Modern SharePoint Online Intranet
Bespoke SharePoint Team Site
Introduction
EGS is an international group specialising in multi-disciplinary marine survey support, delivering services to the Oil & Gas, Telecommunications, Energy & Renewables, and Marine Infrastructure sectors for over 45 years. With a highly distributed workforce operating across departments and vessels, effective document management and internal communication are essential to maintaining operational efficiency.
The organisation had an existing SharePoint intranet; however, it had fallen out of regular use due to poor usability and limited engagement. EGS therefore required a modern, simplified intranet solution that would be intuitive for all staff, including users with limited SharePoint experience, while supporting structured document and form management across departments and vessels.
Dolphin IT Solutions was engaged to design and implement a new SharePoint intranet platform focused on usability, structure, and improved adoption.
Challenges
EGS’s existing intranet environment was no longer meeting business needs and had seen a significant decline in usage across the organisation.
Key challenges included:
- An outdated and underutilised SharePoint intranet platform
- Poor usability, resulting in low user adoption across departments
- Lack of clear structure for documents, forms, and departmental resources
- Difficulty organising and accessing information across both departments and vessels
- Requirement for a simple interface suitable for users with limited SharePoint experience
- Need for role-based access control aligned to organisational structure and operational requirements
- Migration requirements from existing on-premises file shares into SharePoint Online
The organisation required a complete redesign of its intranet experience, focusing on simplicity, clarity, and structured information management.
Our Solution
Dolphin IT Solutions designed and delivered a brand new SharePoint Online intranet platform, focused on ease of use, clear navigation, and structured document management for both office-based and vessel-based teams.
The solution was built using modern SharePoint capabilities, with a strong emphasis on intuitive navigation and a simplified user experience to encourage adoption across all user groups.
Intranet Design and Structure
The new intranet was designed around a clear separation of content by departments and vessels, ensuring users could quickly access relevant documents and forms without navigating complex folder structures.
The homepage was developed as a modern SharePoint landing page, featuring:
- Clearly defined department and vessel navigation areas
- Large, visually intuitive icon-based navigation tiles
- Simplified layout designed for non-technical users
- Centralised access to key organisational resources
Each department area provided structured access to relevant documents, forms, and operational materials, improving consistency and reducing time spent searching for information.
A dedicated administration area was also created, allowing controlled management of forms and supporting documentation, including Excel, Word, and PDF files.
Security and Permissions Model
To ensure appropriate access control across the organisation, each department and vessel area was secured using a permissions matrix defined in collaboration with EGS.
This ensured that:
- Users could only access documents relevant to their department or operational area
- Sensitive information was protected through role-based access control
- Administrative users retained control over document libraries and form structures
- Security was consistently applied across all intranet areas
This approach provided both flexibility and governance, ensuring secure access without reducing usability.
Data Migration and Document Management
The implementation was delivered in structured phases to ensure a smooth transition from the legacy environment.
The initial stage involved configuring the SharePoint intranet architecture, including site structure, navigation, and document library setup.
This was followed by a full data migration from on-premises file shares into SharePoint Online, ensuring that all existing business documents, forms, and supporting files were securely transferred into the new platform.
Once migrated, the document management system was configured to support improved organisation, consistency, and long-term scalability across departments.
Training and User Adoption
To support successful adoption of the new intranet, Dolphin IT Solutions delivered two tailored training sessions for EGS staff.
These sessions covered:
- Basic intranet navigation and daily usage
- Accessing and managing departmental documents and forms
- Administrative functions for managing content and permissions
- Best practices for using the new SharePoint environment
The training ensured that users across both operational and administrative roles were confident in using the new system from day one.
Results
The new SharePoint intranet provided EGS with a modern, structured, and user-friendly platform that significantly improved internal document management and accessibility.
Key outcomes included:
- Replacement of an underutilised intranet with a modern SharePoint Online platform
- Improved user adoption through simplified navigation and intuitive design
- Structured document and form management across departments and vessels
- Secure role-based access control aligned to operational requirements
- Successful migration from on-premises file shares to SharePoint Online
- Improved consistency and governance of organisational documentation
- Enhanced user confidence through structured training and support
The result was a streamlined intranet solution that improved day-to-day efficiency, reduced complexity, and provided a scalable foundation for future Microsoft 365 enhancements.
