Create an Intranet in 3 Steps
How to Create an Intranet
An intranet is a comprehensive web-based platform designed to provide members of an organization with easy access to a wide range of internal resources and services.
It serves as a centralized hub where employees can manage their work-related tasks, access company documents, and stay informed about organizational updates.
Essential Features for an Intranet
An effective intranet needs to have a variety of features to support the organizational and operational needs of its users.
One of the most critical features is user authentication and profile management. A secure login system with multi-factor authentication ensures the intranet is secure.
Employees should have the ability to create and manage their profiles, reset passwords, and update personal information.
The intranet should also provide access to essential company information. This includes functionalities for document management, access to internal communications, company news, event calendars, and resource directories.
Additionally, providing tools for collaboration, such as project management features, file sharing, and communication channels, is vital. Integration with other internal systems, like HR or payroll systems, can further enhance the intranet’s usefulness.
These are some of the fundamental features to get started with building an intranet.
Build or Buy Your Intranet
When it comes to implementing an intranet, organizations face a crucial decision: should you build a custom solution or buy an off-the-shelf product?
If you build one using Five, you can develop exactly what you need without the unnecessary bloat, tailored to your organization’s specific requirements.
Building an intranet allows you to connect to your existing IT infrastructure, serving as a single source of truth across all systems. It also ensures compatibility with legacy systems, working around the constraints of older software that may not be replaceable.
Having control over your data is paramount. This means keeping all internal information under your direct supervision. Off-the-shelf intranet solutions may not offer the same level of data privacy.
Building a secure intranet becomes much simpler with Five. Five offers several advantages: it significantly speeds up the development process, requires no extensive coding knowledge, is more affordable than hiring a developer, and allows you to customize your intranet to meet your specific needs.
In the long run, building a custom solution can be more cost-effective. Licensing fees for off-the-shelf intranet solutions can add up quickly, with some costing thousands of dollars annually.
Creating an Intranet Can Be Easy
Building intranets used to be a complex task requiring extensive coding knowledge. Organizations often had to hire “expert developers,” which could lead to high costs and subpar results. Customizations were difficult, often requiring additional development work.
Fortunately, times have changed. Creating intranets is now much easier with rapid portal builders like Five. These tools simplify the process, making it quicker and more accessible.
With Five, you can jump right in and have your intranet built and running in a single afternoon. While there is still a learning curve, this approach is far more efficient than traditional methods.
With Five, you can:
- Set up your intranet interface in minutes.
- Create a user-friendly, login-protected web interface for your intranet.
- Easily import existing data, allowing you to get started quickly.
Get free access to Five and start building your intranet today.
How to Create an Intranet
Here’s how you can create an intranet using Five, along with some prerequisites to consider.
Step 1: Access Five
If you haven’t already, sign up for free access to Five. Five offers a free trial for 14 days with no credit card required. Depending on your project’s complexity and data storage requirements, you may need a paid plan.
Step 2: List Out Intranet Attributes
Start by compiling a complete list of all attributes relevant to your intranet. Consider what matters to your organization and its members: employee directories, company news, document libraries, project collaboration tools, etc.
Your intranet should serve as a “single source of truth,” so ensure it’s as comprehensive as possible.
Here are some must-have attributes that are typically included in an intranet:
- User authentication and profile management
- Document management and file sharing
- Internal communication tools
- Project management and collaboration features
- Access to company policies and procedures
- Event calendars and announcements
Follow our YouTube tutorial for a step-by-step guide, covering everything from database modeling to previewing your completed dashboard.
The first step explains how to create a database table in Five. This quick four-and-a-half-minute video is highly recommended if your main goal is developing an intranet.
The video also shows how to assign different SQL data types to your table fields and use Five’s database modeler to visualize your schema. Five automatically adds primary keys to all your tables, simplifying the setup process.
Intranet Design and User Experience with Five
Once you have defined your intranet’s attributes and set up the database tables in Five, you can start focusing on the design and user experience. Five allows you to create a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface for your intranet, directly linked to the data stored in your tables.
User-Centric Design with Five: Five allows you to create a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface for your intranet. It’s easy to design a clean layout, ensuring that users can navigate effortlessly. You can customize the UI to fit your organization’s branding and user preferences. For instance, users can navigate to an employee directory page that pulls data directly from your “Employee Directory” table.
Personalization Features: With Five, you can build personalized dashboards for each user or group. Users can easily add widgets or shortcuts to their most-used tools and resources, creating a more tailored and efficient user experience.
Built-In Search Functionality: Five offers robust search capabilities that can be easily integrated into your intranet. Users can quickly locate documents, tools, or information by searching by column names or keywords, making navigation straightforward.
Mobile-Optimized Design: Five enables you to create a responsive intranet that works on any device. This means employees can access essential resources on the go, with a layout that adapts to different screen sizes for optimal usability.
Step 3: Launch Your Intranet Online
Once your intranet’s database is ready and well-defined, you can begin populating it with the necessary data.
Using Five, you can easily upload CSV files directly into your SQL database. Simply ensure that the columns in your CSV align with the fields in your database, and import the data into your database tables.
Additionally, you can create a user-friendly, web-based database graphical user interface with Five. This interface can feature forms for adding or editing records, charts for visualizing data, and the ability to generate PDF reports using data from the database.
When you’re ready to deploy your intranet, sign up for one of our paid plans, starting at just $29.99 per month per application. This plan includes unlimited end-users and provides you with a custom URL to access the intranet online.
For more detailed guidance, check out one of our step-by-step code-along guides.
Conclusion: Building an Intranet
A well-designed intranet is essential for any organization. With modern tools like Five, the process of creating a custom intranet has become more accessible than ever.
Organizations no longer need to rely on expensive developers or settle for one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, they can rapidly build and deploy an intranet that truly serves their unique needs.
Get free access to Five and start building your intranet today.
