Wired for success: Ausgrid’s modern SharePoint Online intranet overhaul

Ausgrid is an Australian electricity distributor that operates and maintains the poles, wires, and substations delivering power to 1.8 million homes and businesses across much of NSW. It is the largest electricity distributor on Australia’s east coast and is working to modernize its grid to support renewable energy, electric vehicles, and a sustainable future.

Challenge

Although The Wire had been designed as the go-to hub for company information, it no longer delivered what employees needed or mobile responsive. There was also a requirement to have a stand alone intranet for one part of the business. Over time, both platforms had become cumbersome, difficult to manage, outdated, and difficult to navigate. Instead of supporting productivity, it created friction – particularly for field staff who often struggled to access critical information while on the move.

The issues spanned technology, usability, and governance:

• Outdated technology – built on SharePoint Online with LiveTiles overlays, the intranet was clunky, not mobile-friendly, and couldn’t take advantage of modern Microsoft 365 features.
• Poor search and navigation – employees regularly described search as “broken.” Results were rigid, cluttered, and often irrelevant, while the navigation structure was confusing and hard to follow.
• Content sprawl – over 300 content editors, 15,000 + documents and pages had built up over time, many outdated, duplicated, or missing ownership. Employees struggled to know which information they could trust.
• Fragmented experience – field workers, remote staff, and employees felt disconnected, as the intranet wasn’t optimised for mobile or integrated into their daily tools.

The result was two intranets that employees no longer trusted or relied on. Key company messages were pushed through email instead, increasing noise and reducing engagement.

Solution

Engage Squared and Ausgrid set out to deliver not just a new intranet, but a genuine transformation of the employee digital experience. The project was approached holistically – addressing the technical underpinnings, streamlining content, redesigning the interface, and ensuring employees were ready to embrace the change.

Our work focused on four core areas:

• Modern platform – The Wire was rebuilt natively on SharePoint Online’s modern experience, removing most LiveTiles dependencies from the new site. Integrated with Microsoft Teams via Viva Connections, the new intranet is secure, mobile-friendly, and accessible anytime, anywhere.
• User-centred design – We ran workshops to gather employee input and designed a clean, branded, and intuitive interface. Navigation was simplified with a mega-menu and global nav, while search was upgraded with Microsoft’s modern AI-powered features. There is now the option to deliver personalised content feeds and targeted news and links to the right audiences, from frontline to office staff.
• Content audit and migration – We conducted a full content review, removing almost half of all pages and documents and eliminating hundreds of duplicates. All content was consolidated into the new Wire, creating one unified experience for all employees.
• Change management and training – Adoption was a priority. We supported Ausgrid with a communications campaign, admin and content author training, and new governance processes to keep the intranet clean, accurate, and engaging long-term. Over 80 content authors and 20 intranet champions were upskilled to manage and sustain the platform.

Delivered in just six months, the new Wire launched in June 2025 – on time, in scope, and ready to evolve with Ausgrid’s future.

Results

The launch of the new Wire marked a turning point in how Ausgrid’s employees connect with information and each other. What had once been a clunky, unreliable platform became a modern, trusted digital hub that supports every corner of the organisation – from head office through to the field.

Key outcomes include:

• Successful launch – Delivered within six months, with leadership and staff praising the speed, quality, and polish of the new experience.
• Better employee experience – Search is intelligent, navigation is intuitive, and personalised feeds make content more relevant. Field staff can now access the intranet seamlessly from mobile via Teams, reducing the sense of separation across the organisation.
• AI-ready foundations – The rebuild established structured, well-governed content and metadata practices that position Ausgrid to take advantage of future Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI innovations. This foundation enables intelligent search, context-aware insights, and richer personalisation across the digital workplace.
• Governed, accurate content – 47% of content was archived or pruned, ownership was assigned to all remaining material, and governance processes ensure information stays current.
• Out of the box solution –With no custom code and a business-led content model, Ausgrid can now manage the intranet independently and take advantage of MS updates.

The new Wire isn’t just an intranet – it’s a connected, modern workplace hub. By putting people at the centre and improving the digital employee experience, Ausgrid has created a trusted, sustainable platform that engages employees across the organisation and lays the foundation for future innovation.