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From SharePoint to a Modern Employee Portal with Payload CMS

Plavno developed a modern corporate portal for a large European logistics operator to unify company news, internal knowledge, onboarding, HR documents, and department-based access in one scalable platform.

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Overview

Key Metrics & Impact

The client was a European logistics company with more than 500 employees across 12 countries. Its internal intranet was still running on SharePoint — slow, inflexible, and widely disliked by employees. The goal was to replace it with a modern internal platform that could serve as a company-wide knowledge hub, onboarding center, and document portal with clear role-based access.

  • One backend replaced SharePoint, Confluence, and multiple Google Drive folders

  • New employee onboarding time was reduced from 3 days to around 4 hours

  • Better access control for department-specific knowledge and documents

  • Faster publishing of internal announcements and important updates

  • Improved employee experience across onboarding, HR, and internal communication workflows

Solutions
Challenges
Use Cases
<span>Key Metrics</span> & Impact
01

Problem

The company's internal knowledge environment had become fragmented and inefficient.

Common challenges included:


  • A slow and outdated SharePoint intranet

  • Scattered knowledge across multiple tools and folders

  • Weak usability for employees looking for internal information

  • Poor content structure for onboarding and HR workflows

  • Limited flexibility for department-specific access and content visibility


Instead of helping teams work faster, the old setup created friction across communication, internal documentation, and day-to-day employee support.

Problem
02

Challenge

The new platform needed to:


  • Centralize news, knowledge, onboarding, and HR documents in one system

  • Support department-based and role-based access rules

  • Allow employees to log in with corporate credentials

  • Provide fast frontend performance for everyday internal use

  • Make content updates possible without constant developer involvement


There were also important constraints:


  • Access rights had to vary across HR, finance, management, and other departments

  • The portal needed to support both general company-wide content and restricted internal documents

  • Authentication had to fit into the company's existing identity environment

  • The new platform had to replace several tools without becoming overly complex

Challenge

Solution

Modern Corporate Employee Portal Built with Payload CMS

Plavno developed a secure corporate employee portal on Payload CMS with a custom role-based access model, structured internal content management, fast Next.js frontend delivery, and enterprise-ready workflows — all unified in one backend environment.

Product Highlights

    • Centralized internal knowledge and document platform

    • Collections for employees, departments, articles, documents, and announcements

    • Role-based access by department and responsibility

    • Corporate login through Azure Active Directory

    • Fast frontend experience with SSR and ISR

    • Automated Slack notifications for critical internal updates

    • Unified replacement for intranet, knowledge base, and document storage tools

User Flows

    • Log In with Corporate Account: Employees sign in using their company credentials through Azure AD integration.

    • Access Relevant Internal Content: Users see only the articles, documents, and resources relevant to their department and role.

    • Navigate News, Docs & Onboarding: The portal provides a structured entry point to announcements, onboarding flows, HR documents, and internal knowledge.

    • Receive Important Updates: Critical internal documents trigger automated Slack notifications to the right channels and teams.

Experience & Scalability

    • Supports 500+ employees across 12 countries

    • Suitable for multi-department internal operations

    • Handles both public-to-company and restricted internal content

    • Designed for repeat daily use across HR, operations, and management workflows

    • Scalable for future internal tools and knowledge expansion

Architecture Overview

Deep Dive: Project Architecture

  • Content Collections Layer: Collections were created for employees, departments, articles, documents, and announcements, each with its own fields and access policies.

  • Access Control Layer: Role-based access rules ensured that HR could access hiring documents, finance could access internal policies, and top management could access broader strategic materials.

  • Frontend Delivery Layer: A Next.js frontend used SSR for speed and ISR for content refresh without requiring full redeployments.

  • Authentication Layer: A custom auth hook integrated the platform with Active Directory through Azure AD, enabling employees to log in with corporate accounts.

  • Notification Layer: Webhook logic pushed important document updates into Slack channels automatically.

  • Data Layer: PostgreSQL supported structured content, internal records, and scalable portal operations.

