CASE STUDY BALOISE
Baloise Deploys a Microsoft 365-Based Intranet to Support Global Communication and Distributed Content Management
In a company like Baloise, communication is never one-dimensional.
Information must reach the right people at the right time – across national borders, in multiple languages, and within clearly structured processes. However, the previous system increasingly reached its limits. Key requirements for a modern intranet – integration, flexibility, and governance – encountered both technical and organizational barriers. Baloise therefore opted for a complete fresh start: a solution based on Microsoft 365, purposefully designed for usability and editorial control, and providing the technical foundation for modern collaboration.
The new platform supports more than 8,000 employees in their daily work – from finding information and creating content to accessing tools quickly and intuitively. Introduced in phases, the modular and customizable intranet includes purpose-built extensions such as a centralized editorial workspace and configurable web parts. The rollout was completed successfully by the end of 2024.
Baloise: Connected Across Europe – Locally Rooted
Baloise: Connected Across Europe – Locally Rooted
Baloise is a European financial and insurance group headquartered in Basel. More than 8,000 employees work across Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein – in different languages, under regional structures, and with distinct areas of responsibility.
Each national entity operates largely autonomously, with its own communication channels and full accountability for results. Central IT services such as the intranet are managed from Basel, in close coordination with local departments.
This decentralized setup shapes the requirements for internal communication: content must be targeted, editorial workflows need to remain flexible, and digital tools must be scalable across the entire group – all while preserving regional relevance.
At a Glance:
- Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland
- Employees: 8,000
- Countries: Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein
- Languages: German, French, Flemish, Italian, English
- Structure: Decentralized business units with independent profit and loss responsibility
- Central Services: Coordinated by Group IT
Starting Point & Strategic Objectives
The previous intranet was based on classic SharePoint components combined with a third-party solution. At the time of its launch in 2019, the system met the then-current requirements – but offered only limited integration with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Instead of leveraging modern SharePoint components, it relied on classic sites with proprietary web parts, which gradually resulted in a fragmented system architecture.
As Microsoft 365 continued to evolve, these limitations became increasingly pronounced:
- Content displayed via the implemented web parts was not indexed by SharePoint search. ChatGPT fragen
- Technical updates could only be adopted to a limited extent.
- The platform offered limited compatibility with other Microsoft 365 tools and was difficult to integrate.
- There was no consistent user experience across the intranet, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint.
There were also organizational limitations: editorial content could not be targeted by region, language, or audience. For a company operating across multiple countries and languages with decentralized responsibilities, this led to high coordination overhead, low visibility of relevant content, and limited potential for modern communication formats.
To address these challenges, a comprehensive preliminary study was conducted ahead of the project – in collaboration with an external consulting partner. The aim was to gather the requirements of business units, identify system weaknesses, and establish a solid basis for decision-making.
This preliminary study was also instrumental in convincing management of the need for a system replacement. Although the existing intranet was still operational, many stakeholders were unaware of how far it lag behind current Microsoft technologies and modern communication standards. The in-depth analysis helped make the need for change tangible and laid the groundwork for a shared vision of the new solution.
At the same time, Group IT began refining its digital strategy:
- Focus on Microsoft 365 standards (“Microsoft first” approach) ChatGPT fragen
- Reduction of third-party dependencies ChatGPT fragen
- Data security through hosting within the company’s own tenant
- Minimization of operational costs and support efforts
- Stronger integration with existing tools such as Teams, OneDrive, and Planner
The objective was therefore to fully replace the existing intranet with a modern, high-performance, and centrally manageable platform – without functional compromises, but with maximum flexibility for countries, editorial teams, and employees.
The Path to the New Solution
After completing the preliminary study, a company-wide RFP process was launched. The focus was on finding a partner capable of delivering a SharePoint-native intranet solution based on Micr
Nach Abschluss der Vorstudie wurde eine unternehmensweite Ausschreibung initiiert.
Im Fokus stand die Suche nach einem Partner, der eine SharePoint-native Intranetlösung auf Basis von Microsoft 365 realisieren konnte – ergänzt um gezielte Erweiterungen dort, wo Standardfunktionen nicht ausreichten.
Dafür wurden drei grundsätzliche Lösungsansätze geprüft:
- Stand-alone-Intranetplattformen außerhalb von M365 – insbesondere für Blue Collar-Szenarien mit eigenständiger Oberfläche. Diese Option wurde ausgeschlossen, da die Integration in bestehende M365-Strukturen nicht möglich war.
