Can you fix SharePoint without replacing it?

For many organisations, SharePoint sits at the centre of the digital workplace. It manages documents, supports collaboration, and integrates deeply with Microsoft 365.

But when organisations attempt to use SharePoint as their primary intranet, problems often begin to appear. 

Employees struggle to find information. Communications fail to reach frontline workers. Internal communications teams spend too much time managing pages and governance instead of actually communicating. At that point the intranet starts to feel less like a communication platform and more like an IT project that never quite finished.

This leads many organisations to ask a difficult question. Can SharePoint actually work as a modern intranet? Is there any way to actually improve SharePoint?

For some organisations the answer is to move to a dedicated intranet platform built specifically for communication and engagement. They use a platform in partnership with SharePoint, to make up for its many shortfalls. This creates a common “hybrid” reality. Most organisations do not remove SharePoint entirely. Instead they keep SharePoint as the system that manages documents, permissions, and collaboration spaces while introducing a platform designed specifically for communication and engagement.

In these situations the goal becomes clear. Improve the employee experience around SharePoint rather than trying to replace it entirely.

The most common SharePoint intranet problems

SharePoint was originally built as a document management and collaboration platform. While Microsoft has expanded its capabilities, many organisations still encounter structural limitations when trying to use it as a modern intranet. Which is a bit like asking a very good filing system to suddenly become a communication platform.

These challenges often appear in predictable areas.

The platform is excellent at storing information. But storing information is not the same as delivering it effectively.

The deskless workforce gap

One of the biggest structural challenges with SharePoint intranets appears when organisations try to reach frontline employees. SharePoint was built for knowledge workers operating from desktops within corporate environments. Access for frontline employees who work in stores, hospitals, factories, transport networks, or hospitality environments is far less straightforward.

Licensing can also become a barrier. Providing full Microsoft 365 access to large frontline workforces is often unnecessary and expensive when those employees simply need access to communication, updates, and workplace resources. This creates a major communication gap. In organisations with large frontline populations, communication often still relies on managers relaying updates or physical notice boards. Large retailers provide a good example. In organisations with tens of thousands of store employees, internal communications historically relied on printed notices and manager briefings because there was no direct digital channel to reach staff. Modern intranets need to solve this problem directly.

When organisations replace SharePoint

Some organisations decide the limitations of SharePoint as an intranet are significant enough to justify moving to a dedicated intranet platform. This approach can make sense when organisations want:

• Higher employee engagement
• A mobile experience for frontline workers
• Faster publishing and content management
• A single destination for communication and workplace services
  

However, many organisations cannot remove SharePoint from their technology stack.  It often powers document storage, permissions, collaboration, and workflow processes across Microsoft 365. Security considerations can also play a role. In large enterprises, SharePoint is frequently already approved for high classification information and sensitive documents. When SharePoint must remain in place, organisations look for ways to improve the experience around it.

Using Oak Engage to complement SharePoint

Oak Engage is designed to work alongside Microsoft technologies including SharePoint and Teams.

Instead of replacing SharePoint, Oak Engage transforms how employees interact with the information stored within it. However, Oak is fully capable of performing SharePoint’s existing capabilities and more. If you’re wanting to having a complementary relationship however, Oak plays exceptionally well with SharePoint and other M365 applications. This hybrid approach is increasingly common.

Many organisations begin by integrating Oak alongside SharePoint to solve communication challenges. Over time some organisations eventually transition further once they see how employees adopt a platform built specifically for engagement.

SharePoint continues to manage documents, permissions, and collaboration spaces.

Oak Engage becomes the central employee experience layer where employees access communication, knowledge, and workplace services.

Employees interact with Oak Engage as their primary intranet while SharePoint continues to operate behind the scenes.

What Oak Engage adds to a SharePoint environment

Oak Engage solves many of the common gaps organisations experience when relying on SharePoint alone.

SharePoint vs Oak Engage as an intranet

However, not every organisation wants to maintain multiple layers within their digital workplace.

Some organisations prefer a single platform that can handle communication, engagement, mobile access, and integrations without relying on SharePoint as the primary

intranet experience. In these cases, the conversation often shifts from how to improve SharePoint to whether a dedicated intranet platform might be a better fit on its own. 

Understanding the difference between the two approaches helps clarify which model works best for your organisation. SharePoint and Oak Engage perform different roles

within the digital workplace. SharePoint focuses on managing information. Oak Engage focuses on delivering that information in a way employees actually engage with. In

practice, this means SharePoint remains the infrastructure for managing information, while Oak Engage provides the experience that makes that information accessible and

engaging for employees.

Is SharePoint a good intranet?

SharePoint can be used as an intranet, but its effectiveness depends on what an organisation expects from its digital workplace. For organisations that primarily need a structured document repository with collaboration spaces, SharePoint can perform well. However, modern intranets are expected to do far more.

Employees expect a platform that:

• Delivers information automatically rather than requiring them to search for it 
• Works equally well for desk based and frontline employees 
• Encourages interaction, recognition, and feedback 
• Makes publishing simple for internal communications teams 
• Uses AI to surface the most relevant information quickly
  

These expectations often expose the limitations of SharePoint when it is used alone. That is why many organisations introduce a dedicated intranet platform alongside it.

By combining SharePoint with Oak Engage, organisations keep the strength of Microsoft 365 while delivering a modern employee experience. SharePoint powers the

infrastructure. Oak Engage becomes the human centred, desk based and mobile frontline intranet people actually use.

FAQ Section 

Can SharePoint be used as an intranet?

Yes. SharePoint can function as an intranet because it provides document storage, collaboration spaces, and integration with Microsoft 365 tools.

However many organisations find that SharePoint alone does not deliver the full employee experience expected from a modern intranet. Communication reach, mobile accessibility, content discovery, and engagement features can be limited when using SharePoint on its own.

This is why many organisations introduce a dedicated intranet platform alongside SharePoint to improve the employee experience.

Why do organisations struggle with SharePoint intranets?

Organisations often struggle with SharePoint intranets because the platform was originally designed for document management and collaboration rather than employee communication.

Common challenges include low employee adoption, difficulty reaching frontline workers, complex publishing processes, and limited engagement features.

Without additional tools, SharePoint intranets can become document repositories rather than active communication hubs.

Do you need to replace SharePoint to improve your intranet?

Not necessarily. Some organisations choose to replace SharePoint with a dedicated intranet platform. Others keep SharePoint as their document and collaboration infrastructure while introducing an employee experience platform alongside it.

This approach allows organisations to keep their Microsoft investment while improving communication, accessibility, and engagement for employees.

How does Oak Engage work with SharePoint?

Oak Engage integrates with SharePoint and Microsoft 365 to enhance the employee experience.

SharePoint continues to manage documents, permissions, and collaboration environments. Oak Engage becomes the central intranet experience where employees access communication, news, services, and workplace tools.

This allows organisations to keep SharePoint while improving how employees access and interact with information.

What problems does Oak Engage solve for SharePoint intranets?

Oak Engage helps solve several common limitations organisations experience when using SharePoint as an intranet.

These include improving mobile access for frontline employees, delivering personalised communication using AI, simplifying publishing for communications teams, enabling employee engagement through interactive features, and improving search across workplace systems.

By adding Oak Engage alongside SharePoint, organisations create a more accessible and engaging digital workplace.