?
- For regulated industries, where content lives and how it’s accessed matters.
- Data residency, permissions, versioning — these aren’t just IT concerns; they’re business continuity issues.
Do you need personalization or multilingual support?
- Are your employees spread across regions, brands, or divisions?
- Do they need tailored news, policies, or tools?
Pro Tip: We’ve bundled these into a downloadable worksheet you can use with your team to align on vision and readiness.
SharePoint Isn’t the Intranet — But It Can Still Be the Backbone
For many organizations — especially those already invested in Microsoft 365 — SharePoint is the natural place to start. But there’s a difference between having SharePoint and having an intranet.
Out of the box, SharePoint is a blank slate. A powerful data governance and collaboration platform, but on its own, not an ideal solution for internal communications, user engagement, or scalable content management. That’s why third-party intranet platforms exist — to make SharePoint (and the broader Microsoft ecosystem) more usable, consistent, and employee-friendly.
Think of your SharePoint environment as a robust database with the ability to store, secure, and manage your data in a structured and governed environment. An Intranet platform takes advantage of this, and amplifies how that data is served, searched, and accessed by your users.
3 Options for Building Your Intranet
While there are many different intranet solutions available, at StitchDX, we’ve partnered with three of the best platforms to help organizations navigate different requirements. Each of these builds on — or integrates with — Microsoft 365 in various ways.
🔹 Powell Intranet: Quick, Cost-Effective, and 100% SharePoint-Native
Powell is ideal for organizations that want to build an intranet quickly, using the infrastructure they already have. It operates entirely within SharePoint, keeping all your data in your Microsoft environment.
- Typically lower cost, faster deployment
- Template-based design with easy content management
- Strong alignment with Microsoft governance and security
Best for: Organizations that want to launch quickly and keep everything inside the M365 ecosystem.
🔹 Omnia: Flexible, Secure, and Enterprise-Grade
Omnia gives you significantly more design control and governance flexibility — a custom build feel, without the complexity of custom building from scratch. It uses SharePoint as a content repository (so your data stays securely in your environment), but delivers the intranet via a secure Azure-hosted experience (can be deployed in your own Azure tenant if that is a requirement).
- Advanced layout and design options for greater flexibility and faster load-times than in SharePoint
- Granular governance and multi-site management, and extranet requirements
- Ideal for regulated industries or multi-entity orgs
Best for: Organizations that need to tightly manage compliance, support multiple departments, brands, or scale globally, and requirements for extranets.
🔹 LumApps: Experience-First, Cross-Platform, and People-Centric
LumApps is a powerful option for organizations focused on employee experience and global communication. It integrates with SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams — but lives outside of Microsoft infrastructure, delivering a sleek, highly personalized UX.
- Great for HR, Comms, and people-focused digital strategies
- Multilingual, mobile-first, and analytics-rich
- Supports hybrid environments (M365 + Google Workspace)
Best for: Organizations prioritizing user engagement across multiple collaboration platforms, locations, and business units, and flexibility with where data is held and delivered.
Strategy Before Software: Start With Discovery
Whether you’re looking to launch a brand-new intranet or upgrade an existing one, the best place to start is to understand the motivations of your core constituents. When we lead discovery workshops, we start by clarifying needs, defining ownership, and aligning goals. For instance — IT wants to build in SharePoint. HR wants something modern and branded. Comms wants control over content without relying on IT tickets. Leadership wants ROI.
It doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. Defining a strategy and needs helps you make decisions about what solution will fit your needs: secure delivery, design flexibility, governance control across a complex structure, etc.
Through this process, we help organizations make the best possible decision — so that they don’t just launch a tool, but a platform that can evolve and grow with their needs.
The Role of a Strategic Partner
We’re not just implementers — we’re strategic collaborators. Working with IT, HR, and Communications teams, we:
- Uncover true needs before decisions are made
- Compare and assess platforms based on your goals
- Build the implementation roadmap
- Design with users in mind, not just tech specs
- Support adoption, governance, and evolution
We’re Microsoft experts — but we’re platform-agnostic. Because this isn’t about tools. It’s about people, processes, and outcomes.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re exploring your intranet options — or just trying to figure out where to start — don’t fall into the trap of choosing software first. The path to a successful intranet starts with asking the right questions.
A 1-page tool that helps align your stakeholders, clarify your goals, and avoid the pitfalls of tech-first decisions.
👉 Download our Intranet Planning Worksheet
And if you need a trusted guide through the journey, we’re here to help.
Let’s build something that works — and lasts.