- Framework-basierte Lösungen auf SharePoint-Basis – klassische Drittanbieterprodukte mit fertigen Intranetkomponenten. Diese boten zwar Komfort, aber auch starke Abhängigkeiten sowie Performanceeinbußen.
- Microsoft 365 Out-of-the-Box plus gezielte Eigenentwicklungen – maximal M365-nah, flexibel erweiterbar, strategisch zukunftssicher.
Entschieden wurde sich für Variante 3 – verbunden mit dem Ziel, so viele Anforderungen wie möglich im Microsoft-Standard umzusetzen und gezielt dort zu erweitern, wo es inhaltlich, redaktionell oder technisch notwendig war.
osoft 365 – enhanced with targeted customizations where standard features fell short.
Three fundamental solution approaches were evaluated:
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Stand-alone intranet platforms outside of Microsoft 365 – primarily designed for blue-collar scenarios with independent front ends. This option was ruled out due to its lack of integration with existing Microsoft 365 infrastructure.
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Framework-based solutions built on SharePoint – established third-party products with prebuilt intranet components. While these offered convenience, they also introduced significant vendor dependencies and potential performance issues.
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Microsoft 365 out-of-the-box, supplemented by targeted custom developments – a solution closely aligned with the M365 ecosystem, strategically future-proof and flexibly extendable.
Baloise ultimately chose the third option – with the ambition to implement as many requirements as possible using Microsoft 365 standard features, while extending the solution only where editorial, functional, or technical needs demanded it.
“It was important to us that our project partner listened – not just imposed a standard solution, but truly understood the complexity of our organization. With their UX design capabilities and SharePoint expertise, IPI met us exactly where we were.”
Implementation in Detail
Project Structure and Approach
The project was launched in autumn 2023 with an ambitious goal: go-live by the end of 2024 – while meeting high technical, organizational, and regulatory standards. Implementation followed an agile setup with regular coordination between the project team, IT, communications, and decentralized editorial staff. Requirements were documented, prioritized, and implemented iteratively using Azure DevOps. Testing began early in parallel with development – initially in the IPI test environment, and later in a pre-production environment at Baloise.
Testing Phases and Infrastructure
One of the key project takeaways was the importance of conducting tests in the company’s own system environment as early as possible. Regulatory requirements and complex policy structures made the deployment process particularly challenging. However, close collaboration with the internal IT team enabled these issues to be successfully addressed.
The communications department was actively involved throughout the project, ensuring that editorial needs were taken into account from the outset. Early-stage testing with selected editors also helped optimize the user experience and navigation.
Technical Implementation
The new intranet platform is built entirely on SharePoint Online within the Microsoft 365 environment. The solution consistently leverages standard Microsoft capabilities, complemented by targeted custom developments tailored to the specific requirements of Baloise.
Core Components of the Technical Solution:
- Accordion Web Part for a clear, space-efficient presentation of extensive content – including anchor links and easy editorial maintenance.
- LifeCycle Cockpit for editorial governance, providing an overview of pages, review deadlines, and editing status.
- People Search with display of specific metadata from internal systems, independent of the standard profile card.
- MyTools Launcher (floating button) for integrating frequently used applications, technically controlled via target audiences.
- PnP Search Web Parts for displaying news, comments, and content based on Microsoft Search.
- Integration von Viva Engage als Community-Bereich zur Trennung von informeller und unternehmensweiter Kommunikation.
- Azure Redis Cache to optimize performance for complex landing pages with over 120 requests – significantly exceeding Microsoft’s recommended maximum of 25.
- Automated Site Provisioning via PowerShell scripts ensures consistent creation of new content areas based on predefined templates. This enables targeted setup of editorial pages while reliably enforcing company-wide governance standards. ChatGPT fragen
The MyTools Launcher is accessible directly from the homepage via a floating button and provides quick access to frequently used applications – from time tracking tools to local HR services. The displayed applications are dynamically tailored based on the user’s location, organizational unit, or role.
Content is centrally configured and delivered in a personalized manner – without additional navigation or unnecessary clicks. The result is a streamlined, task-oriented interface that significantly reduces entry points to key processes. The goal was to create a high-performance, low-maintenance, and extensible platform that can flexibly adapt to different user groups, languages, and requirements – without compromising on security or compliance.