Deep Dive: <span>Project Architecture</span>

Value

Quality & Fidelity

Delivering structured internal knowledge, secure access control, and a better employee experience

Role-Based Content Visibility

Role-Based Content Visibility

Employees only see the documents and resources relevant to their team and responsibilities.

Access control
Department logic
Internal portal
MVP
MVP
Better Knowledge Structure

Better Knowledge Structure

Internal content is organized in clear collections instead of being scattered across disconnected tools.

Knowledge base
Structured content
Employee portal
MVP
MVP
Faster Employee Experience

Faster Employee Experience

The frontend is optimized for quick access to everyday company resources.

Next.js
Fast UX
Internal adoption
MVP
MVP
Unified Internal Operations

Unified Internal Operations

The portal combines news, onboarding, documents, and knowledge in one system.

Intranet replacement
HR docs
Onboarding hub
MVP
MVP

Benchmarks

Scale & Reliability

Built to support enterprise employee access, structured internal content, and secure departmental workflows

Multi-Country Workforce Support

Multi-Country Workforce Support

The platform serves employees across multiple countries and departments from one backend.

500+ employees
12 countries
Enterprise scale
Stable Access Logic

Stable Access Logic

Role-based permissions keep restricted content visible only to the right internal users.

Access rules
Role security
Department control
Fast Content Delivery

Fast Content Delivery

SSR and ISR help keep the portal responsive without slowing down internal usage.

SSR
ISR
Performance
Tool Consolidation

Tool Consolidation

The platform replaces multiple fragmented systems with one more manageable internal environment.

SharePoint replacement
Confluence replacement
Consolidation

Data Protection

Security & Compliance

Enterprise-grade protection for internal documents, employee records, and department-restricted knowledge flows

Role-Based Access Control

Role-Based Access Control

Sensitive HR, finance, and management materials are protected through permission-aware access rules.

Secure Employee Authentication

Secure Employee Authentication

Corporate login is handled through Azure AD integration.

Controlled Internal Document Workflows

Controlled Internal Document Workflows

Important internal resources are managed through structured publishing and notification flows.

Innovative Experience

Industries & Use Cases

Payload CMS development for enterprise internal portals, employee platforms, and secure knowledge systems

Corporate Employee Portals

Corporate Employee Portals

Centralize internal communication, onboarding, and company knowledge in one place.

Department-Based Knowledge Bases

Department-Based Knowledge Bases

Give different teams controlled access to the materials relevant to them.

HR & Internal Documentation Platforms

HR & Internal Documentation Platforms

Support structured policies, onboarding content, and hiring-related document access.

Intranet Modernization Projects

Intranet Modernization Projects

Replace slow legacy intranets with modern internal platforms and better UX.

Delivery Crew

Project Team

High-performing developers for growing companies

Eugene Katovich

Eugene Katovich

Sales Manager

Need a modern employee portal or internal knowledge platform?

Plavno builds Payload CMS solutions for enterprises that need structured internal knowledge, role-based access, and a better employee experience across onboarding, HR, and internal communication.

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Competitive Ability

Key Performance Flow

Demonstrating how Plavno transformed a fragmented intranet setup into a secure, role-aware employee knowledge platform

From internal content management to employee access and notifications — everything happens through one structured Payload CMS portal flow

01

Structure Internal Content

Model employees, departments, knowledge articles, documents, and announcements in dedicated collections.

02

Apply Role-Based Access

Use collection-level access policies to control visibility by department and employee role.

03

Deliver Fast Employee UX

Serve internal content through a Next.js frontend optimized for speed and easy daily use.

04

Trigger Team Communication

Send important document updates to the right Slack channels through webhook automation.

Delivery & Automation

Delivery & Automation

    • Centralized Internal Content Platform: Payload CMS replaced SharePoint, Confluence, and multiple Google Drive folders — unifying company news, internal knowledge, onboarding, and HR documents in one scalable backend.

