Intranets
Manufacturing companies need two completely different types of websites, and most CMS conversations treat them like they're the same problem. One is internal: employees, HR, company news, policies, the kind of information that keeps a distributed workforce aligned. The other is external: product specifications, dealer resources, pricing, the technical documentation that helps a builder in Georgia spec the right engineered lumber or a purchasing manager decide between two suppliers.
If your organization used Workplace by Meta, the clock has run out. Meta shut down new content posting on September 1, 2025, and moved all accounts to read-only mode. On June 1, 2026, all Workplace accounts are permanently deleted: data, history, groups, and all. If you haven't already migrated, you are out of time for a careful transition and into damage control territory.
A website's permissions are mostly about who can edit a page. An intranet's permissions are about who can see that the page exists in the first place. That distinction sounds small until you're the person who accidentally published next quarter's layoff list to the entire company instead of just the leadership team.
Most organizations don't choose their internal communication tools so much as accumulate them. Someone on the team starts using Slack. IT sets up a shared drive. HR sends policy updates by email. Leadership records all-hands videos on a platform nobody checks. Before long, information is scattered across a dozen places and employees spend more time figuring out where to look than actually getting things done.
Most intranet home pages are built once, celebrated at launch, and then quietly abandoned. Someone puts together a nice design, leadership approves it, the IT team deploys it, and six months later the news section is still showing the same three announcements from last quarter. Employees notice. They stop checking. Eventually they stop logging in at all.
When a new hire didn't know where to find the expense policy, they turned around and asked the person next to them. When someone needed to know who owned a project, they walked down the hall. When a department head wanted to know if the announcement had been seen, they could tell by the faces at the all-hands meeting.
The workplace isn’t just changing it’s being completely reimagined. From hybrid workforces to global talent pools and rising employee expectations, Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) face mounting pressure to build agile, inclusive, and digitally savvy organizations. Redesigning work requires more than just new org charts it demands digital ecosystems that empower people to thrive.
When budgets tighten, HR departments are often among the first to face the pressure. But cutting costs in HR doesn't have to mean sacrificing the employee experience or halting progress on critical initiatives. In fact, when done thoughtfully, cost optimization in HR can lead to greater efficiency, stronger alignment with business goals, and a more agile organization.
New Demands, Tighter Budgets
In 2025, the role of the Chief Communications Officer is more strategic — and more scrutinized — than ever. Communications leaders are expected to manage risk, build internal and external trust, and respond in real-time to crises, all while navigating economic pressures.
The good news? Smart CCOs are meeting these challenges without inflated budgets. Here's how the best in the business are scaling back spend while scaling up impact.
Internal communication is the backbone of a well-functioning organization. Companies rely on intranets to keep employees informed, engaged, and connected. While Microsoft SharePoint is a common choice for internal communications, many organizations quickly realize its limitations. If your team is struggling with SharePoint’s usability, customization, or engagement challenges, it might be time to explore a better alternative.