The SharePoint Comeback: Why the Old Intranet Drawbacks No Longer Apply
Insight & Opinion
For years, SharePoint intranets were the corporate equivalent of a necessary evil. While widely adopted, they were often labeled as clunky, unintuitive, and hard to manage. IT departments dreaded deployments, employees avoided using them, and stakeholders questioned their ROI. But fast forward to today, and much of that criticism is outdated. SharePoint has undergone a massive evolution—both in technology and philosophy—and it’s time to retire the stereotypes.
Here’s why the old drawbacks of SharePoint intranets no longer apply:
“It’s too complicated to use.” → Now it’s clean, modern, and user-friendly.
Historically, SharePoint had a steep learning curve. Customization required developer skills, and out-of-the-box experiences felt dated. But the new SharePoint, particularly with its Modern Experience, has turned a corner.
Today’s SharePoint intranets offer drag-and-drop web parts, sleek site templates, responsive design, and intuitive navigation. Microsoft has invested heavily in usability, making it easy for non-tech users to build, edit, and manage content without writing a single line of code.
“It takes forever to deploy.” → Rapid deployment is now the norm.
In the past, deploying SharePoint on-premises could take weeks or months. It often required significant planning, server configuration, and coordination between IT and vendors. But with SharePoint Online and Microsoft 365, setup is dramatically faster.
Organizations can now spin up a fully functioning intranet in a matter of days. Microsoft-provided templates, third-party accelerators, and automation tools streamline the entire process—from provisioning to rollout.
“Customization is a nightmare.” → Customizations are easier, safer, and code-light.
Customizing legacy SharePoint often meant deep code changes that risked breaking with every update. Modern SharePoint, however, embraces low-code and no-code customization.
Using Power Platform (Power Automate, Power Apps), adaptive cards, and Microsoft Viva Connections, organizations can create tailored experiences without compromising stability. Plus, modern APIs and SPFx (SharePoint Framework) allow deeper integrations without touching the core.
“People don’t use it.” → Engagement is now built-in.
A common complaint was poor user adoption. SharePoint sites often became ghost towns shortly after launch. But this has changed thanks to integrations with Microsoft Teams, Viva, and personalized experiences.
Modern intranets now deliver content where users already work—inside Teams. News, announcements, resources, and even apps are surfaced contextually. AI-driven recommendations and personalized dashboards further boost engagement.
“Search is terrible.” → Microsoft Search is smart, fast, and unified.
Search used to be one of the weakest parts of SharePoint—slow, irrelevant, and frustrating. That’s no longer the case. Microsoft Search now delivers a unified search experience across SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, and Teams.
With AI-powered relevance, semantic understanding, and graph-based context, users can find what they need quickly—whether it’s a document, person, site, or answer.
“It’s just for document management.” → It’s now a digital workplace hub.
Yes, SharePoint was once known primarily as a glorified file cabinet. But that’s a narrow view of what it offers today.
Modern SharePoint intranets function as fully-featured digital workplaces—combining communication, collaboration, knowledge management, and business process automation. Add-ons like Microsoft Viva elevate it even further, bringing learning, insights, and goals into the intranet ecosystem.
Final Thoughts: SharePoint Has Earned a Second Look
SharePoint has grown up. It’s no longer the bloated, slow-moving platform of the early 2000s. Backed by Microsoft’s cloud-first, user-centered roadmap, SharePoint intranets have become agile, engaging, and future-ready.
If you’re still judging SharePoint by its past, you’re missing what it’s become: a smart, scalable, and strategic tool for the modern workplace.