Building a modern intranet on SharePoint sounds straightforward. After all, Microsoft 365 already includes the platform. In reality, many organizations discover that “just building it in SharePoint” is far more time consuming, expensive, and resource-heavy than expected.
The difference comes down to approach: starting from a blank (or near-blank) SharePoint canvas versus deploying a purpose-built, native SharePoint intranet solution like hubley.
The Traditional Path: Building a SharePoint Intranet Without Specialized Tools
Out-of-the-box SharePoint gives you powerful building blocks - communication sites, hub sites, news, document libraries, and web parts. Turning those into a polished, branded, employee-loved intranet that actually drives engagement is another story.
Without a pre-configured solution or deep expertise, teams typically face:
- Significant expertise requirements. Designing information architecture, creating consistent branding, configuring navigation, setting up audience targeting, building useful web parts, establishing governance, and integrating with Teams, Viva, and other Microsoft 365 tools all demand SharePoint knowledge that most internal teams don’t have on day one.
- High costs. Organizations often hire specialized SharePoint consultants or developers, or divert scarce internal IT and communications resources for months. Custom development, design work, and ongoing maintenance add up quickly.
- Long timelines. Basic departmental sites can appear in a few weeks. A full organizational intranet with thoughtful structure, branding, content strategy, permissions, and adoption planning commonly stretches into several months. Sometimes longer when scope expands or internal capacity is limited.
- Ongoing maintenance burden. Once launched, keeping the intranet fresh, secure, and aligned with Microsoft’s continuous updates falls largely on your team.
The result is frequently a project that starts with high hopes and ends with delayed go-lives, underused sites, or an intranet that never quite feels modern or easy for employees.
The hubley Difference: Quick Implementation, Easy Deployment, Expert Guidance
hubley is a modern intranet platform built natively on SharePoint and Microsoft 365. It enhances what you already own rather than adding another system. That native foundation, combined with ready-to-use components and SharePoint expertise, dramatically shortens the path from decision to launch.
Typical hubley SharePoint intranet implementations take 4–8 weeks, depending on organizational size and the level of customization needed. The process generally includes discovery workshops, configuration, content migration support, branding, and training so your team is ready on day one.
Key advantages that make this possible:
- Out-of-the-box experience that feels purpose-built. hubley delivers 90+ configurable SPFx web parts, modern design options, omnichannel communication tools, personalization, analytics, and employee engagement features that sit directly on SharePoint. You’re not starting from a blank page.
- Rapid deployment. Get a polished, branded intranet live in weeks instead of months. The platform is designed for fast configuration while still allowing the flexibility organizations need.
- SharePoint experts in your corner. hubley has been a dedicated Microsoft 365 and SharePoint partner for over 20 years (and is a Microsoft Gold Partner). Their team handles the heavy lifting of architecture, best practices, security configuration within your tenant, and knowledge transfer. You don’t need deep internal SharePoint development skills to succeed.
- Lower total cost and ongoing effort. Because hubley works inside your existing Microsoft 365 environment, you avoid the expense of a separate platform and the long custom-build cycle. Day-to-day content updates are straightforward for internal teams, with white-glove support available through hubley Green when you want extra help, quarterly feature updates, or design refreshes.
- Native Microsoft 365 integration. Everything stays secure inside your tenant. hubley works seamlessly with Teams, OneDrive, Viva, and the rest of the Microsoft ecosystem, strengthening rather than complicating your existing investment.
From Months of Struggle to Weeks of Progress
The choice is clear. Building a SharePoint intranet purely with out-of-the-box tools (or extensive custom development) often requires specialized expertise, substantial budget, and a timeline measured in months. That approach can work—but it frequently consumes more time and money than organizations anticipate and can leave internal teams stretched thin.
hubley flips the equation: a modern, engaging intranet experience delivered quickly, with expert guidance, minimal friction, and lasting value from your Microsoft 365 investment.
If your organization is evaluating a SharePoint intranet, or struggling with an existing one that never quite delivered, talk to the hubley team. A 4–8 week implementation timeline is realistic, and the difference in employee adoption and day-to-day usability is often immediate.
Ready to see how fast a better SharePoint intranet can come together?
Schedule a demo and discover what’s possible when you stop building from scratch and start deploying with purpose.
