Sharepoint What Is It?

Microsoft SharePoint is a key component of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and has been instrumental in shaping corporate intranets since its inception in 2001. In this article, we will explore what SharePoint entails, delve into its key features, examine the most prevalent use cases, discuss the advantages it brings to organizations, and highlight the recent integration of AI through Microsoft Copilot.

What is SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint is a web-based collaboration platform designed to enhance intercompany communication through an intranet experience. It enables users to securely share, manage content, and utilize workflow collaboration features, including list databases and various web components to facilitate teamwork. The platform’s diverse functionalities streamline project collaboration and help establish standardized processes for information sharing, document publishing, and data recording.

SharePoint is user-friendly for business stakeholders and easy to maintain, while also offering limitless customization options and scalability. This versatility allows organizations of all sizes to harness SharePoint effectively, elevating productivity and delivering impressive returns on investment. With its capacity to boost efficiency across all sectors, SharePoint has played a crucial role over the past 23 years in Fortune 500 companies, enhancing workplace performance as a comprehensive intranet solution. Adopted by over 200,000 organizations worldwide, Microsoft SharePoint remains a premier content management platform promoting and fostering collaborative endeavours on a global scale.

What is SharePoint for

Having established a foundational understanding of SharePoint, let’s delve deeper into its specific applications and how it can be integrated into your company’s digital infrastructure. Given the vast array of potential uses for SharePoint, it would be impractical to enumerate them all. Instead, we will focus on providing a broad overview of the most common applications of SharePoint in a corporate setting.

Document Management and Content Management System

When considering SharePoint, its document management capabilities likely come to mind first. Since its launch in 2001, SharePoint has established itself as a frontrunner in this arena. However, it serves as much more than a mere storage solution for files and folders. SharePoint offers all the features you would anticipate from a robust, modern document management system, including version history, check-in/check-out functions, co-authoring capabilities, and secure external sharing options. What sets SharePoint apart and makes it particularly appealing in comparison to other cloud-based document management solutions, such as Dropbox and Google Drive, is its ability to create custom metadata. This functionality allows users to sort, group, and filter documents effectively, enhancing the search experience. While some tasks and features have transitioned from SharePoint to more specialized applications—like workflow automation, which is now primarily handled through Power Automate—the platform continues to excel as a content management system due to its core functionalities, which remain robust in this area.

SharePoint Intranet

This may be one of the most significant applications of SharePoint, following document management. As a versatile web platform, SharePoint provides organizations with comprehensive tools for web design, allowing them to craft visually appealing and user-friendly intranet portals. These portals are designed to house information that is more static or permanent compared to what would typically be shared on Teams or Viva Engage.

By utilizing communication sites and channels, businesses can offer centralized spaces for collaboration and internal messaging, incorporating a diverse range of web parts to build engaging and interactive web pages. Notable examples of insertable elements include news and announcement boards, calendars/events, links, informational pages, videos, and interactive dashboards. A notable feature is that while SharePoint is not specifically a Wiki tool, it can be adapted and customized to serve that purpose. Its robust page editing functionalities support tagged metadata and the creation of templates filled with text, images, and videos.

Establishing a company Wiki within the intranet can greatly enhance learning and onboarding processes for new employees. Additionally, SharePoint’s sophisticated content management allows administrators to meticulously organize and structure site content by implementing workflows and permissions to ensure information consistency, proper organization, and security.

Moreover, the integration with other Microsoft 365 applications, such as Teams, Outlook, and OneDrive, enables seamless incorporation of capabilities and data from these tools into SharePoint sites, enhancing productivity and collaboration across different platforms. Lastly, SharePoint provides extensive customization and branding options, allowing organizations to tailor the appearance and functionalities of their sites to meet specific requirements, thereby fostering a cohesive and professional user experience.

Custom Lists

At times, you may find it necessary to maintain various lists of information that would usually be stored in Excel. These lists can include things like project lists, contact lists, issue tracking lists, and other types of trackers. Since the initial versions of SharePoint, which date back to 2001, users have had the ability to easily create custom lists tailored to their specific business needs.

Although Microsoft launched a separate application named ‘Lists’ a few years ago to aid in creating and managing these custom lists, it’s essential to note that all of these lists are still housed within the SharePoint framework. Consequently, the security protocols and access permissions for each list are still determined by the security measures that are established on the specific site where the given list is located.

Microsoft Teams

The primary utility of SharePoint is often unnoticed as it operates in the background of the Microsoft Teams application. Since the launch of the Teams app in 2017, which brought with it features for persistent chat and video conferencing capabilities, it has transformed the way teams collaborate. However, it’s important to understand that behind the scenes, the driving force is actually SharePoint.

