Choosing to create an intranet for your company is one of the best decisions you could make. Another important decision is the intranet hosting.
With such vast options for intranet service providers, it can be a little tricky to pick the right one for your organization.
In this post, we consider the best options available for intranet hosting and take a look at the pros and cons of each to help you make an informed decision about the intranet software platform.
What is an intranet and why do you need one?
An intranet is a private, secure network designed to enhance internal communication, collaboration, and information sharing within an organization. It acts as a centralized digital workspace, helping teams access resources, stay engaged, and work more efficiently.
Want to dive deeper into its advantages?
Cloud Intranet vs. Self-Hosted Intranet: Key Differences
One of the most important decisions when setting up an intranet is choosing between a cloud-based or self-hosted solution. Your choice will affect IT workload, scalability, and long-term maintenance.
Cloud Intranet
- Hosted externally by a third-party provider
- Quick deployment with minimal setup
- Automatic updates & security—no IT overhead
- Ideal for businesses that want a low-maintenance, scalable solution
Self-Hosted Intranet
- Hosted on your company's own servers
- Full control over customization and security
- Requires dedicated IT support for maintenance, updates, and security
- Best for organizations with specialized compliance or infrastructure needs
Your hosting choice impacts costs, setup time, and IT demands.
Intranet Hosting – A Complete Guide
A hosted intranet provides easy access to information anytime and anywhere. It helps you improve productivity and collaboration by making the information accessible to vendors, customers and employees. It combines the power of online collaboration facilities and the security of servers to boost productivity and save money.
Intranet hosting is one of the most critical decisions for your organization depending on the requirements and availability of resources. You can choose from an on-premises server or cloud-based platform to host your intranet website.
An internal network is a viable option for companies that already have a dedicated server and an IT team with technical know-how. There is also a possibility of creating an office intranet tailored to the needs of your organization.
Hosting Intranet Website – Getting Started
Selecting the best intranet solution that offers maximum return with minimum disruption is desirable for any company looking to host an intranet website, whether starting from scratch or updating an existing system.
A new intranet website streamlines the business practices and helps with innovation and idea generation. It also allows adding a social element to foster a positive work experience that improves productivity.
To get started with intranet website hosting, you should consider whether the software is flexible enough to let your business grow. A hosting solution with flexibility is scalable easily without any technological updates.
Once you find the right software that understands your needs and designs an appealing and functional intranet, it is important to ensure it can offer continuous support and expertise.
The software should provide an on-going performance review and analysis to help users benefit the most from the site and make continuous efforts to keep it fresh and dynamic.
A lot of providers offer one-size-fits-all solutions that may not suit your company's unique requirements. Look for intranet solutions that design a customized platform for your organization independent of other apps. It should also allow integrating third-party applications your employees may be using.
Hosted Intranet Solutions – What You Should Know?
Every intranet needs a server to run, just like your company's website. You can either use a server connected to your network or use a cloud-based hosting service that hosts your intranet for a monthly charge. Choosing to use a company network server is a critical decision that depends on the size of the organization. While bigger companies have their own server, smaller firms may need to spend on getting one.
To set up your intranet, you should first install an on-premise intranet software on the server that lets you add content and pages. You can choose from multiple options available taking into account the adaptability, functionality and ease of use you want.
While this solution is feasible for organizations with proper resources, it has a lot of considerations. Firstly, you take responsibility for all the management, maintenance and security as well as updates and backups. You also need to arrange for the space the intranet servers can take.
Another option is to custom-build the intranet solution from scratch. This is applicable to larger organizations with strong IT resources. It suits businesses that want to create an intranet focused on special needs or exercise control over functionality and updates instead of leaving it to providers. This option, however, takes a lot of time and resources.
Best Intranet Platforms – UPDATED 2025
Here are some of the top options for solutions you can choose from for your intranet hosting.
AgilityPortal Intranet Software
An innovative cloud-based software that offers several tools and options to streamline workflow, AgilityPortal gives you the ability to collaborate with a few members or entire teams. It combines email, social media and other apps for efficient operations and smoother functioning.
Microsoft SharePoint
SharePoint is a powerful solution that enables organizations to share and manage content, apps and information for easy access, collaboration and teamwork.
It gives dynamic sites for project teams and departments so that it is convenient to share news, data, files and resources. It allows collaboration across devices and provides a search facility for easy information discovery.
Cloud Based Intranet Software
A cloud-based intranet software is hosted by a third-party provider for a fixed monthly charge. There are several options for a cloud-based online hosting service. With this option, you just must log on and create your pages.
