Article

November 6, 2024

CMS Intranet: What it is & 15 tips to choose the best one

Blair Williamson

12 minute read

The dynamics of the employment landscape are evolving rapidly as millennials and Gen Zers flood into the workforce with new expectations. This results in more demands for company intranets and fundamental changes in functionality requirements.

Here's what we'll cover in this guide to understanding a CMS Intranet:

A CMS intranet is a secure network that for employees of a company. CMS stands for content management system. A CMS is a type of software platform that makes it easy to edit, post, and manage content on a website.

A CMS intranet means that the employee intranet is simple to use without any coding. A CMS intranet includes user permissions that allow you to control permissions for different employees and content contributors. Without a CMS, an employee intranet may need different custom tools or advanced coding skills to do any of those functions.

See the vendors that are listed in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Intranet Packaged Solutions.

LumApps is a Leader in Intranet Packaged Solutions

Download the analyst report to learn why LumApps is named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Intranet Packaged Solutions

Not necessarily. Although typically linked, there are intranets that do not employ a CMS. Without a CMS, you will need an IT professional to help manage the intranet on a daily basis.

Your IT team may like having more control, but content contributors won't be able to edit content without extensive training.

A CMS Intranet is like the Swiss Army knife of office tools, packing loads of benefits. It makes creating and managing content a breeze, so even tech novices can keep things updated. Plus, it's a team player, letting groups easily share docs, calendars, and resources in one central spot, saving time and hassle.

A CMS Intranet helps employees quickly access important information and resources, promoting knowledge sharing and benefiting the business. Enhanced security measures ensure sensitive data remains protected, reducing the risk of data breaches.

Ultimately, a CMS Intranet improves efficiency, enhances employee engagement, and strengthens internal communication, making it an invaluable tool for modern organizations. Here are some of the top benefits:

A CMS intranet improves internal communication by being a reliable source of information for the company. An intranet, like LumApps, has employee campaigns to send targeted messages, ensuring employees never miss announcements.
A CMS intranet boosts employee engagement by connecting them with colleagues and keeping them informed about company updates. Your CMS intranet should include social networking features so employees can create posts and comment on posts from other people. Create interest groups on your intranet for employees to connect and discuss non-work topics such as pets or hobbies.
A CMS intranet enhances the employee experience by keeping employees informed and connected to coworkers. The intranet can create a sense of belonging that allows employees to feel valued.

Intranet ROI

Thinking about a new intranet platform? This free whitepaper explains the potential impact of an intranet and how to track ROI.

Employees value collaboration and communication. According to MGI’s research, both are so valuable that businesses using social technologies for their employees see a 20-25% increase in productivity. How can you leverage these solutions to create a more engaged workforce? One way is to ensure your company intranet is providing employees with the right tools to connect.

If your intranet is outdated and you’re looking to upgrade to a CMS intranet, you can choose from many vendors. However, how do you know which one to choose? Here's a list of the top features that a quality intranet should have.

1. An intuitive user interface

The user interface should be simple and streamlined. It shouldn’t take two weeks of intense training to get up to speed on the important functions. The average user should be able to sit down and intuitively understand how to use basic functions such as searching, editing, and posting. Visual aids and a clean, modern layout that mimics those seen in other common software will go a long way when training users on how to use the tools.

2. Security

With hackers attacking every 39 seconds, your intranet must be secure. It isn’t just a concern for major corporations either – 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report states that 43% of breaches happen to small businesses. You need to protect both your customers’ and employees’ data. This is something that should be vetted extensively by the company’s IT department. Remember that the average user will assume that the data is secure. Ensure you don’t break that trust. Choose an intranet provider that prioritizes intranet security.

3. Easy installation

The CMS should be simple to install, requiring minimal IT intervention. Look for platforms that support quick setup processes, through automated installation wizards that guide administrators through the setup, making the intranet quickly operational with minimal downtime.

4. Multi-Device compatibility

In today’s technologically advanced world, employees aren’t tethered to their PCs anymore. An intranet should be accessible across many different devices such as phones, tablets, and laptops. Another tip? Don’t tie yourself to a single operating system either. You can’t expect a worker to use a specific manufacturer’s phone unless the company itself is supplying it. The intranet needs to be accessible by Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android at the very least.

