The Client
Independent Growth Finance (IGF) is a leading independent asset-based lender serving small and mid-sized UK businesses. With offices in London, Birmingham, and Manchester, IGF provides flexible funding solutions such as invoice discounting, inventory and equipment loans, and cashflow financing.
With approximately 80 employees, IGF had been rapidly growing and recognised the need to improve its internal digital infrastructure to support its workforce. In May 2025, IGF reached out to us “exploring options to develop an intranet using SharePoint” as a modern platform for internal communication and collaboration.
The Challenge
Need for a Unified Intranet
Like many ambitious, fast-growing organisations, IGF initially relied on a patchwork of ad-hoc tools and shared drives for internal communication – a common scenario we see across industries. As the company expanded, this approach was making it harder for employees to access key information and stay connected, with important updates and documents scattered across different channels.
Recognising this challenge, IGF set out to create a single, user-friendly intranet that would bring people, resources, and communications together – reflecting the company’s brand and supporting its dynamic culture. The goal was clear: deliver a consistent, on-brand experience for all internal communications, make important updates impossible to miss, and ensure everyone could easily find the tools and documents they need to work at their best.
In short, IGF wanted a central hub to keep their growing team informed, engaged and aligned.
The Solution
SharePoint Intranet
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We delivered a modern SharePoint Online intranet within IGF’s Microsoft 365 enhanced by our Beacon intranet product. Beacon provided a people-first experience with custom branding, personalised quick links, and improved news publishing tools, all embedded seamlessly in SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.
To accelerate delivery and keep costs down, we followed a structured approach—discovery, design, build, and training — while using Beacon’s configurable components to avoid custom development. This enabled us to move from kickoff to a working intranet in just a few months.
A Fast-Track Framework for Intranet Essentials
We used our tried-and-tested framework to get IGF up and running quickly with all the key intranet essentials. It meets IGF’s core needs out-of-the-box while remaining flexible for future growth. All functionality lives within IGF’s secure Microsoft 365 environment, ensuring compliance and easy access via existing Office 365 logins.
Notably, Beacon added advanced features such as:
- Consistent Branding: Templates enforce IGF’s brand styles for a unified look and feel.
- News Management: An improved publishing system for targeted, prominent updates.
- Personalised Quick Links: Role-based shortcuts to apps and forms, boosting productivity.
- User-Friendly Design: Modern layouts with rich media for an engaging experience.
These capabilities were achieved entirely through configuration, not custom development—keeping timelines short and budgets efficient.
All these features were achieved without custom development, focusing on configuration and Beacon’s capabilities – an approach that kept costs down and the timeline short.
Results & Impact
Central Hub for Communication
IGF employees now have one go-to platform for news, policies, and resources. Replacing scattered emails and PDFs with a searchable, structured intranet.
Consistent, On-Brand Experience
Uniform design and navigation across departments reinforce IGF’s identity and create a cohesive employee experience.
Faster Access to Information
Improved search and clear navigation mean staff can quickly find HR policies, IT guides, and everyday processes, boosting productivity.
Empowered Teams
Comms and IT teams can update content without technical support, thanks to intuitive tools and Beacon templates – keeping the intranet fresh and relevant.
Rapid Delivery & Adoption
From sign-off to launch in just three months. Early adoption was strong, with IGF’s project lead noting they were “delighted with the solution” during rollout.
Client Satisfaction
IGF rated the project 10/10 and praised our responsiveness and tailored approach, opening the door to future collaboration.
Key Outcomes
Project Timeline
~3 months from kickoff to intranet ready for launch (May – Sept 2025)
Employees Impacted
~80 IGF staff now have a single platform for internal news and resources.
Client Satisfaction
IGF rated the project 10/10 and praised our responsiveness and tailored approach, opening the door to future collaboration.
- A more connected and informed workforce
- Faster access to critical information
- A platform that scales with IGF’s growth
As IGF’s team adopts the new intranet, they can “work happy” knowing updates, documents, and tools are just a click away. A major step forward in their digital transformation. Client feedback underscores the success: IGF is delighted with the solution and eager to champion it, making this a standout example of SharePoint delivering real business value in financial services.
