Tag: sharepoint

Recent years have seen the complete digital transformation of the modern workplace. A Foundry study found that 93% of companies have (or planning to) adopt a digital-first business strategy. 

As more companies embrace hybrid working environments, they need innovative technology to align communication between in-office and remote workers.

A recent Microsoft study found that 43% of remote-working employees do not feel included in team meetings. In the ever-changing workplace landscape, organizations need a digital platform (or tool) for team collaboration, information sharing, and communication.

As Microsoft’s collaboration platform, SharePoint has a critical role to play in the modern workplace. What makes SharePoint unique is its ability to integrate different organizational activities. Using SharePoint, companies can easily integrate “traditional” applications like content management, process management, and business intelligence on a single platform.

Here’s a look at six ways SharePoint can prepare companies for the future of work:

1. Team Collaboration

As modern workplaces become distributed, effective team collaboration is a necessity. With the SharePoint Team Sites, SharePoint facilitates team collaboration by creating dedicated spaces for organizational teams. In this digital space, teams can share documents and collaborate for their next project from any location.

As part of the MS Office suite of products, SharePoint is integrated with Microsoft’s productivity tools like MS Word and Excel, thus delivering a consistent user experience.

SharePoint Online also allows project teams to brainstorm and share “great” ideas, or simply share the latest documents for immediate approval or review. SharePoint is also easily integrated with Microsoft Teams, thus enabling real-time collaboration.

2. Remote Access and Mobility

As a cloud-powered collaboration platform, SharePoint Online is a centralized hub where employees can add or access documents from any geographical location. With more employees opting for remote work, they require real-time access to business applications from any location and on any device.

Using SharePoint Mobile, remote users can access shared documents and stay connected using their mobile devices. They can also stay informed on the company’s latest updates (without being physically present on the office premises). SharePoint tools are available on all Android, Apple, and Windows devices.

3. Regulatory Compliance and Data Security

In the age of stringent industry regulations, businesses must reduce the risk of litigation by storing their sensitive data with maximum security and privacy. SharePoint provides compliant document management, thus ensuring that only authorized users have access to business and customer data. Besides, SharePoint enables administrators to configure access permissions for individual files, folders, websites, and web applications.

With functionalities like Data loss prevention (DLP) and eDiscovery, SharePoint also protects sensitive data, thus ensuring regulatory compliance.

4. AI capabilities using CoPilot

Thanks to its AI capabilities, SharePoint is redefining online content creation and optimization. With the AI-powered Copilot feature, SharePoint is simplifying the modern workplace by allowing users to create and modify SharePoint-powered websites and webpages. 

This level of AI-powered content creation goes much beyond checking for spelling and grammar. It can help generate high-quality content (through intelligent edits) and offer content recommendations and layout designs. This AI feature can also adapt to the organization’s brand voice and design style, thus providing consistent content.

5. Business Intelligence

SharePoint’s integration with business intelligence (BI) enables employees to act upon relevant information collected from disparate sources. SharePoint’s BI functionality displays valuable information in the form of “visual” dashboards and graphs, which can simplify decision-making.

Besides, SharePoint allows business users to personalize their views according to their requirements. With its integration with Microsoft’s Power BI tool, SharePoint users can generate and share data-driven reports. They can also embed interactive Power BI reports into online web pages.

6. Customization

Customization is one capability necessary in the modern workplace. With SharePoint Online, enterprises can customize this tool to suit their business needs. For instance, they can deploy or use SharePoint as a document management tool or as a centralized digital platform to maintain employee engagement.

Additional customization features include the ability for end-users to create, modify, and design SharePoint projects according to their specific requirements. Further, SharePoint is easy to integrate with Office 365 applications including MS Teams, OneDrive, and MS Outlook. With this integration, organizations can create a cohesive workplace, thus facilitating communication and collaboration.

Leveraging the Power of SharePoint 

As organizations adapt to the new “normal” mode of working, the SharePoint tool is now an indispensable part of the modern digital workplace. Besides document management, this platform facilitates collaboration and automation.

