Overview
Douglas College, a large public post-secondary institution in British Columbia, required a sustainable path forward for its aging intranet (DC Connect), which relied heavily on SharePoint Classic components that were being scheduled for retirement in 2026. With over 128 subsites and 4,000 pages contained within a single site collection, the existing environment presented significant governance, scalability, and permissions management challenges across its academic and administrative departments.
Inside View conducted a comprehensive intranet assessment and designed a modern SharePoint Online architecture aligned with Microsoft best practices. The engagement provided senior leadership with a clear, risk-aware modernization strategy that highlights governance, scalability, and long-term maintainability.
Challenges
- Over 128 subsites within a single SharePoint site collection
- 4,000+ pages with inconsistent metadata and permission structures
- Heavy dependence on SharePoint Classic components facing retirement
- Limited scalability and fragmented information architecture
- Underestimated migration complexity and internal resourcing constraints
- Early reliance on third-party tool replacement without addressing structural governance gaps
Solution
- Intranet Architecture AssessmentConducted a detailed structural audit identifying risks across governance, metadata, lifecycle management, and permission inheritance models within the existing intranet environment.
- Modern SharePoint Architecture DesignDesigned a flat, multi-site collection model supported by hub site architecture to improve scalability, simplify permission management, and strengthen governance alignment.
- Phased Modernization RoadmapDeveloped a governance-aligned migration strategy that prioritized sustainable phasing over tool replacement.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Ownership ValidationEngaged departmental leaders to clarify content ownership, validate site usage patterns, and align delivery with modernization priorities.
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Outcome
- 1,900+users on scalable intranet architecture
- Delivered a risk and mitigation modernization roadmap aligned with Microsoft’s platform evolution
- Shifted executive strategy from third-party vendor replacement to governance-first, self-sustaining architecture
- Reduced long-term technical debt and permission sprawl risks
- Improved clarity around ownership, lifecycle management, and sustainable intranet governance
