I have been using the SMLWRLD Essential intranet for nearly six months, having launched it in January 2020.

I didn’t use it straight away as I thought it was just another place to store documents. When I did start uploading information to it, I really liked it because nowadays it's very important to have somewhere central to properly store information daily. It gives you the option to both store and search for documents and other information. The search is crucial because it saves a lot of time.

The intranet is straight forward, and no one needs to train users on how to use it. Once you have your credentials you can log in and start using it. Nowadays most people are familiar with bootstrap software such as Facebook, and the intranet is based on bootstrap. It is simple, you log in and do what needs to be done.

During the COVID-19 lockdown of spring 2020, I was using the intranet daily. Daily business was slower than usual, so I had more time on my hands. I was documenting lots of things and uploading them, so I was using it three or four times a day.

One of the most important functions, is how easily things can be found on the intranet. If someone asked you about a document they are looking for, you can easily search for it, forward the link and save the day. Two days ago, we had a training meeting and our Technical Lead asked me about the VPN we had. I was able to quickly find the information and log in, so we saved the day!

If I could make a change to the intranet, I would like the option to edit an existing document without having to upload another version of it. On SharePoint you can click on a document and it is already linked to the server, so once you open it and make changes, they save automatically and upload the file without the need for doing anything manually. If the intranet could do that, it might be a good candidate to replace SharePoint totally. SharePoint is a product that I am a big fan of, but it costs 10 times more than this intranet, which is just as useful.

The layout and design of the intranet is mobile friendly so you can access it from your mobile and see the information from anywhere. It has a consistent and user-friendly design and a very nice useful bootstrap theme. It aids productivity and you can use it without training - what else do you need!

I was working remotely, and the intranet has been useful for that. For someone that works remotely to be able to access and work with documents, upload documents and all the other members of a team can access that information regardless of where they are works perfectly. The intranet is also ideal for corporations that have multiple offices and need to access information and collaborate with team members across different locations.

SMLWRLD: Thanks Pete for your amazing feedback. We are always looking at ways to improve our product and integration with Office 365 may well be something we visit in the future. This would allow users of the intranet to seamlessly edit MS Office files in an online environment without the need to download/re-upload them. We hope you continue enjoying SMLWRLD Essential.