With its role as a SharePoint consulting company, InovarTech can help you fully leverage the capabilities of this innovative Microsoft platform. Our team of experienced SharePoint professionals can assist you with designing, development, migration, and configuration.

Download our SharePoint migration and modernization whitepaper for free today. Book a free SharePoint consultation with our team today.

In the ever-evolving landscape of modern business and collaboration, SharePoint has emerged as a powerful platform that empowers organizations to streamline their workflows, foster efficient teamwork, and manage content effectively. 

Despite being around since 2001, SharePoint shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. SharePoint’s popularity has only increased as the year progresses. It has successfully established itself as one of the well-known enterprise applications in the market in recent times.  

Today, two out of three enterprises work with SharePoint, and more than 50% of Fortune 500 companies have and use SharePoint to streamline their operations.  

With more than 350,000 companies around the world now using SharePoint, active users have grown by over 90 per cent, and the data stored in SharePoint by 250 percent, in the last year alone reports Gartner.  

Collaboration among teams is vital for a company’s success. Organizations require tools that can enable them to work together seamlessly, share knowledge, and streamline processes. SharePoint has become one such powerful and versatile platform that has emerged as a go-to solution for achieving these goals.  

For more in-depth insights on SharePoint Migration approaches and best practices, please refer to our exclusive whitepaper resource.  

In this blog post, we will discuss how adopting SharePoint can improve productivity and collaboration within your organization. 

WHY SHAREPOINT? 

• SharePoint Document Management 

There are three ways to implement SharePoint: On-Premises, Cloud, and Hybrid. With SharePoint, you can collate, store, and manage all organizational documents in a single location. SharePoint can help improve productivity and eliminate versioning issues during file editing and sharing. It streamlines the process, making it easier and more efficient. 

• Effective Team Collaboration 

Teams can brainstorm ideas and complete tasks by collaborating on projects, sharing documents, and communicating effortlessly through SharePoint. SharePoint’s user-friendly interface and features like discussion boards, calendars, and task lists promote collaboration, enhance productivity, and ensure alignment among team members. 

• Highly Customizable 

SharePoint supports the creation of custom workflows, web parts, and extensions. Moreover, it integrates with Power Platform, which provides low-code tools for building custom business applications and automation solutions. This flexibility empowers organizations to adapt SharePoint to their evolving needs and leverage its capabilities to their fullest extent. 

• SharePoint Security 

SharePoint security is a multi-layered platform designed to protect your data from unauthorized access, tampering, and leakage. Your data will remain safe and compliant with industry standards when stored in SharePoint. By implementing the appropriate security practices, educating your teams, and leveraging SharePoint’s advanced security features, you can confidently protect your valuable data and collaborate securely within your organization. 

• Streamlined Business Process Workflows 

SharePoint contains a nifty feature called workflow that automates the coordination of tasks such as project approval. This automated movement of documents or items works by a set of instructions and parameters known as business logic. By streamlining and automating specific tasks, workflows save time and energy, allowing you to focus on other critical tasks. 

ADOPTING SHAREPOINT 

Adopting SharePoint for your organization is not just about bringing in a new tool; it is about changing how teams within your organization collaborate, share knowledge, and manage critical tasks. Before embarking on a journey towards SharePoint Migration, here are some considerations to help you start: 

• Define Specific Goals And Objectives 

It is essential to define clear objectives before adopting SharePoint, such as streamlining document management, improving team collaboration, or enhancing knowledge sharing. These objectives will guide your adoption strategy. 

• Secure Leadership Buy-in 

Effective SharePoint adoption requires leadership support. Communicate benefits and ROI to executives, emphasizing alignment with strategic goals. 

• Develop a Comprehensive Training Plan 

SharePoint can be complex, so invest in training programs for users. Provide both basic and advanced training sessions to ensure everyone can use SharePoint effectively. 