Whenever a new Team is established within Microsoft Teams, a corresponding SharePoint site is automatically generated to manage and store the documents that reside in the various Teams channels. This is also true for private channels and shared channels; each one triggers the creation of a new SharePoint site. These sites diligently support all the activities that take place within Teams. They act as the storage system for all the files and folders associated with “Teams”.

Furthermore, the SharePoint sites are responsible for housing all recordings from Teams meetings, which in turn contain the OneNote notebooks utilized within Teams for documenting meeting minutes. Additionally, they maintain lists, records, and archives of conversations that occur within the app’s corporate communication channels.

SharePoint app

The applications available within Microsoft SharePoint serve as integrations designed to enhance and expand the functionality of the standard collaboration spaces offered on the platform.

While some of these apps are predefined and included with the core features of the platform, there exists a wide array of additional applications that introduce functionalities and options that are not present in the traditional SharePoint environment. Furthermore, SharePoint is closely integrated with the Power Platform.

When utilized in conjunction with the solutions provided within this suite, users gain the ability to develop customized applications, automate workflows, and generate comprehensive reporting dashboards by employing Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI, respectively. These applications can range widely in utility, from simple libraries that enable users to store and share various documents and files, to calendar plug-ins that enhance scheduling capabilities, and even to powerful applications specifically designed for managing and regulating workflows. This allows for the execution of numerous repeatable logical actions within SharePoint with remarkable ease and efficiency.

How SharePoint works

The functions of SharePoint, as discussed in the previous sections, center around creating an intranet-driven collaborative environment that facilitates secure sharing, content management, and workflow collaboration, among other features.

Let’s explore in greater detail how these components work. SharePoint is predominantly configured via a web browser, with the user interface encompassing most of the product’s configuration capabilities.

Depending on the permission level, the interface can be used to:

• Manipulate content structure, site structure, create/delete sites, change navigation and security, or add/remove apps.
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• Enable or disable product features, upload custom designs/themes, or activate integrations with other Office products.
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• Configure basic workflows, view usage analysis, manage metadata, configure search options, upload items for customization, and configure integrations.
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SharePoint offers an online platform where users can easily upload documents and instantly share them with colleagues who require access. Additionally, employees are provided with personal OneDrive storage, ensuring that any files they upload remain private until explicitly shared.

This functionality facilitates seamless document sharing among selected team members through a straightforward process. Moreover, SharePoint includes robust approval and workflow management features that govern document sharing protocols and streamline collaborative efforts within teams.

Users can also conveniently send links to shared documents or collaboration spaces via email, allowing recipients to quickly navigate to the information they need. Organizations commonly leverage SharePoint to disseminate vital business information, including HR documents, announcements, and internal memos.

Features such as security controls, co-authorization, versioning, and integration with Exchange (Outlook email applications) provide business users with the ability to do more in less time and maintain the integrity of the work they produce, without running the risk of data leaks or running into conflicting documentation. SharePoint includes the ability to:

• Request approval of documents before they are visible
• ‘Check-out’ documents to prevent further changes
• Get notified when documents are uploaded or modified
• Create workflows using if/then logic to automate actions such as moving or emailing documents and recording information

All of these features improve the productivity of business users, but what SharePoint really does better than previous collaboration systems is to display information about what information/documents are stored and why.

In SharePoint, requesting “metadata”—which includes details like modification dates, authorship, and tailored tags for documents—is remarkably straightforward. This feature allows users to grasp the significance of a document and its purpose without needing to open it.

SharePoint provides numerous methods for attaching metadata to files, enabling businesses to effectively sort, organize, and monitor their content. Moreover, the platform can enforce tagging requirements during the upload process, ensuring that business users categorize their documents correctly within collaboration spaces. Additionally, end users can contribute metadata about documents as part of this collaborative practice.

Once the content and metadata are in the platform, SharePoint, with its tight integration with Power Automate, offers organizations workflow management tools to automate:

• Processes based on information provided by end users
• Content lifecycle tools to enable record layout
• Disposal of information based on company policies

SharePoint also allows users to create customized databases in an easy-to-use format and record thousands of information that can be integrated into the workflows mentioned above or into other business processes.

Furthermore, the platform includes synchronization clients for OneDrive, ensuring users can access essential documents from any location and device. This functionality empowers organizations to seamlessly sync their files from both Office 365 and SharePoint directly to their laptops, promoting optimal collaboration between office staff and mobile workers.