Personalization and Targeted Communication
At Baloise, employees only see the content that’s relevant to their work – tailored to their location, language, department, or role. Technically, this is managed through so-called target audiences, enabling precise content delivery based on defined user groups.
The editorial structure combines mandatory corporate channels with optional, subscribable interest channels. Group-wide announcements are published via a central news stream, while each national entity has its own dedicated communication space with editorial responsibility – all within a unified system.
Multilingual content can be specifically curated and targeted. Depending on the context, editors decide whether to translate, localize, or provide content in a specific language.
The same targeting mechanisms apply to event listings and the MyTools Launcher: users only see applications, services, or events that are relevant to them – based on their location or role. This creates an information environment that enables focused communication without unnecessary distraction or added effort.
Migration and Editorial Concept
The editorial structure was designed to meet the needs of a decentralized organization with over 240 active editors distributed across multiple countries and language regions. To manage editorial content, Baloise employs a Lifecycle Cockpit built on existing Microsoft 365 components and enhanced through targeted development. This dashboard consolidates information on page status, responsibilities, and deadlines, complemented by an automated reminder system. After six months, editors receive a notification prompting them to review their content. This approach ensures the intranet remains continuously up to date without additional coordination effort from central teams.
New content areas are created automatically based on predefined templates. The pages are modular in structure and can be flexibly adapted to the respective target audience or editorial context. This approach ensures consistent structures without restricting editorial autonomy. During the platform rollout, editorial teams received intensive support. In addition to training materials and editorial guidelines, digital Q&A sessions, dedicated contacts, and technical tools were provided.
The content migration was deliberately managed as an editorial process. Existing pages were not transferred automatically but manually reviewed, revised, or selectively rebuilt. Using Google Analytics, it was possible to determine which content was actively used—while unused content was archived or omitted. This resulted in a clear, up-to-date intranet with defined responsibilities and robust editorial workflows, tailored to the working practices of an international corporation.
Successes and Lessons Learned
The new intranet went live as planned at the end of 2024. Following an intensive period of development, migration, and training, the platform launched stably and was widely adopted across the company within weeks. Feedback from the national subsidiaries, central communications team, and business units confirms the high relevance and practical suitability of the new solution for daily work.
The platform meets key requirements more effectively than the previous system:
- Stability and Performance even on content-heavy landing pages, enabled by targeted caching. ChatGPT fragen
- Consistent User Experience across countries and language boundaries.
- Editorial Relief through reduced complexity, centralized tools, and clear responsibilities.
- Targeted Communication through multilingual content and audience-based targeting.
- Reduced Complexity by avoiding additional platforms and maximizing the use of Microsoft 365.
Technically, the system benefits from seamless integration within the Microsoft ecosystem: documents, tasks, and tools can be embedded contextually—without detours or interruptions in workflow. During the project, several key factors were identified that significantly contributed to its success and should be considered in future initiatives.
Key Insights from Implementation:
- Plan early test runs in the target environment to realistically assess technical dependencies and policy compliance.
- Leverage manual migration strategically to revise and streamline content.
- Actively support editors not only technically but also through ongoing communication.
- Embed communication measures internally at an early stage to manage expectations, build acceptance, and reduce inquiries.
- Consider personalized homepages early from a technical perspective to avoid performance degradation.
The introduction of the new intranet enhances collaboration within an international, decentralized organization. Reliable technology and a well-designed information architecture ensure that content is findable, processes run more efficiently, and communication is targeted and effective.
Outlook
With the go-live completed, the build phase of the new intranet is concluded, and ongoing development has already begun. The focus is on two main objectives: strengthening editorial autonomy within the countries and gradually integrating additional Microsoft 365 components. In the future, editorial teams will be increasingly empowered to create, maintain, and publish content independently—without technical barriers or reliance on central teams. The platform’s modular design supports flexible adaptation to emerging needs.
Integration with Microsoft Teams, Planner, Viva Engage, and OneDrive will also be further expanded. The goal is to establish a fully integrated work environment that seamlessly connects editorial, collaborative, and operational tasks. The platform is designed to scale with evolving requirements, and lessons learned from the rollout are continuously feeding into its ongoing development.
As of June 2025
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