If you’re reading this blog you have probably seen a lot of information about Microsoft SharePoint and have likely ended up more confused with the amount of marketing information out there.
SharePoint is defined as a web-based collaborative platform that integrates with Microsoft Office 365. It is not just a single fix solution or meant to solve just one business problem.
SharePoint according to Microsoft
What is SharePoint according to Microsoft
SharePoint in the real world
SharePoint is like a collection of blocks some of it pre-built
SharePoint can be described as being similar to a collection of bricks and blocks – with some of it pre-assembled. The SharePoint block you would use in your business will depend on the business pain point you are trying to solve and how much time and money you are willing to invest. In this blog, I will be going through some of the basic aspects of SharePoint.
SharePoint is an “App” that is part of Microsoft Office 365. It:
- Uses active directory (your office login) for security
- ‘Talks’ with the other Microsoft products
- Scales very well
When you implement SharePoint for your organisation, users will be able to access it via your-company-name.sharepoint.com or via the SharePoint icon in the Office 365 interface at portal.office.com.
SharePoint is great for:
- Document co-authoring
- Document control (version and history)
- Document workflow > draft, in review, approved
- Document meta-tags > document type, document category, sub category
- Company site (internal policies, procedures etc)
- Developing portals
Usually, SharePoint Developers or SharePoint Consultants will build the foundation for your implementation in line with your business requirements, policies, processes and procedures. This will ensure that the correct information architecture, work flows and security requirements are put in place.
SharePoint can:
- Be customised
- Be used for simple registers
- Communicate with other products that have an API such as DocuSign
It may be initially easy to think that SharePoint can be used for everything as a silver bullet. In fact SharePoint should not:
- Be heavily customised
- Replace a CRM
- Replace a line of business (LoB) application
SharePoint Storage on Office 365
SharePoint just like other Apps has limits in terms of storage or capacity. The storage limits are in accordance with your Office 365 subscription. The following snapshot taken on August 2018 shows how much storage is provided based your Office 365 subscription:
This blog is part of the Microsoft SharePoint series of blogs. Our next blog in the series will cover “SharePoint Online vs. file server – which one comes out on top?”
If you are looking to implement SharePoint on Office 365 in your organisation or migrate from an older version of the software, call Empower IT Solutions on 1300 797 888 and speak to one of our experienced consultants.