Microsoft SharePoint: What’s new in the latest update

Microsoft SharePoint has recently expanded its offerings with a series of noteworthy new features and functionalities that we will now take a closer look at:

• AI integration: It is now possible to use Copilot in SharePoint to simplify and improve the creation and modification of content, transforming documents or presentations into rich and functional web pages. We will discuss it in more detail in the next paragraph.
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• Enrichment of the design: With the introduction of a new Brand Center, SharePoint allows for much greater customization, with the guarantee of maintaining the consistency of its brand on all the company’s sites.
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• Embedding videos: With the update of the Microsoft Stream web add-on, it is now possible to enrich your SharePoint pages with single or multiple videos, promoting a more immersive multimedia experience.
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• OneDrive renewal: OneDrive has been revised and renewed, and the integration with the SharePoint platform environment has now dramatically improved. Accessing your OneDrive files for use within SharePoint is now much faster and easier.
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• Updating Microsoft Lists: From modernized forms to performance improvements, Microsoft Lists now works faster and smarter, ensuring an organized workflow and efficient monitoring of the information contained in your personalized lists.
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• Advanced administration and security: Now SharePoint Advanced Management (SAM) has introduced new policies for implementation aimed at limiting excessive data sharing, while the new content migration feature between Tenant facilitates data transitions, reducing the risk of any hitches during business merger or acquisition processes.

Microsoft SharePoint: the integration with Copilot

In the rapidly evolving realm of virtual workspaces, the emergence of AI-driven tools like Copilot within key business platforms such as SharePoint signifies a major leap forward for organizations striving to enhance their digital infrastructures. Copilot is specifically designed to considerably streamline the time and effort typically spent on setting up and managing SharePoint sites. By automating the initial setup and providing tailored suggestions for enhancements, Copilot enables users to prioritize content quality rather than grappling with the complexities of content management systems. At its essence, Copilot in SharePoint relies on Large Language Models (LLM) to comprehend natural language inputs. This allows users to articulate their visions for a SharePoint site or page using everyday language, with Copilot translating these descriptions into reality—without the need for any coding. This innovative approach not only simplifies the initial creation process but also fosters collaborative refinement between users and the AI, enhancing the content of their web platforms. A particularly noteworthy feature of Copilot is its robust integration with Microsoft Graph. This connection grants Copilot access to a diverse array of organizational data, assisting in the automatic adherence to branding guidelines and ensuring consistency in both formality and aesthetics across all generated content. Beyond simplifying the creation process, Copilot also enhances the visual appeal of SharePoint pages by transforming existing documents or presentations into custom-designed web pages. This capability ensures that the resulting content effectively communicates its message while engaging the audience through professional and visually appealing designs. Importantly, Copilot in SharePoint operates within Microsoft’s stringent security and privacy protocols. This guarantees that while leveraging AI to enhance content creation, the organization’s data integrity and confidentiality are consistently protected from any potential third-party threats.

Microsoft SharePoint: the available plans, and how to choose the right one

Delving into the world of SharePoint, we will be able to find various licensing options designed to meet different organizational needs and budgets. Understanding these options is crucial to making an informed decision that aligns with your business objectives.

Let’s start by giving a general overview of the licenses that can be purchased for SharePoint Online, at the center of which are two main plans:

• SharePoint Online Plan 1: This plan is the entry point for organizations that want to take advantage of cloud-based document management and collaboration. It includes essential features such as document libraries, team sites, and basic search capabilities, making it suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
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• SharePoint Online Plan 2: This option introduces advanced features such as enhanced search, eDiscovery, and increased storage limits. It’s designed for larger organizations that require more sophisticated content management and search capabilities.
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Plan 1 offers a convenient entry point for companies that want to focus on document management and internal team collaboration. Plan 2, on the other hand, at about twice the price of Plan 1 per user per month, is aimed at larger organizations that need advanced search, eDiscovery and unlimited storage.

For companies that are looking for a more complete solution or want to install SharePoint on their local servers, the platform is also available as part of the Office 365 E plans, which combine various Microsoft services under a single solution:

• Office 365 E1: This plan offers core Microsoft services, including email, file archiving, and SharePoint Online, but without the desktop version of the Office apps. It’s suitable for businesses that need basic collaboration tools and cloud storage.
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• Office 365 E3: Adds desktop versions of Office apps to the range, along with enhanced security and compliance tools, making it suitable for businesses that need comprehensive work suites with additional protection for their data.
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• Office 365 E5: The most comprehensive option, E5, includes everything that’s in E3, plus advanced analytics capabilities, voice capabilities, and more sophisticated security and compliance features. It’s ideal for organizations that require the highest levels of productivity, security, and compliance.
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SharePoint Online’s stand-alone plans are perfectly suited for businesses that primarily seek out document management solutions and collaborative tools to enhance their workflows. On the other hand, the Office 365 plans provide a much broader array of productivity tools, which encompass features like email hosting, access to Office desktop applications, and a variety of advanced security and compliance features that cater to enterprise needs.

