From Workplace to eXo: streamline communication and share information
Founded in 2003, Natagora is a Belgian environmental protection organization, active mainly in Wallonia and Brussels.
Relying on a professional team, committed volunteer groups, and a wide network of partners, Natagora works daily to halt biodiversity loss through four main areas: biodiversity research, nature conservation, public engagement, and awareness-raising. Its goal is to restore a sustainable balance between nature and human activities by protecting natural habitats and raising public awareness about their preservation.
Challenge
With the announced shutdown of Workplace by Meta in June 2025, Natagora had to quickly rethink its internal social network. The challenge was to find an alternative solution that could meet the needs of both its 150 employees and 2,000 volunteers, while ensuring a smooth transition.
At Natagora, Workplace has always had the vocation of being the association's social network, where everyone, just like our general manager, has the right to publish content and open a debate. It's not limited to a 'top-down' institutional communication media, it's a real platform for exchange and collaborative work. eXo has met this challenge of openness and freedom very well, with rich, scalable features.
Gilles Cogneau, Communications and Fundraising Director at Natagora
At the same time, Natagora’s teams use the Google suite. A complementary solution to eXo for document management and collaborative work.
Therefore, Natagora was looking for a solution to strengthen internal communication within its professional teams as well as with volunteers, improve information sharing, and centralize knowledge into a shared, accessible knowledge base. Launched with 800 users, the project will gradually expand to eventually serve 2,200 users.
Why eXo?
In its search for an alternative to Workplace by Meta, Natagora was won over by the eXo Platform solution's ergonomic, refined design, which made it easy for teams to get to grips with the solution.
Beyond the visual appeal,t was the platform’s functional richness and customization capabilities , far superior to that of their previous tool, that quickly made the difference. The eXo solution fully met the association's expectations of centralizing information, streamlining internal communication and promoting collaboration between employees and volunteers.
Proximity support, attentiveness, and a genuine willingness to understand Natagora’s specific challenges also played a decisive role in the final decision.
Another strong point: the teams were able to test the solution in real-life conditions before committing themselves. This test validated the platform's suitability for their uses, while ensuring that their feedback was taken into account in the product roadmap.
Finally, the competitive price clearly tipped the scales in eXo's favor.
The impact
The project kicked off in January with a crucial first step: the takeover and migration of content from Workplace by Meta to eXo Platform. This was a major operation, involving no fewer than 950 workspaces. The official opening of the new platform took place at the beginning of the summer.
Implementation followed a roadmap structured in several stages: expression of requirements, design of the platform, configuration, then change management support. Thanks to an operating logic similar to Workplace, the transition is made easier, while offering users a range of new features. A test phase validated the data transfer before the final migration.
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