Microsoft SharePoint is a web-based platform created by Microsoft that allows companies to store, share, and collaborate on numerous types of content in a single location. It enables users to construct sites for various teams, projects, or departments, with user rights and workflows that can be customized to limit access, display information, and simplify procedures.
SharePoint’s rich capabilities can be adjusted to an organization’s unique requirements, making it a crucial tool for increasing collaboration and productivity. In the following sections, we will go further into the advantages and basic features of Microsoft SharePoint.
So, grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and let’s discover the many benefits of SharePoint together.
Table of Contents
What Exactly Is SharePoint?
SharePoint is a platform that Microsoft built. It offers businesses a centralized area in which they can manage, store, and exchange different kinds of content, as well as functions that are performed by web apps, such as:
- Shared calendars: team schedules, meetings, and project deadlines
- Modern lists: inventory, customer information, contacts, metadata, and shared mailboxes
- Documents: Word, PowerPoint, PDFs, Excel, and more
- Tasks: approvals, workflows, and to-do lists
Users can work together on information in real-time using the strong collaboration capabilities of Microsoft SharePoint. Users can also share changes and get comments all in one central location. In addition, search tools make it very easy to locate the particular document or piece of information that one is looking for.
7 SharePoint Benefits and Features
Microsoft SharePoint is more than just a drab document management system. It is a feature-rich platform that may assist enterprises and organizations in collaborating, automating processes, and making data-driven choices.
In this section, we’ll look at some of the essential features and advantages using SharePoint, such a strong digital workplace tool.
1. Collaboration
Let us begin with collaboration. Microsoft SharePoint provides various features to assist teams in sharing information and working more successfully in a SharePoint environment.
You may set up team sites for various departments or projects to store and organize documents, monitor tasks, and exchange real-time updates.
Furthermore, with capabilities like co-authoring and version control, you can guarantee that everyone is working on the same document version while avoiding the hassle of lengthy email chains.
SharePoint’s collaboration capabilities enable users to co-author documents, establish SharePoint sites, browse shared documents, easily exchange changes, and offer comments.
You can also manage who has access to certain documents on your SharePoint site by using the platform’s customizable permission settings.
2. Business Intelligence
Remember business intelligence! SharePoint allows you to develop sophisticated reports and dashboards to assist you in making data-driven choices across different servers.
To produce interactive visualizations and insights, you may leverage SharePoint’s built-in analytics and reporting features and link your project server with Power BI.
3. Better Productivity
One of the most appealing SharePoint benefits is increased productivity. You may simplify and automate procedures and company operations using SharePoint. Employees will be able to rapidly and easily collaborate in real time. They could also send data, monitor and manage papers, and converse in real-time.
Working on collaborative projects would also be simple. Such advantages will undoubtedly improve organizational performance and efficiency.
4. Automation of Workflows
A SharePoint site is used for more than simply document management. It also has powerful business process automation features, which enable you to optimize processes and automate repetitive operations.
SharePoint workflows may automate operations and simplify procedures, and are very configurable. For instance, you may create a process to approve papers, issue alerts, onboard staff, or gather feedback.
With its interaction with Power Automate (previously Microsoft Flow), you can even automate operations that span several applications and services in addition to your SharePoint site.
5. Social Features
SharePoint also has social capabilities that allow you to construct communication sites to interact with colleagues and exchange information across your business.
You may leverage social features to establish SharePoint environments that serve as communities of practice, allowing workers to exchange ideas and best practices while collaborating on projects.
6. Seamless Integration
SharePoint online may not only be available from any device and used to interact with other team members, but it also interfaces with Microsoft 365.
Using SharePoint’s ability to interface with Microsoft 365, you may utilize PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and other products directly from SharePoint online or other collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Stream, and Video.
7. Search
Thanks to the robust search features SharePoint offers, users can rapidly locate the content they want. This content may be a particular document, a page on a project site, or the profile of a fellow worker.
Conclusion
To maximize your organization’s investment return, you must also have reporting and monitoring capabilities to understand and encourage SharePoint use. Organizations must monitor SharePoint use to improve their communication and document management processes.
Administrators may uncover trends, identify possible concerns, and assure the proper adoption of SharePoint throughout the enterprise by evaluating user behaviors. Tracking use data allows for proactive resource management, compliance, security, and vital insights for training and support activities.
Furthermore, monitoring SharePoint’s use helps companies maximize the platform’s advantages, resulting in increased productivity, greater collaboration, and a simplified user experience.