5. Built-in Social Engagement Tools

The best intranets will have tools built in to foster connection, sharing, and collaboration. A community hub where users can share, comment, and like business-related content is also important. Millennials and Gen Zers are especially accustomed to the functions and layouts of popular social media websites. Integrating similar front-end functionality into your intranet should result in higher engagement levels with these employees.

6. Advanced search functions

The content directories of an intranet need to be well organized and searchable. This saves your employees’ time when they’re requesting specific data. Train users to not only publish new information but also to hide previous data that has become outdated. This eliminates clutter and decreases the potential for confusion. In addition, use tags to make searches more accurate and encompassing.

7. Integration with other popular applications

A CMS should integrate smoothly with other business tools and platforms, such as CRM systems, HR software, and productivity suites like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. This integration should be seamless, allowing for a unified platform where employees can access all necessary tools without switching between apps.

8. Document management

Your CMS intranet should allow you to upload important documents and resources that employees need to get their work done. Choose an intranet that includes document management. Employees are more likely to use the intranet since they can find all the important documents they need. They don't have to look elsewhere.

This is also the start of knowledge management. The intranet helps employees other coworkers who can help with tasks and or answer important questions about company topics.

Intranet ROI

Thinking about a new intranet platform? This free whitepaper explains the potential impact of an intranet and how to track ROI.

9. Analytics integration

Data received through your intranet should be easy to analyze through industry-standard platforms such as Google Analytics. With such an integration, if your business distributes a company-wide survey, the results can be instantly tabulated then run through analysis software to glean important insights. You won’t have to do the significant legwork yourself or have employees wasting effort transferring data from one software to the next.

10. Advanced scheduling options

Your solution should be able to schedule the publications of various forms of content. This includes text posts along with rich media content such as images and videos. This way, you’ll never forget to update the company’s internal database after a major policy is introduced.

You can also schedule the update to coincide with the introduction of the policy. If there is a lag, employees could be confused if they try to look for policy documents within the intranet.

Planning Retreat - LumApps Campaigns Visual

11. Employee recognition options

A Gallup survey concluded that employees who don’t receive recognition are twice as likely to leave the company in a given year. Furthermore, 65% of workers haven’t received recognition in the past year. Do the math and you’ll see that this is a lot of unhappy, under-appreciated employees.

A superior intranet will allow simple but powerful gestures of recognition from management and peers. Even if it’s just an option to say “Thanks,” or “Good job,” your employees will appreciate the recognition and be more productive in their work.

12. Support for video

Research shows that video is the preferred format for learning and development, especially among Gen Z staff. Users need to post more than text.

Find a CMS intranet that allows you to include video content and images to enhance your internal communication. This increases a remote employee’s engagement with the company and makes them feel more like part of the team.

13. Survey integration

Surveys are a fantastic way to get real-time feedback on policies and other situations. Instead of waiting for pre-scheduled meetings, management can make adjustments on the fly. This makes for a much more flexible company that takes the feelings of its employees into consideration.

Furthermore, employees can get feedback and frustrations out before they have time to fester into major roadblocks. It opens the lines of communication and can be done anonymously without pressure.

14. Customized branding

Your intranet should reflect your brand in design and workflow. Don’t settle for bland, cookie-cutter solutions. Choose a CMS intranet that allows you to customize the colors, logos, images, and general design elements to match your company. Otherwise, it may feel sterile and lifeless.

Your workers will use this tool daily for communication, connection, and information. It should feel new and thrilling. And it should reflect your company personality. Choose a CMS Intranet that lets you customize the design to match your company branding.

15. Personalized activity feeds

Employees should have personalized activity feeds that show information pertinent to them. For instance, if an employee is involved in a project, they should receive updates when others work on it or make changes. However, make sure that you avoid information overload.

To mitigate that problem, your intranet should have sufficient targeting and segmentation capabilities. This reduces the data load on each of your employees to ensure they see only what’s needed. This means less overall stress and higher productivity for workers.

Discover our latest content on Modern Intranet