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.
What was holding Douglas College back
- 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
A governance-first approach to digital transformation
Intranet Architecture Assessment
Conducted a detailed structural audit identifying risks across governance, metadata, lifecycle management, and permission inheritance models within the existing intranet environment.
Modern SharePoint Architecture Design
Designed a flat, multi-site collection model supported by hub site architecture to improve scalability, simplify permission management, and strengthen governance alignment.
Phased Modernization Roadmap
Developed a governance-aligned migration strategy that prioritized sustainable phasing over tool replacement.
Stakeholder Engagement & Ownership Validation
Engaged departmental leaders to clarify content ownership, validate site usage patterns, and align delivery with modernization priorities.
Built on Microsoft 365
Measurable results from day one
"Douglas College now operates with a future-ready intranet strategy designed to support cross-functional collaboration, simplified administration, and long-term institutional growth."
— Inside View Consulting Team