A global non-profit organization specializing in health services reached out to Improving Winnipeg to assist them with an intranet migration to SharePoint from their current Interact-hosted environment. 

The existing intranet system lacked organization and consistency. Metadata used to tag pages and documents was often inconsistent and redundant, with page authors creating their own terms for content tagging. This lack of standardized terminology made it difficult to search and filter resources effectively. Additionally, there was ambiguity around content ownership, and the absence of clear responsibilities led to numerous outdated pages and documents. 

Based on the issues our client was facing, it was clear they were in need of an intranet migration to SharePoint.

The Challenge of Performing an Intranet Migration to SharePoint

The API on their existing platform wasn’t performing the way they had hoped and lacked the information necessary to migrate pages contained in their system. What made this project a challenge for us is, we didn’t have access to their backend file store, which was hosted in Interact’s cloud. This made the migration effort itself more difficult.  

To mitigate this issue, our client agreed to handle the migration effort themselves. This was determined by both parties to be the best and most efficient course of action. After which Improving would focus on setting up a structure for our client in SharePoint. We created one hub site and four pilot department sites. We also set up a staff blog and approval process for them. 

Improving worked closely with the client to define metadata fields and a standardized set of terms, which would be applied across all libraries. Additionally custom search experiences were created, allowing users to efficiently search and filter content using the predefined metadata fields. 

The Benefits of Performing an Intranet Migration to SharePoint

The migration to SharePoint resulted in a significant improvement in metadata consistency, with fewer redundant tags and more streamlined management by a dedicated team of administrators. The enhanced metadata structure also contributed to an improved search experience, allowing users to quickly locate content across the intranet, including in the staff directory and other key resources. According to the client, the enhanced search functionality was one of the most valuable outcomes of the project. 

If you are looking for help with an intranet migration to SharePoint, get in touch by filling out the form below and someone will be in touch.

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