    • Structured Content Collections: Collections were created for employees, departments, articles, documents, and announcements, each with its own fields and access policies.

    • Automated Slack Notifications: Webhook logic pushed important document updates into Slack channels automatically, ensuring critical updates reach the right teams without manual effort.

    • Corporate Authentication Integration: Azure AD integration through a custom auth hook enabled employees to log in with corporate accounts, fitting seamlessly into the existing identity environment.

Throughput & Scale

Throughput & Scale

    • Multi-Country Workforce Support: The platform serves more than 500 employees across 12 countries from one backend, handling multi-department internal operations at enterprise scale.

    • Fast Frontend Delivery: A Next.js frontend used SSR for speed and ISR for content refresh without requiring full redeployments, ensuring responsive daily internal usage.

    • Scalable Data Layer: PostgreSQL supported structured content, internal records, and scalable portal operations, ready for future internal tools and knowledge expansion.

    • Tool Consolidation: The platform replaced multiple fragmented systems — SharePoint intranet, Confluence knowledge content, and Google Drive document areas — into one more manageable internal environment.

AI Intelligence & Quality Stack

AI Intelligence & Quality Stack

    • Role-Based Access Control: Collection-level access policies ensured that HR could access hiring documents, finance could access internal policies, and top management could access broader strategic materials.

    • Department-Specific Content Visibility: Employees saw only the articles, documents, and resources relevant to their department and role, preventing information overload and improving usability.

    • Structured Knowledge Architecture: Internal content was organized in clear collections instead of being scattered across disconnected tools, enabling better knowledge structure and governance.

    • Unified Internal Operations: The portal combined news, onboarding, documents, and knowledge in one system, making content updates possible without constant developer involvement.

Results

Measurable outcomes delivered by a Payload CMS employee portal

Replaced Multiple Legacy Tools

Replaced Multiple Legacy Tools

One backend now covers functions previously spread across SharePoint, Confluence, and Google Drive folders.

Faster Onboarding

Faster Onboarding

New employee onboarding time dropped from 3 days to about 4 hours.

Better Internal Access Control

Better Internal Access Control

Teams now access the right documents and knowledge without information overload.

Improved Employee Experience

Improved Employee Experience

The portal is faster, more structured, and easier to use in day-to-day work.

Stronger Operational Simplicity

Stronger Operational Simplicity

Internal knowledge and document workflows are now easier to manage from one platform.

Tools We Used

Technology stack

CMS Core

CMS Core

Payload CMS
Collections
Access policies
Authentication & Notifications

Authentication & Notifications

Azure AD
Custom auth hook
Slack webhooks
Infrastructure

Infrastructure

Cloud deployment
Secure access
Scalable backend
Data Layer

Data Layer

PostgreSQL
Structured content
Internal records
Frontend

Frontend

Next.js
SSR
ISR

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Answers

Find answers to your common concerns

Why was Payload CMS chosen for this project?

Payload CMS made it possible to manage both structured content and role-based access rules in one backend.

Did employees use corporate login?

Yes. The portal was integrated with Azure Active Directory so employees could sign in with company accounts.

Could different departments see different content?

Yes. HR, finance, leadership, and other teams had different access levels based on role and department.

What did the new portal replace?

It replaced the legacy SharePoint intranet, Confluence knowledge content, and several Google Drive-based document areas.

About Plavno

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Testimonials

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Thien Duy Tran

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CEO, MediaCube

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Plavno's codes and designs are user-friendly, and they complete all deliverables within the deadline. They are easy to work with and easily adapt to existing workflows, and the client values their professionalism and expertise. Overall, the team has delivered everything that was promised.
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Head of Growth, Codabrasoft LLC

Helen Lonskaya

“The app was delivered on time without any serious issues.”

The MVP app developed by Plavno is excellent and has all the functionality required. Plavno has delivered on time and ensured a successful execution via regular updates and fast problem-solving. The client is so satisfied with Plavno's work that they'll work with them on developing the full app.
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Founder, 24hour.dev

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