Custom Microsoft-based intranet modernized into a flexible WordPress intranet solution with Shibboleth SSO integration
OWINGS MILLS, MD — July, 1 2024 — WordHerd, a WordPress migration and development agency specializing in complex CMS, intranet, and legacy platform migrations, has completed the migration and rebuild of Stevenson University’s intranet from a custom Microsoft-based intranet system to a modern WordPress intranet solution.
The project focused on creating a more flexible, user-friendly, and maintainable internal platform for university administrators, faculty, staff, and students. By moving the intranet to WordPress, Stevenson University gained a more accessible content management experience, improved editing workflows, and a scalable foundation for internal communication and digital resource management.
The previous intranet relied on a custom Microsoft-based implementation that required modernization to better support distributed content ownership across university departments. Stevenson University needed an intranet platform that could be easier to update, simpler to train users on, and flexible enough to support a wide range of internal content needs.
WordHerd rebuilt the intranet in WordPress with an emphasis on usability, role-based access, responsive content structures, and long-term maintainability.
A key component of the project was the integration of Shibboleth single sign-on. This allowed the intranet to connect with Stevenson University’s existing authentication environment while supporting role separation across different user groups, including administrators, faculty, and students. The SSO and role configuration helped ensure that users could access the appropriate areas, content, and tools based on their relationship to the university.
“University intranets have to serve many different audiences while remaining easy to manage for the teams responsible for keeping content current,” said Kris Hadlock, President and CTO of WordHerd. “This project gave Stevenson University a more flexible WordPress foundation with secure authentication, better editing tools, and a structure that supports administrators, faculty, staff, and students.”
The new WordPress intranet includes a streamlined front-end editing experience designed to be simple to train and easy for faculty and staff to use across departments. Content managers can edit pages, update internal resources, manage events, and maintain departmental information without relying heavily on technical support.
The platform also supports more advanced editing needs when required, including the ability to add custom HTML snippets and manually edit code in support of approved third-party application integrations.
The intranet rebuild included document management improvements, allowing uploaded documents to be replaced while preserving the same link. This helps reduce broken links and makes it easier for teams to keep files, forms, and internal resources up to date over time.
Additional features include the ability to hide sections of a page for temporary or conditional use, such as campus emergencies, important announcements, staged content, or testing new page elements before they are made visible. The platform also includes calendar functionality for adding, editing, and deleting events, along with a working search experience and supporting design templates.
To improve the responsive user experience, WordHerd also implemented tabbed interface components to replace older box-based layouts, giving the intranet a cleaner and more mobile-friendly structure.
The completed project gives Stevenson University a modern WordPress intranet solution designed to support internal communication, departmental publishing, secure access, and ongoing content management across the university.
Project Highlights
- Migrated a custom Microsoft-based intranet to WordPress
- Integrated Shibboleth single sign-on
- Supported role separation for administrators, faculty, staff, and students
- Implemented a simple front-end editing experience for distributed content management
- Added support for custom HTML snippets and manual code editing when needed
- Improved document replacement workflows while preserving existing file links
- Added the ability to hide page sections for announcements, emergencies, testing, and staged content
- Implemented calendar tools for internal event management
- Created search functionality with supporting design templates
- Replaced older box-based layouts with responsive tabbed interface components
- Delivered a more maintainable intranet foundation for long-term university use
About WordHerd
WordHerd specializes in complex website, CMS, intranet, and application migrations to WordPress. The agency helps organizations move from legacy platforms, proprietary systems, and custom applications into scalable WordPress solutions through structured planning, migration expertise, custom development, and long-term support.
For more information, visit WordHerd.io.