Migrating a European intranet to SharePoint

A leading medical devices company

Objective and brief

  • This intranet portal provides high level internal corporate communications for a multinational medical devices group. Our client asked us to take it to the "next level".
  • With the legacy hosting platform in the process of being phased out, it was the perfect opportunity to migrate the site to the new SharePoint platform.
  • The client wanted the site to have a sleek and modern feel, convey a sense of the size and significance of the multinational region, appeal to all employees and reinforce a sense of diversity in culture.

How objectives were met

  • Following user consultation, we brainstormed a series of concepts, proposing new features, functionality and layouts. We used our knowledge of SharePoint to suggest out-of-the-box solutions, adapted to meet requirements as closely as possible without requiring expensive custom development.
  • We developed a new design and collaborated with the group's internal IT team to build the site.
  • Included in the new functionality we added an intelligent Flash news display, a photo library, a video library and video player and an animated logo that changes on important anniversaries. All these features were integrated into existing SharePoint functionality.
  • We carried out a content audit on the old site, recommending business rules to determine which content should be expired and which migrated. We worked with content owners to provide updated material, and implemented a user-friendly content structure on the new site.
 

Key challenges

  • Managing dual sites - maintaining the current site while the new site was in production.
  • Ensuring the site met strict internal policies for social media
  • Meeting business requirements using out-of-the-box SharePoint functionality in order to keep costs down
  • Working with development teams in India and US.

Results

  • Monthly visitor numbers have increased by 25%, excluding the spike traffic which resulted from launch activities and promotion in the first month.
  • Site management hours by the support team have been reduced by approximately 30% by streamlining content management processes and leveraging SharePoint functionality.
  • The site has been identified as a benchmark intranet site within the group, and has led to us winning new work with clients elsewhere in the organisation.

Client testimonial

I depend greatly on Content Formula for the daily management of my regional Intranet. They have consistently provided professional support and valuable expertise on a broad range of site management issues including editorial, content management, design and technical support.

VP Communications, EMEA