In this article, we’ll talk a bit more about what intranets are and why you need one for your business. Then we’ll discuss how to create an intranet using WordPress and what elements it should include. Let’s get to work!<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udcda Table of contents:<\/h4>\n\n- What intranets are (and why your business needs one)<\/a><\/li>\n
- How to create an intranet using WordPress<\/a><\/li>\n
- Three elements every intranet should have (and how to set them up)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t \t\n\t\t \t\tHow to create an #intranet with #WordPress<\/a>\n\t\t \t<\/div>\n\t\t \t\n\t\t \tClick To Tweet \n\t\t \t\t<\/span>\n\t\t \t<\/a>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
What intranets are (and why your business needs one)<\/h2>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/intranet-example.png\")
Intranets are fantastic tools for helping large companies and organizations stay in sync.<\/p><\/div>\n
Technically, an intranet is a private network only users within your organization should be able to access. However, the term is also used to refer to websites within <\/em>that private network that people outside it can’t reach.<\/p>\nFor example, if you want to create an internal community or website for your business, that would be a perfect example of an intranet. The concept of a site that isn’t open the public may sound a bit odd, but here’s why you should consider it:<\/p>\n
\n- You can use it as a private news channel.<\/strong> An internal website is ideal for sharing sensitive company-related news and tips with your employees.<\/li>\n
- It can help foster team building.<\/strong> Some intranets act as community sites since they include profile and messaging board features<\/a> that can help people get to know each other.<\/li>\n
- It gives you a place to set up internal knowledge bases.<\/strong> An intranet is a perfect location to host internal documentation<\/a> for your business and even private files.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Keep in mind that setting up an intranet makes the most sense for medium to large-sized businesses. If you’re running a two-man operation, for example, creating an intranet can be a bit redundant. If you’ve got a few dozen people under your employ, however, it starts to make more sense. Intranets are also ideal for companies that rely on a lot of collaboration, where many different people need access to the same information and resources.
\n
<\/div>\nHow to create an intranet using WordPress<\/h2>\n
As we mentioned earlier, intranets are for internal use only. That means you don’t need hosting to set one up, just a dedicated computer you can use as a server and that can stay up around the clock (or at least during working hours).<\/p>\n
Once you have that, you’ll just need to set up a local WordPress website to use as the foundation for your intranet. In the past, we’ve covered a lot of ways to set up local sites, including environments such as XAMPP<\/a>, and tools such as DesktopServer<\/a> and Local by Flywheel<\/a>.<\/p>\nIn most cases, we favor the latter options since they’re more user-friendly. However, they’re not designed to run sites that need to be always up. For this approach, we recommend using XAMPP, which supports Linux, OS X, and Windows computers:<\/p>\n
![\"how](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/xampp.png\")
<\/p>\n
Fortunately, it’s fairly simple to install XAMPP<\/a> and get WordPress running on it. When the website is up, anyone in your network should be able to access it using its LAN IP address, which will look like this:<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/192.168.1.100:100<\/code><\/p>\nHere are some instructions on how to find your LAN IP address for various operating systems:<\/p>\n
\n- Windows 10<\/a><\/li>\n
- Mac OS<\/a><\/li>\n
- Most Linux Builds<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For example, if your XAMPP computer’s internal IP address is 192.168.1.167<\/code>:<\/p>\n![\"how](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/how-to-create-an-intranet-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
And your XAMPP server is using port 80<\/code>:<\/p>\n![\"how](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/how-to-create-an-intranet-2.png\")
<\/p>\n
Then you could access your intranet from any computer connected to the same network <\/em>by going to 192.168.1.167:80<\/code><\/p>\nIf people at work can’t access your setup, you should check to make sure they’re all part of the same network. Finally, you may want to remap your local LAN address<\/a> to a URL people will remember, or just tell them to bookmark it!
