Microsoft SharePoint is a web-based collaborative platform that has native integration with Microsoft 365. Whilst sold primarily as a document management and storage system, there are a number of beneficial, less known features throughout the platform that provide incredible value to businesses.
Some of these features include:
- Enhanced Productivity
- Seamless Collaboration
- Secure Data Management
- Scalability and Customisation
- Improved Knowledge Management
- Centralised Document Management
- Mobile Accessibility and Remote Work Support
Let’s take a look at some of the amazing features that Microsoft SharePoint provides, and go into more detail.
Microsoft SharePoint Feature: Enhanced Productivity and Workflow Automation
With today’s business environment being so incredibly fast paced, optimising productivity is essential for maintaining a competitive edge over competitors. Microsoft SharePoint offers a wide range of tools and features designed to streamline workflows and automate routine tasks.
SharePoint offers several workflow options that are built into the platform, including:
- SharePoint Designer
- Power Automate
- Power Apps
As well as this, it includes the ability to develop custom workflows using Visual Studio, as well as third-party tools.
The adaptiveness of SharePoint is incredibly positive for users, not simply locking users into purely using the one platform. Allowing for third-party tools shows the understanding of what businesses require from such a platform and encourages customisation.
From customisable workflows and approval processes to integration with third-party applications and services, SharePoint empowers businesses to automate repetitive tasks, thereby freeing up valuable time and resources for more strategic actions.
By leveraging SharePoint’s workflow capabilities, organisations can accelerate decision-making, reduce bottlenecks, and enhance overall operational efficiency. This allows for progression on what matters, growing your business.
Microsoft SharePoint Feature: Seamless Collaboration and Communication
Effective collaboration lies at the heart of every successful business endeavour. Microsoft SharePoint facilitates seamless collaboration by providing a platform where teams can share ideas, coordinate tasks, and work together on projects in real-time.
With features such as document co-authoring, version history tracking, and integrated communication tools like Microsoft Teams, SharePoint fosters a culture of collaboration that exceeds traditional boundaries.
Working on documents in real-time is another feature that Microsoft SharePoint possesses. The removal of going back and forth with coworkers with multiple file versions with edits is incredibly helpful in improving efficiency levels.
Whether your team is working remotely or in-office, SharePoint empowers them to stay connected and productive, driving innovation and productivity across the business.
Remote workers are able to not only receive, but also edit and publish work from wherever they are working, allowing for productivity to thrive, and achieve the desired business goals.
Microsoft SharePoint Feature: Scalability and Customisation
One of the key strengths of Microsoft SharePoint is its scalability and customisation, allowing businesses to tailor the platform to their unique requirements and scale as their needs evolve over time.
Whether you’re a small startup or a multinational organisation, SharePoint can adapt to accommodate your growing business needs. With a vast ecosystem of third-party apps, integrations, and custom development capabilities, SharePoint offers endless possibilities for customisation and expansion.
With SharePoint’s elastic resource allocation capabilities, businesses can dynamically scale their resources up or down in response to fluctuating demand. Whether it’s increasing storage capacity to accommodate growing data volumes or provisioning additional computing power to support peak workloads, SharePoint provides the scalability needed to adapt to changing business requirements seamlessly.
This is perfect for a growing business, as it allows users to alter their processes as they wish, dynamically and without hassle. Gone are the days of requesting additional allocations of resources and playing the waiting game for it to be actioned.
SharePoint supports the creation of custom workflows and forms using Designer or Microsoft Power Automate. This enables businesses to automate and streamline their desired methods, making this service a flexible platform for varying industries and uses.
Whether you need to build custom workflows, develop bespoke applications, or integrate with existing systems, SharePoint provides the flexibility and scalability to support your business growth.
Microsoft SharePoint Feature: Secure Data Management and Compliance
With data security and compliance becoming an absolute necessity for businesses, SharePoint offers robust features to safeguard sensitive information and ensure regulatory compliance.
Through granular permissions and access controls, administrators can restrict access to confidential documents and enforce security policies to prevent unauthorised use or sharing of sensitive data.
Furthermore, SharePoint’s audit trail capabilities enable organisations to track user activities and monitor changes to documents, providing a comprehensive record of compliance efforts.
SharePoint includes advanced threat detection and monitoring capabilities that enable businesses to detect and respond to security threats proactively. Through integration with Microsoft Defender for SharePoint, organisations can monitor user activities, detect suspicious behaviour, and mitigate security risks in real-time.
By leveraging machine learning algorithms and behavioural analytics, SharePoint helps businesses identify and remediate security threats before they escalate into breaches or incidents.
By adopting SharePoint as a central platform for data management, businesses can mitigate security risks and uphold regulatory requirements with ease.
Microsoft SharePoint Feature: Improved Knowledge Management and Collaboration
Effective knowledge management is essential for fostering innovation, driving organisational growth, and maintaining a competitive edge. SharePoint serves as a robust knowledge management platform, enabling organisations to capture, organise, and share knowledge effectively across the enterprise.
With features such as wikis, blogs, discussion boards, and document libraries, SharePoint provides a centralised hub where employees can access valuable insights, best practices, and institutional knowledge.
SharePoint integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 applications, such as Microsoft Teams and Outlook, to facilitate communication and social collaboration within the business.
Teams can leverage SharePoint’s integration with Microsoft Teams to access SharePoint documents and collaborate on projects directly within the Teams interface, streamlining communication and collaboration workflows.
By promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration, SharePoint empowers organisations to leverage their collective expertise and drive continuous success levels.
Microsoft SharePoint Feature: Centralised Document Management
One of the primary advantages of Microsoft SharePoint is its capability to serve as a centralised repository for all your documents and files. By migrating your documents to SharePoint, you eliminate the chaos of scattered files across various platforms and folders.
With SharePoint’s intuitive interface and powerful search functionalities, users can easily locate, access, and collaborate on documents in real-time, irrespective of their geographical location.
This centralised approach not only enhances efficiency but also ensures version control, thereby minimising the risk of errors and redundancies.
SharePoint provides granular permissions and access controls, allowing organizations to regulate who can view, edit, or delete documents within document libraries. Administrators can assign permissions at the individual, group, or role level, ensuring that sensitive information is accessible only to authorised individuals.
Microsoft SharePoint Feature: Mobile Accessibility and Remote Work Support
In today’s business environment, the ability to access critical information and collaborate on the go is essential for maintaining business continuity and supporting remote workforces.
Microsoft SharePoint offers seamless mobile accessibility, allowing users to access documents, participate in discussions, and collaborate with colleagues from any device, anywhere, anytime.
Whether you’re using a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, SharePoint’s responsive design ensures a consistent and intuitive user experience across all devices. By enabling remote access and mobile collaboration, SharePoint empowers organisations to embrace flexible work arrangements and adapt to changing work environments.
SharePoint supports a wide range of operating systems and platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, ensuring compatibility with the devices and platforms used by employees.
Whether users prefer to access SharePoint from their desktop computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones, they can do so effortlessly, enabling flexible and seamless access to information from anywhere, at any time.
Here at Adept IT Solutions, we offer a number of services that will allow your organisation to focus on your business’s goals and services. If you would like more information about our full range of IT Managed Services, contact us on 1300 4 23378 (ADEPT) or email us at info@adept-it.com.au.