Furthermore, the E3 and E5 plans are unique in that they are the only ones that grant access to the latest on-premise version of SharePoint. If your organization wishes to deploy it, you will need the expertise of an IT team, a Microsoft partner, or an authorized SharePoint distributor to properly install the software on your existing server infrastructure. Even when hosted locally, the SharePoint server remains accessible via mobile devices, thanks to a dedicated app that can be conveniently installed on smartphones and tablets for added flexibility.

Alongside the basic subscription fees for SharePoint, it is crucial to account for any additional costs that may arise. Customizations, third-party add-ons, and comprehensive data migration efforts can all contribute to an increased total cost of ownership.

Additionally, while SharePoint Online is equipped with strong security features, addressing specific compliance requirements or advanced security needs may necessitate additional investments in third-party tools or specialized services.

Conclusions

SharePoint is, as we have thoroughly explored, far more than just a cloud-based collaboration and content management platform. It functions as an essential tool that has the potential to entirely transform the manner in which your organization, along with its various elements—individual employees, teams, and departments—communicate, collaborate, and work on shared projects.

From the straightforward and secure management of all kinds of business content (ranging from requests for information to marketing materials and financial data), to the creation of corporate websites and intranets that keep users informed and engaged, SharePoint enables the seamless orchestration of business processes to automate routine tasks, such as managing workflows.

Additionally, it supports the development of customized applications aimed at enhancing team productivity. In this way, SharePoint delivers a comprehensive solution that effectively addresses a wide array of business needs, making it invaluable for organizations of all types.

Looking to get the most out of Microsoft Sharepoint?

At Enabla Technology, we take great pride in our stature as highly experienced IT Service Providers, equipped with extensive knowledge and expertise in a wide array of Microsoft products and their various capabilities. Our team is dedicated to helping businesses maximize their investment in technology, and we are particularly passionate about empowering our clients to leverage the full potential of Microsoft SharePoint. If your organization is in need of professional assistance specifically related to SharePoint – whether it’s for setup, customization, training, or ongoing support – we warmly encourage you to reach out to us today for expert guidance tailored to your unique business needs.

Our Recommendations

Enhancing Project Management

One of the standout features of SharePoint is its project management capabilities. The platform facilitates: Task Management: Users can create tasks, assign responsibilities, set deadlines, and track progress, ensuring that projects remain on schedule. Calendar Integration: SharePoint allows teams to share and synchronize calendars, making coordination easier and enhancing visibility into team schedules. Workflow Automation: With tools such as Power Automate, SharePoint can automate routine tasks and approvals, reducing the time spent on manual processes and allowing employees to focus on more strategic activities.

Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem

SharePoint integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products, such as Teams, Outlook, and OneDrive, providing a cohesive user experience across various applications. This integration enables users to: – Collaborate in real-time using Teams while storing documents in SharePoint. – Access SharePoint libraries directly within Outlook, making it easier to share files and manage communication. – Sync files with OneDrive for offline access, allowing users to work without an internet connection and sync changes automatically once they’re back online.

Security Features and Compliance

Data security is a fundamental consideration for any organization, and SharePoint offers robust security features to protect sensitive information. With options for granular permissions, organizations can control access at various levels—from site collections to individual documents. Additionally, SharePoint possesses built-in compliance capabilities, such as support for GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulations, assisting organizations in maintaining compliance within their digital workplace environments.

Cost Considerations

When planning to implement SharePoint, it is essential to consider not only the basic subscription fees but also any potential added costs. Organizations should budget for: Customization Costs: Depending on specific needs, customized solutions may be required to fully leverage SharePoint’s features. Third-Party Integrations: There may be expenses associated with third-party tools that enhance SharePoint functionalities. Training and Support: Ensuring that employees are well-trained to use the platform effectively may involve additional training sessions and resources.

Summary

SharePoint is much more than just a cloud-based collaboration and content management platform; it is an essential tool that has the potential to transform the very nature of communication and teamwork within organizations. From the streamlined management of business content to the creation of engaging corporate intranets, SharePoint enables organizations to enhance collaboration while automating processes that drive efficiency. With the power to support a multitude of business needs—custom application development, enhanced project management, and improved data governance—SharePoint is truly invaluable for any organization striving to adapt to the challenges of the modern workplace.