You can use readily available features and templates and customize them to meet your organization requirements and structure. It is easy to install the intranet with a series of steps and a simple procedure that even novices can follow.
The biggest benefit of using cloud-based service is that you need not install any software or maintain a server. The hosting provider takes responsibility for the security, maintenance, backup, updates and technical problems. High-quality hosted solutions provide ongoing help and support to intranet administrators.
What more, these services charge a fixed monthly fee, making it highly cost-effective with certainty that is important to start-ups and small businesses.
A cloud-based intranet software is accessible to the staff anywhere and anytime on a computer, smartphone or tablet, helping businesses break the traditional 9-to-5 model. These intranet solutions offer an advantage to organizations looking for flexible working. It can be easily customized to match the changing needs of the business.
What to look for in an intranet software provider
The digital workplace has undergone a radical transformation in recent years, with intranet technology advancing at an unprecedented pace.
In fact, the very concept of an "intranet" has become outdated—today's leading organizations are turning to comprehensive employee super-apps that serve as all-in-one digital hubs, far surpassing the capabilities of legacy systems.
Traditional intranet platforms, once considered essential for internal communication, now struggle to meet the needs of today's dynamic workforce. These outdated systems create significant operational hurdles:
Critical company information becomes buried in convoluted structures, making it nearly impossible for employees to find what they need when they need it. Archaic user interfaces, designed for desktop use in a pre-mobile era, frustrate users with their clunky navigation and unintuitive design. Perhaps most critically, these systems fail to support modern work patterns—remote employees and frontline workers are often completely locked out of essential workplace communications and resources.
The consequences of these limitations are severe and quantifiable. When employees can't—or won't—use their company's intranet, engagement plummets, productivity suffers, and communication breaks down. Research from the LPMN HQ 2023 State of Essential Workplace Communication report puts this problem into stark perspective: poor workplace communication costs businesses up to $20,000 per employee annually in lost productivity and operational inefficiencies.
This reality demands a fundamental shift in how organizations approach their digital workplace strategy. When evaluating intranet solutions today, businesses must look beyond the limitations of traditional platforms.
The question then becomes: what exactly should modern organizations expect from their digital workplace solution, and what features truly differentiate leading-edge platforms from their obsolete predecessors?
The answer lies in solutions that prioritize accessibility, intelligence, and seamless integration—platforms that don't just store information, but actively enhance how teams communicate, collaborate, and access resources across every work environment and device.
In an era where employee experience directly impacts business outcomes, settling for outdated technology simply isn't an option.
How to easily create an intranet with AgilityPortal
Building an effective company intranet no longer requires extensive technical expertise or costly development resources.
AgilityPortal revolutionizes the intranet creation process by providing an intuitive, all-in-one platform designed specifically for business users rather than IT specialists. The solution eliminates traditional barriers to digital workplace adoption through its thoughtfully designed interface and comprehensive feature set that addresses all core intranet needs.
What truly sets AgilityPortal apart is its commitment to accessibility and ease of use. The platform features a streamlined content management system that operates with the simplicity of familiar social media tools, allowing HR teams, internal communicators, and department managers to easily publish updates, share resources, and maintain engagement without coding knowledge or special training.
This democratization of intranet management means organizations can keep their digital workplace fresh and relevant without burdening IT departments.
The platform's mobile-responsive design ensures all employees remain connected whether they're working from headquarters, retail locations, or remote environments. With dedicated apps and browser-based access, staff can securely check schedules, access important documents, and participate in company discussions from any device.
AgilityPortal further enhances adoption through extensive branding capabilities, enabling companies to customize colors, logos, and layouts to create an intranet that truly reflects their organizational identity and culture.
Beyond basic communication, AgilityPortal supports modern workplace needs with features like integrated employee directories, department-specific workspaces, announcement targeting, and analytics to measure engagement. The platform grows with your organization, scaling from small businesses to enterprise deployments while maintaining its signature ease of use.
Experience firsthand how AgilityPortal can transform your internal communications by requesting a personalized demonstration. Our team will guide you through the platform's capabilities and demonstrate how quickly you can deploy a professional-grade intranet that engages employees and streamlines operations—all without technical complexity.
Discover why forward-thinking organizations choose AgilityPortal as their partner in building connected, productive workplaces.
Take the first step toward a better digital workplace—schedule your AgilityPortal demo today and see the difference an intuitive, powerful intranet solution can make for your organization's communication and collaboration.