Custom Intranet Vs Out-of-the-box (OOTB) solution

Ever been to an ice cream shop and wondered whether to grab a ready-made sundae or go all out creating your own masterpiece with your favorite flavors, toppings, and syrups? It's that classic choice: quick and convenient versus fully personalized to your taste. Both have their perks, right?

It’s the same story when you’re setting up your intranet! Do you go for a custom-built solution or stick with something out-of-the-box (OOTB)? It all comes down to what you need and how much flexibility you’re after. Let’s break down the pros and cons of both options so you can decide what works best for your organization.

Custom Intranet solution:

You build something tailored to your exact needs, like a made-to-order pizza!

Advantages

1. Fits Like a Glove: You get exactly what you want, designed for your specific business processes or preferences.
2. Scalable: Easier to add features as your business grows or changes.
3. Competitive Edge: A unique solution can help you stand out from competitors who use generic tools.
4. Integration-Friendly: Can be built to work seamlessly with your existing systems.

Disadvantages

1. Time-Consuming: Building from scratch can take months (or longer).
2. Expensive: Requires a bigger budget for development, testing, and maintenance.
3. Maintenance Burden: You’ll need to handle updates, bug fixes, and support.
4. Risk of Over-Customization: If your custom solution is too specific, it might be harder to adapt in the future.

Best For :

Businesses with unique needs, specific color and branding themes, rich UI/UX, custom animations, ample time , and budget availability.

Out-of-the-Box (OOTB) Solution

You get a ready-made tool, like buying a pizza off the menu!

Advantages

1. Quick to Implement: Ready to go as soon as you set it up.
2. Cost-Effective: Generally cheaper upfront than custom solutions.
3. Tested & Reliable: Already tried and tested by others, so you can trust its stability.
4. Regular Updates: Providers often add new features or fix bugs for you.

Disadvantages

1. One-Size-Fits-All: May not align perfectly with your business processes.
2. Less Flexibility: Limited ability to tweak or customize deeply.
3. Dependency on Vendor: You're reliant on the provider for updates and support.
4. Hidden Costs: Extra fees for add-ons, licenses, or premium features might pile up.

Best For:

Businesses needing a quick, affordable, and proven tool.

How to Choose?

• Go custom if you have unique needs, a solid budget, and time to spare.
• Pick OOTB if you need a quick, affordable solution and can adapt your processes to fit the tool. 

We provide both custom and OOTB solutions as per your need. Please contact us for more details.

More Resources

Do it yourself Intranet design

Intranet Lookbook