Report:
Magic Quadrant for Intranet Packaged Solutions
How does Gartner define the Intranet Packaged Solutions market in 2024?
Gartner defines an intranet packaged solution (IPS) as a software product that organizations use to create and deploy an internal website or network of websites, portals, hubs, mobile apps and other digital experiences supporting business-to-employee needs. An IPS is delivered as an integrated assembly of capabilities geared specifically for intranet use cases, including employee communications and engagement, employee service and self-service, application access, and knowledge services. 'Packaged' signifies a holistic and fit-for-purpose approach. IPSs are used to facilitate the creation, deployment, management and ongoing evolution of employee-facing sites and experiences. They reduce the time to market of intranet initiatives and facilitate their ongoing expansion and refinement. IPSs enable business stakeholders (such as communications professionals and HR leaders) and IT to coordinate efforts that require both business and technical expertise. They provide employees with a reliable resource for company news, service and support, policies and procedures, application access, social connections, and communities. IPSs intend to support employees in a wide range of roles and contexts — including both office and frontline (or 'deskless') workers — with information and services.
Key Facts for Magic Quadrant for Intranet Packaged Solutions in 2024
- Publication Date: 16-Dec-2024
- Document ID: G00806402
- Coverage: 53 min read
- Authors: Mike Gotta, Gavin Tay
- Core Purpose: An intranet is a critical foundation for an organization's digital employee experience efforts, helping to shape efforts to engage workers and providing key services. Heads of enterprise applications should evaluate IPSs for their ability to enhance employee experience and meet stakeholders' needs.
Strategic Planning Assumptions
No strategic planning assumptions provided.
How was the Intranet Packaged Solutions market evolved in 2024?
- IPSs are general-purpose technology supporting a broad range of business and cultural activities, typically sponsored by HR and corporate communications
- Intranets are gaining renewed interest as organizations recognize the importance of employee experience
- IPSs are a key part of Gartner's digital employee experience blueprint, forming the basis for employee engagement hubs, service hubs, and technology services hubs
- The 2024 Gartner Digital Worker Survey shows that 34% of digital workers struggle to find information or data needed for their job at least half the time
- Maturing IPS AI capabilities promise to improve effectiveness of information and services delivered via AI assistants and bots
- Frontline superapps are emerging to provide unified access to information, applications and operational activities
- IPS providers face continual pressure to both differentiate from and integrate with Microsoft tools and platforms
- ServiceNow is a first-time vendor in this Magic Quadrant, representing new market entrants from adjacent markets
- The IPS market is characterized by trends including new market entrants, Microsoft's continuing influence, GenAI reshaping experiences, and frontline superapp development
- Organizations are replacing or redesigning intranets due to product deficiency and poor adoption
- Market includes 17 vendors evaluated across four quadrants: Leaders (7), Challengers (1), Visionaries (3), and Niche Players (6)
What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?
- Availability as a cohesive and integrated product. The IPS must be a stand-alone technology. It should not require additional application or platform technology to function. The IPS must be positioned as the sole or primary intranet foundation for the majority of its buyers.
- The IPS must be available in the cloud, public or private. On-premises-only products are not considered in the market.
- Content services, including site management, page management, information architecture, web content management, document management, image management and content search. Site management should include templates, page templates, and content components.
- Integration and interoperability, including packaged integrations or connectors with common enterprise systems and platforms, a component or 'app' model for UI-level integration, and API-level integration.
- Personalization, including audience segmentation and targeting.
- Analytics and reporting, providing the ability to assess and improve intranet usage and performance against business goals.
- Workflow, enabling the orchestration, coordination and automation of processes and tasks.
- A common UI framework to render multiple types of content, with accompanying site templates, page templates and content components.
- Multiexperience support, including coordinated support for delivery and interaction via various devices (such as mobile devices, kiosks and digital signage), channels (web, email, third-party applications), and modalities (visual, conversational, activity feeds).
- Security and access management capabilities, including security administration, management of access rights and privileges, delegation of responsibilities, secure data sharing and single sign-on.
What are the common features of top products in the Intranet Packaged Solutions space?
- Artificial intelligence, including machine learning, natural-language processing and generative AI.
- Composability, including application architecture, componentry and tools that enable low-code business-led development.
- Knowledge graphs that draw dynamic connections between people, content and activity.
- User experience design tools, including persona development, journey mapping, design testing and optimization.
- Community services and features, such as discussion forums, blogs and activity feeds.
- Support for multichannel internal communications (such as email, in-app messaging and digital signage).
- Specific support for frontline workers, such as a superapp and collection of miniapps.
