Streamlining Knowledge Management and Collaboration

The client is a global business advisory firm with practices in financial restructuring, litigation support, engineering, and scientific investigation. i3solutions designed and built the firm a corporate intranet portal on Microsoft SharePoint, with Active Server Pages behind the custom features and SQL Server managing the content and business data. The portal gives employees real-time access to critical business information from multiple back-office systems through systems integration, and it simplifies how documents are created, reviewed, and published across divisions. It was deployed in under three weeks, while the firm was in the middle of an acquisition and needed the incoming company on the same communication interface without a break in continuity.

The client is a global business advisory firm with leading practices in financial restructuring, litigation support, engineering, and scientific investigation. As a growing organization, the firm recognized the critical need for seamless collaboration, real-time knowledge sharing, and leveraging existing intellectual property to maintain a competitive edge. Effective communication across divisions was essential to ensure employees had access to the right information at the right time, supporting efficiency and informed decision-making.

However, the firm’s existing communication portal fell short of these goals. The platform lacked the ability to effectively share and cross-pollinate information between employees and departments, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for collaboration. Additionally, the firm was undergoing an acquisition and needed a solution that could rapidly integrate the new company into their existing infrastructure while maintaining continuity and facilitating communication. To address these challenges, the firm required a centralized, scalable intranet solution that would streamline internal operations, improve information accessibility, and support future growth.

How long did the SharePoint intranet take to deploy?

Under three weeks. The firm’s portal runs on SharePoint’s out-of-the-box functionality for document sharing, version control, and workflow automation, along with its search and aggregation capabilities.

We are acquiring a company. Can an intranet bring them on quickly?

Yes, and that was a requirement on this engagement. The firm was undergoing an acquisition and needed to integrate the new company into its existing infrastructure rapidly, while maintaining continuity and communication. The portal integrates with the firm’s existing IT infrastructure, and its architecture lets the firm scale the platform as the organization grows, including future acquisitions.

Does the intranet surface data from other business systems?

Yes. It gives employees real-time access to business information from multiple back-office systems, in one centralized location instead of a separate stop per department. SQL Server manages the content and business data behind the portal, and Active Server Pages supported the custom features and dynamic web functionality built on top of SharePoint.

Why SharePoint instead of a custom-built portal?

SharePoint gave the firm powerful search and aggregation, simplified content publishing and workflow automation, and integration with the systems it already ran. i3solutions configured SharePoint as the single communication interface for the firm, a scalable foundation for later enhancements as the business grows.

If your employees cannot find what another department already produced, or an acquisition just added a second intranet to search, the first conversation is about your current portal and the systems it needs to reach. We go through what people are actually hunting for, which back-office systems hold it, and what an intranet would have to integrate with to put it in one place. You leave with a scoped picture of the work and the integration list your IT committee will ask for before it signs off. Start the conversation