\n<\/div>\nThree elements every intranet should have (and how to set them up)<\/h2>\n
Now, it’s time to implement some basic features. Let’s start with three of the most important elements.<\/p>\n
\n- Basic community features<\/a><\/li>\n
- An internal knowledge base<\/a><\/li>\n
- An internal files repository<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
1. Basic community features<\/h3>\n
Ideally, you’ll want your intranet to include some essential community features, such as user profiles, message boards, and other ways for people to communicate and share news. Here’s why this is so crucial:<\/p>\n
\n- Community features can foster communication between groups.<\/strong> The more that people within your business communicate, the better performances you should see.<\/li>\n
- It’s an excellent way to make your intranet a more friendly place.<\/strong> Without community features, your users might not be interested enough to keep coming back as often as you’d like them to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As you might know, WordPress only offers a few socializing features out of the box. It’s a great solution if you just want people to comment on your posts, but it’s not as well suited to setting up an online community. That’s where plugins such as BuddyPress come in, since they enable you to add these sorts of features to your website:<\/p>\n
What intranets are (and why your business needs one)<\/h2>\nIntranets are fantastic tools for helping large companies and organizations stay in sync.<\/p><\/div>\n
Technically, an intranet is a private network only users within your organization should be able to access. However, the term is also used to refer to websites within <\/em>that private network that people outside it can’t reach.<\/p>\nFor example, if you want to create an internal community or website for your business, that would be a perfect example of an intranet. The concept of a site that isn’t open the public may sound a bit odd, but here’s why you should consider it:<\/p>\n
\n- You can use it as a private news channel.<\/strong> An internal website is ideal for sharing sensitive company-related news and tips with your employees.<\/li>\n
- It can help foster team building.<\/strong> Some intranets act as community sites since they include profile and messaging board features<\/a> that can help people get to know each other.<\/li>\n
- It gives you a place to set up internal knowledge bases.<\/strong> An intranet is a perfect location to host internal documentation<\/a> for your business and even private files.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Keep in mind that setting up an intranet makes the most sense for medium to large-sized businesses. If you’re running a two-man operation, for example, creating an intranet can be a bit redundant. If you’ve got a few dozen people under your employ, however, it starts to make more sense. Intranets are also ideal for companies that rely on a lot of collaboration, where many different people need access to the same information and resources.
\n
<\/div>\nHow to create an intranet using WordPress<\/h2>\n
As we mentioned earlier, intranets are for internal use only. That means you don’t need hosting to set one up, just a dedicated computer you can use as a server and that can stay up around the clock (or at least during working hours).<\/p>\n
Once you have that, you’ll just need to set up a local WordPress website to use as the foundation for your intranet. In the past, we’ve covered a lot of ways to set up local sites, including environments such as XAMPP<\/a>, and tools such as DesktopServer<\/a> and Local by Flywheel<\/a>.<\/p>\nIn most cases, we favor the latter options since they’re more user-friendly. However, they’re not designed to run sites that need to be always up. For this approach, we recommend using XAMPP, which supports Linux, OS X, and Windows computers:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fortunately, it’s fairly simple to install XAMPP<\/a> and get WordPress running on it. When the website is up, anyone in your network should be able to access it using its LAN IP address, which will look like this:<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/192.168.1.100:100<\/code><\/p>\nHere are some instructions on how to find your LAN IP address for various operating systems:<\/p>\n
\n- Windows 10<\/a><\/li>\n
- Mac OS<\/a><\/li>\n
- Most Linux Builds<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For example, if your XAMPP computer’s internal IP address is 192.168.1.167<\/code>:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And your XAMPP server is using port 80<\/code>:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Then you could access your intranet from any computer connected to the same network <\/em>by going to 192.168.1.167:80<\/code><\/p>\nIf people at work can’t access your setup, you should check to make sure they’re all part of the same network. Finally, you may want to remap your local LAN address<\/a> to a URL people will remember, or just tell them to bookmark it!
