For most Perth organisations, SharePoint (via Microsoft 365) is the right choice, particularly if you're already using Teams, Outlook, and OneDrive. SharePoint integrates natively with the Microsoft 365 suite, which eliminates a separate product licence and simplifies administration. The most common reason SharePoint intranets fail isn't the platform, it's poor information architecture and design that makes them hard to navigate. Dapth designs SharePoint intranets properly, not as default configurations. For organisations with specific requirements SharePoint can't serve well, particularly those not in the Microsoft ecosystem, we build custom intranet platforms on the right technology stack for your context.

Most intranet failures are adoption failures, not technical failures. The platform works correctly, employees just don't use it. The root cause is almost always that the intranet was designed around IT or organisational requirements rather than around how employees actually work and what they actually need. Intranets that succeed are designed with employees, not for them, through research, navigation testing, and iterative design before launch. Dapth's intranet process starts with employee research for this reason.

Microsoft Teams is a real-time collaboration and communication platform, great for project channels, video calls, and team messaging. An intranet is a structured knowledge and communication hub: where employees find company policies, forms, announcements, HR resources, and documented processes. In a well-designed Microsoft 365 environment, Teams and SharePoint work together: Teams for collaboration, SharePoint as the intranet backbone. A common mistake is letting Teams channels proliferate until the intranet function is buried, at which point employees can't find anything. Good intranet design establishes clear boundaries between the two.

A focused intranet project, employee research, information architecture, design, SharePoint build, and launch, typically takes 12–16 weeks. Larger government or enterprise intranets with complex governance requirements, multiple audience groups, deep system integrations, and extensive content migration run 16–28 weeks. Timeline is most affected by the scope of content migration and the availability of your subject matter experts during the information architecture and content review phases.

Yes. Dapth has delivered intranet projects for WA state and local government agencies including the City of Cockburn, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, and the City of Belmont. We understand government intranet requirements: including information security, accessibility standards, procurement frameworks, and the specific complexity of serving diverse staff populations across multiple departments. Our WA government experience means we understand what makes these projects succeed and where they typically get stuck.

An intranet is a communication and knowledge hub news, policies and reference content. An employee portal is transactional where staff submit leave, access payslips and complete tasks. Many organisations combine both into a single employee hub. Dapth designs both and can deliver them together or separately.

If you're already using Microsoft 365, SharePoint is usually the fastest, most cost-effective route you're extending a platform you already own, with built-in security, single sign-on and workflow. If you're outside the Microsoft stack, we'll recommend the right alternative.