Replacing SharePoint with a custom intranet is a decision that goes far beyond choosing a place to publish documents. It affects how people collaborate, how clearly processes are seen, and how much it costs to keep running legacy infrastructure. For a company that values speed, security and control, the question should not be only what it costs, but what kind of solution makes the best use of the budget.
The answer depends on several factors: the number of employees, the amount of integration with existing systems, the desired level of automation, cybersecurity requirements and deployment model. A simple intranet for document consultation does not need the same architecture as a portal centralising data from ERP, CRM and BI. That is why budgets can vary considerably.
The first mistake is comparing only the licence price. A generic platform seems affordable until you add customization, training and process adaptation. In many cases, custom software offers a more predictable total cost of ownership, because it is built with exactly the features the company needs and without paying for modules that are never used.
Functional scope is the main driver of price. Replacing a document repository is not the same as turning the intranet into an operations centre. Factors such as authentication type, department-level permission management, information governance, internal search and integration with productivity tools make significant differences. The more aligned the project is with real business processes, the greater the design and development effort.
Q2BSTUDIO approaches these projects with a discovery phase in which current workflows, system dependencies and the indicators to improve are analysed. That phase turns a generic request into a technical plan with priorities, risks and realistic estimates. With that foundation, a minimum viable product can be built in a few weeks and the solution validated before investing in advanced features.
Technology architecture also affects the budget. A deployment on AWS/Azure cloud includes high availability, automatic backups and easy scaling, but requires prior network and security design. When the intranet handles sensitive data, VPN tunnels and private endpoints should be used to avoid exposing services on the internet. That work is not an extra; it is an investment to reduce incidents and avoid penalties.
Artificial intelligence is changing the way an intranet creates value. Instead of limiting users to a keyword search, companies are starting to incorporate internal assistants capable of summarising documents, answering policy questions or generating reports. Techniques such as RAG, together with well-scoped AI agents, make it possible to automate repetitive tasks without losing control over data. Q2BSTUDIO designs AI solutions with an administration portal so business teams can manage models, permissions and usage themselves.
Cybersecurity is an essential component. Replacing SharePoint does not remove the need to control who enters, what they do and where they connect from. A custom development makes it possible to apply role-based access policies, audit logs and human approval checkpoints in critical processes. The sustainability of the project depends on security being included from the beginning and not added at the end.
Another often-forgotten aspect is integration with business data. An intranet that does not show relevant indicators risks becoming a bulletin board. Connecting the portal to Power BI, or to ERP data, allows employees to find metrics and documents associated with each process in one place. This also facilitates change management and helps justify the investment with objective data.
System evolution must also be planned. An intranet is not a static project. Maintenance costs, security updates, user support and new features must be included in the financial plan. Q2BSTUDIO usually delivers technical documentation and an administration portal that reduces dependency on the provider, allowing internal staff to make simple changes without engineering intervention.
As for investment, a comprehensive project is usually budgeted according to the level of transformation. A deployment focused on internal communication and document search will be simpler than one that includes process automation, AI agents and dashboards. The important thing is not to look for the lowest price but to find the balance between cost, risk and business value.
Measuring return is the piece that closes the loop. It is advisable to define the metrics to observe from the beginning: time spent on administrative tasks, speed of response to internal queries, accuracy of information delivered and employee adoption level. With that data, it is possible to evaluate whether the new intranet is fulfilling the function for which it was designed.
In short, the cost of replacing SharePoint with an intranet cannot be answered with a universal figure. It depends on the starting point, the ambition of the project and the quality of the team executing it. The best way to obtain a reliable estimate is to analyse internal processes and compare them with a technical proposal. That is where a development partner like Q2BSTUDIO can bring clarity, experience and measurable results.
