# Off-the-shelf intranet: Why building an intranet is still a bad idea

June 14, 2022

When enterprises decide their intranet needs an upgrade, the first question they ask is “should we build it ourselves or buy an [out-of-the-box solution](https://www.unily.com/resources/guides/out-of-the-box-intranet).” Over the years, this question has become easier to answer, but some enterprises are still considering homegrown solutions. Find out why that’s still a bad idea.

## The hidden costs of homegrown intranets

According to Forrester, “The appetite for custom-built, homegrown intranets is dead.” Yet, some enterprises still consider building homegrown intranet solutions over buying a turnkey or off-the-shelf solution.

Why is the appetite for homegrown intranets dead? Primarily because the market has evolved and transformed expectations of what an intranet can and should do. Today employees expect consumer-grade digital experiences from their workplace technology, and meeting those expectations is the difference between engaging and frustrating a modern workforce. Where 20 years ago, options for buying an off-the-shelf intranet were limited, and build was the de facto option, today the SaaS intranet market is brimming with opportunity.

> "The intranet market has undergone a major reinvention over the last few years. New, cloud-native platforms have shattered the stereotype of static, clunky, internal portals. Since The Forrester Wave™: Intranet Platforms, Q2 2020, customer demand has decidedly shifted away from “build” to “buy.”"
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- Forrester, Intranet Wave 2022 Report

## Key things to consider before building your own intranet

### #1. Time to value

How quickly do you want to launch your new solution? Chances are if you’ve identified the need for a new intranet, that’s because you’ve reached the ‘burning platform’ stage i.e. there’s an urgent need for change. If that’s the case, the first thing you need to consider is the comparative time to launch between a custom homegrown and turnkey solution. An Out-of-the-Box intranet can be launched in as few as 4 weeks, in contrast, it can take upwards of 9 months to get a homegrown solution to the point where you can even start adding content.

### #2. Technical resource

The second important consideration when it comes to deciding whether to build or buy an intranet is: how much technical resource do you have? Today intranet teams can be as small as one person IF it’s an off-the-shelf solution. If you’re looking to create a custom intranet, you need dedicated resources available for anywhere from 12-24 months. As well as being costly, another problem that build projects often run into is the reassignment of their IT resource as business priorities change.

### #3. Upfront costs

The cost of developing a custom solution over an OOTB solution is often the clincher. Many people assume that a custom solution is the more cost-effective route to take since it only requires an initial outlay. This is a myth! Yes, an OOTB solution requires yearly licensing which can be a detractor, particularly to IT teams watching their ongoing budget.

While an ongoing investment in intranet licenses might seem unpalatable, the harder pill to swallow is outlaying vast upfront costs to build a solution that doesn’t work. In 2007, the British NHS suffered this realization when their £11bn investment in a new custom Healthcare Records System was scrapped after exceeding the budget by £4.7bn. Realizing that they lacked the technical expertise to develop a homegrown solution after four years of failed attempts, the NHS finally opted for an off-the-shelf solution.

### #4. On-going maintenance

Another big factor to consider if you’re exploring building an intranet is the ongoing maintenance and growth of your platform. What technical resource will you have available to you to evolve and develop your platform over time? An intranet that stays the same as it was on day one is an intranet that’s destined to fail.

### #5. Support

The final question to ask yourself before going down the custom intranet road is, are you ready to go it alone? If not, you’re looking at costly investments in consultants that can support you to develop an intranet that meets your needs. What an OOTB solution offers you that a custom intranet can’t is extensive support. From customer communities to Customer Success Managers and Implementation and Support teams, selecting a product that’s undergone extensive beta testing can benefit your organization significantly.

### The bottom line on build vs buy intranets

Ultimately, the biggest question you need to ask yourself before embarking on a custom intranet project is: what is my core business? If you wouldn’t build your own CRM, ERP or HR system, why would you build your own Employee Experience Platform? If employee experience is important to your organization and you understand the benefits a modern intranet can bring, then there are solutions out there, ready-made to meet and exceed your needs.