Scope Exclusions
- Products that are most frequently used for niche use cases or as supplements to other IPS offerings
- Products that primarily support business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-customer (B2C) versus business-to-employee (B2E) use cases
- On-premises-only products
- Products that require additional application or platform technology to function as a complete solution
- Vendors not ranking among the top 25 in Gartner's Customer Interest Indicator
- Vendors with less than $11M annual IPS subscription revenue (or less than $7M with under 20% growth)
- Vendors with less than 75% of revenue from licenses/subscriptions
- Vendors with less than 75% of revenue associated with their IPS product
- Vendors without presence in at least two global regions
- Vendors without at least 10% of customers in two or more regions
- Vendors without active customers in three or more vertical/industry categories
Inclusion Criteria
Vendors must, among other requirements:
- Must actively support at least three of six use cases: Employee engagement, Employee service/stand-alone, Application portals, Knowledge services, Work management, Frontline worker support
- Product must be the sole or primary intranet foundation for most customers
- Majority of deployments must support business-to-employee (B2E) use cases
- Must be available in the cloud (public or private)
- Must have all mandatory capabilities including content services, integration, personalization, analytics, workflow, common UI framework, multiexperience support, and security management
- Must rank among top 25 IPS vendors in Gartner's Customer Interest Indicator
- Must achieve either $11M annual IPS subscription revenue OR $7M with 20% growth between 2023-2024
- At least 75% of revenue must be from licenses/subscriptions vs. services
- 75% of revenue must be associated with the IPS product
- Must have market presence in at least two global regions with dedicated offices and employees
- At least 10% of customers must be headquartered in at least two regions
- Must have active customers in three or more vertical/industry categories
Ability to Execute — Relative Weighting
- Product or Service - High
- Overall Viability - High
- Sales Execution/Pricing - Medium
- Market Responsiveness/Record - High
- Marketing Execution - Medium
- Customer Experience - High
- Operations - Medium
Completeness of Vision — Relative Weighting
- Market Understanding - Medium
- Marketing Strategy - High
- Sales Strategy - Medium
- Offering (Product) Strategy - High
- Business Model - NotRated
- Vertical/Industry Strategy - Low
- Innovation - High
- Geographic Strategy - Medium
FAQs
Q: What does this research cover?
A: This research evaluates 17 vendors in the Intranet Packaged Solutions (IPS) market based on their Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. It covers vendors offering software products that organizations use to create and deploy internal websites, portals, hubs, mobile apps and digital experiences supporting business-to-employee needs. The research includes mandatory and common features, vendor strengths and cautions, market trends, and evaluation criteria. It examines how IPSs facilitate employee communications and engagement, employee service and self-service, application access, knowledge services, work management, and frontline worker support.
Q: Who should use this research?
A: This research should be used by heads of enterprise applications, digital workplace application leaders, IT leaders, HR leaders, and communications professionals who are evaluating IPS vendors for intranet modernization, redesign, or replatforming initiatives. It is intended to aid selection decisions about vendors and products that can enhance employee experience and meet stakeholder needs. Users should study the evaluation criteria, assess vendor strengths and cautions, and use it in conjunction with the associated Critical Capabilities for Intranet Packaged Solutions report to arrive at best-fit vendors for their intranet initiatives.
Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?
A: All IPS vendors must provide: (1) A cohesive, integrated stand-alone product available in the cloud that serves as the primary intranet foundation; (2) Comprehensive content services including site/page management, web content management, document management, and content search with templates and components; (3) Integration capabilities with packaged connectors, component/app models, and API-level integration; (4) Personalization through audience segmentation and targeting; (5) Analytics and reporting for usage assessment and performance improvement; (6) Workflow capabilities for process orchestration and automation; (7) A common UI framework with site/page templates and content components; (8) Multiexperience support across devices, channels, and modalities; (9) Security and access management including administration, permissions, delegation, and single sign-on.
Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?
A:
- Product used primarily for niche use cases rather than as primary intranet foundation
- Insufficient customer interest ranking (not in top 25 of Gartner's Customer Interest Indicator)
- Below minimum revenue thresholds ($11M annually or $7M with 20% growth)
- Revenue composition with less than 75% from licenses/subscriptions versus services
- Insufficient product revenue alignment (less than 75% from IPS product)
- Limited geographic presence (fewer than two regions with dedicated offices/employees)
- Insufficient customer geographic distribution (less than 10% in two regions)
- Limited vertical/industry coverage (fewer than three active industry categories)
- On-premises-only deployment model
- Requirement for additional platforms to provide complete functionality
- Primary focus on B2B or B2C rather than B2E use cases
- Support for fewer than three of the six required use cases
Q: What differentiates Ability to Execute vs. Completeness of Vision?
A: Ability to Execute focuses on current execution capabilities and operational performance, including product quality, financial viability, sales effectiveness, market responsiveness, marketing execution, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency. These criteria typically drive vendor selection as buyers prioritize product functionality, delivery capability, innovation responsiveness, and customer reputation. Completeness of Vision assesses future-oriented strategic capabilities, including market understanding, strategic planning, innovation roadmap, and the ability to anticipate and shape customer needs. Vision criteria evaluate how well vendors communicate and execute their market strategy, understand emerging trends, and leverage market dynamics to create opportunities.
Reference
- Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Intranet Packaged Solutions, 16-Dec-2024, ID G00806402
View Leaders
View Vendor Movements