• Create User-Friendly Resources 

Develop user-friendly guides, FAQs, and tutorials that users can reference as they navigate SharePoint. These resources will ease the learning curve. 

• Start Small and Scale 

Begin with a pilot project or a specific team to test SharePoint’s capabilities. Gather feedback and make necessary adjustments before rolling it out to the entire organization. 

• Set Up Governance Policies: 

Establish governance policies to maintain control over SharePoint. Define roles and responsibilities, permissions, and content retention policies. 

• Measure and Monitor Adoption 

Continuously monitor SharePoint adoption using analytics and user feedback. Identify areas that require improvement and adjust accordingly. 

• Iterate and Evolve 

SharePoint adoption is an ongoing process. Regularly revisit your objectives, gather feedback, and make improvements to ensure they remain aligned with your organization’s evolving needs. 

SHAREPOINT ONLINE VS. SHAREPOINT ON-PREMISES 

SharePoint Online and SharePoint On-Premises are two different deployment methods for SharePoint.  

SharePoint Online is a cloud-based version of the application. It offers easy access, automatic updates, and maintenance without the need for any local infrastructure. 

In contrast, SharePoint On-Premises is hosted and maintained on an organization’s own servers, providing more control over customization, security, and performance, but requiring in-house IT resources for management and updates. 

Let us explore their unique features for better understanding.  

Starting with SharePoint Online, here are some of its benefits: 

• Setting up and managing SharePoint Online is relatively easy since Microsoft handles infrastructure, updates, and maintenance. Organizations do not have to worry about server hardware or software updates. In addition, it provides the flexibility of scaling resources up or down as needed, making it suitable for all business sizes.  
• Microsoft regularly updates SharePoint Online with new features, security patches, and performance improvements, ensuring users can access the latest versions. It also benefits from Microsoft’s robust security measures, compliance certifications, and data redundancy, including features like data loss prevention (DLP) and advanced threat protection (ATP).  
• SharePoint Online integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 apps like Teams, OneDrive, and Outlook, facilitating remote collaboration and communication.  
• While SharePoint Online allows customization and development using SharePoint Framework (SPFx) and Power Platform, it has some limitations compared to SharePoint On-Premises when it comes to full-trust solutions and deep server-level customizations. 

Coming to SharePoint On-Premises, here are some key points that can help you decide: 

• SharePoint On-Premises is a deployment option where the software is installed and maintained on servers within an organization’s own data centre or private cloud infrastructure.  
• This option gives organizations more control over their infrastructure and customization options. They can deploy custom solutions and integrate with other on-premises systems.  
• Organizations with strict data sovereignty or compliance requirements may prefer SharePoint On-Premises because they have direct control over data storage and management.  
• Moreover, updates and patches are less frequent in SharePoint On-Premises, allowing organizations to manage their update schedules at their own pace.  

• However, setting up and maintaining an on-premises SharePoint environment involves higher upfront costs, including hardware, software licenses, and IT staff.  
• Organizations are responsible for implementing their own security measures and compliance policies in an on-premises environment. Also, ongoing maintenance, including hardware upgrades, software updates, and backups, requires dedicated IT resources.  
• Despite the higher initial costs and maintenance overhead, some organizations opt for hybrid deployments, combining components of SharePoint Online and SharePoint On-Premises, allowing for a mix of cloud and on-premises solutions. 

SharePoint is a multifaceted tool that offers significant value to collaboration, document management, and business process automation.  As you become more proficient with SharePoint, you can delve deeper into its advanced features and customize it to fit your organizational requirements.  

Remember, SharePoint is a dynamic platform, meaning there is always something new to discover and leverage for greater productivity and efficiency. 

To learn more about how SharePoint Migration can help you and your organization, visit our website and book a free consultation with our team of experts today! 

References: 

1. Gartner Magic Quadrant. (Source: Garner) 

2. The Most Surprising SharePoint Statistics And Trends in 2023. (Source: Gitnux)