\n<\/div>\nThree elements every intranet should have (and how to set them up)<\/h2>\n
Now, it’s time to implement some basic features. Let’s start with three of the most important elements.<\/p>\n
\n- Basic community features<\/a><\/li>\n
- An internal knowledge base<\/a><\/li>\n
- An internal files repository<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
1. Basic community features<\/h3>\n
Ideally, you’ll want your intranet to include some essential community features, such as user profiles, message boards, and other ways for people to communicate and share news. Here’s why this is so crucial:<\/p>\n
\n- Community features can foster communication between groups.<\/strong> The more that people within your business communicate, the better performances you should see.<\/li>\n
- It’s an excellent way to make your intranet a more friendly place.<\/strong> Without community features, your users might not be interested enough to keep coming back as often as you’d like them to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As you might know, WordPress only offers a few socializing features out of the box. It’s a great solution if you just want people to comment on your posts, but it’s not as well suited to setting up an online community. That’s where plugins such as BuddyPress come in, since they enable you to add these sorts of features to your website:<\/p>\n
Intranets are fantastic tools for helping large companies and organizations stay in sync.<\/p><\/div>\n
Technically, an intranet is a private network only users within your organization should be able to access. However, the term is also used to refer to websites within <\/em>that private network that people outside it can’t reach.<\/p>\n For example, if you want to create an internal community or website for your business, that would be a perfect example of an intranet. The concept of a site that isn’t open the public may sound a bit odd, but here’s why you should consider it:<\/p>\n Keep in mind that setting up an intranet makes the most sense for medium to large-sized businesses. If you’re running a two-man operation, for example, creating an intranet can be a bit redundant. If you’ve got a few dozen people under your employ, however, it starts to make more sense. Intranets are also ideal for companies that rely on a lot of collaboration, where many different people need access to the same information and resources. As we mentioned earlier, intranets are for internal use only. That means you don’t need hosting to set one up, just a dedicated computer you can use as a server and that can stay up around the clock (or at least during working hours).<\/p>\n Once you have that, you’ll just need to set up a local WordPress website to use as the foundation for your intranet. In the past, we’ve covered a lot of ways to set up local sites, including environments such as XAMPP<\/a>, and tools such as DesktopServer<\/a> and Local by Flywheel<\/a>.<\/p>\n In most cases, we favor the latter options since they’re more user-friendly. However, they’re not designed to run sites that need to be always up. For this approach, we recommend using XAMPP, which supports Linux, OS X, and Windows computers:<\/p>\n Fortunately, it’s fairly simple to install XAMPP<\/a> and get WordPress running on it. When the website is up, anyone in your network should be able to access it using its LAN IP address, which will look like this:<\/p>\n Here are some instructions on how to find your LAN IP address for various operating systems:<\/p>\n For example, if your XAMPP computer’s internal IP address is And your XAMPP server is using Then you could access your intranet from any computer connected to the same network <\/em>by going to If people at work can’t access your setup, you should check to make sure they’re all part of the same network. Finally, you may want to remap your local LAN address<\/a> to a URL people will remember, or just tell them to bookmark it! Now, it’s time to implement some basic features. Let’s start with three of the most important elements.<\/p>\n Ideally, you’ll want your intranet to include some essential community features, such as user profiles, message boards, and other ways for people to communicate and share news. Here’s why this is so crucial:<\/p>\n As you might know, WordPress only offers a few socializing features out of the box. It’s a great solution if you just want people to comment on your posts, but it’s not as well suited to setting up an online community. That’s where plugins such as BuddyPress come in, since they enable you to add these sorts of features to your website:<\/p>\n\n
\nHow to create an intranet using WordPress<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/192.168.1.100:100<\/code><\/p>\n\n
192.168.1.167<\/code>:<\/p>\n<\/p>\nport 80<\/code>:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n192.168.1.167:80<\/code><\/p>\n
\nThree elements every intranet should have (and how to set them up)<\/h2>\n
\n
1. Basic community features<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"BuddyPress\"](\"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/buddypress\/assets\/banner-772x250.png?rev=1854372\")
\t\t\t