With today’s business environment evolving to include remote work, it has become imperative for businesses to find new ways to collaborate and stay connected. What’s more, regulatory requirements are getting stricter, and the business world is getting more competitive than ever, putting organizations under pressure to meet changing needs while improving overall ROI. Microsoft SharePoint has steadily grown in popularity over the years as the world’s most trusted collaboration and file management tool. Because of its many advanced functionalities, business processes can become much easier and more efficient. If you are unsure whether SharePoint is an intelligent investment for your organization, keep reading to learn some unparalleled benefits of SharePoint.
What is Microsoft SharePoint?
SharePoint is a web-based, secure file-sharing and collaboration platform that lets organizations automate business processes, track progress, and securely share documents and information. It is the most comprehensive enterprise platform because it provides access to the tools and resources employees need to work efficiently.
As a product, SharePoint is available to businesses in two variants: SharePoint Online and SharePoint on-premise. The former is simply the cloud version of SharePoint, while the latter is when your organization’s team maintains SharePoint, meaning you will have to set up dedicated hardware onsite.
Benefits of SharePoint
According to Microsoft, 290 million people in more than 200,000 organizations of different sizes use SharePoint. But does this application make sense for your business? Here are the top benefits to consider.
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Real-time collaboration
The most significant benefit of SharePoint is that it allows for effective company-wide collaboration in real-time. Instead of sending versions of documents back and forth, many users can simultaneously work on the same document from anywhere in the world. All changes made to the document are synced automatically in real-time.
Many have debated about SharePoint vs. Teams. Both tools can work together, with the latter filling the gap in business communication so internal conversations can hold while collaborative work is ongoing. An intranet built on SharePoint that offers seamless integration with Teams offers the best of both worlds.
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Customizable
A significant criterion when searching for intranet solutions is how well they can be customized to match the nature and requirements of your business. SharePoint has a range of built-in tools that let you tailor the application to meet your needs. In other words, you can adopt the default features and benefits of the platform or customize them to improve efficiency and productivity. However, customization in native SharePoint is time-consuming and expensive, a third-party intranet built on SharePoint will allow you to easily and quickly create a SharePoint intranet employees and IT love.
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Better productivity
SharePoint improves productivity by empowering your company with everything you need to streamline and automate key processes. It promotes the efficient collection and organization of data in a single location, making it easier for your employees to understand trends and make informed business decisions. Its integration with Microsoft Office 365 and Teams makes it the right choice if you’re looking to eliminate obstacles to employee productivity so employees can collaborate quickly and effortlessly. By cutting down on time spent looking for data, they will be able to get more done.
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Enhanced security
The meteoric rise in cyberattacks, fraud schemes, and system hacks has made security an essential requirement when searching for business solutions. Plus, many organizations are now required to adhere to strict regulatory guidelines. Incorporating SharePoint into your operations can help solve this problem as it comes with settings for permissions and authorizations to individual files, folders, and sites. You can also monitor users to ensure compliance with all internal policies. Additionally, your business will reap the benefit of hosting operations through a single, integrated platform. If you build your SharePoint intranet with a solution like Powell Intranet, you benefit from Microsoft security, and all data is stored in your tenant.
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Content management
Content management can be arduous, but SharePoint simplifies it by allowing content managers to prepare and schedule content for publishing on different platforms. The platform has ready-to-use templates, so you don’t have to start from scratch. Users can edit tasks from any device and even convert documents into any format. Global companies will especially find this solution a lifesaver as it can help publish multilingual intranet content.
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Seamless integrations
SharePoint integrates with a wide variety of business applications, most of which your organization probably uses already. These include Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint), Office 365, CRM and ERP solutions, and several other back-office systems. This platform also works with all modern browsers.
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Centralized information hub
Many organizations today store their data and document on their servers, but the challenge is that only onsite employees can access them, making it impossible to hire talents remotely. SharePoint solves this problem by providing a central location in the cloud so that users with control rights can access them anywhere and on any device. Still, with the amount of information shared, employees can quickly drown in documents. Third-party intranet solutions, like Powell Intranet, can solve this problem of information overload with targeted communications and mandatory content.
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Improved document management
From electronic documents getting overwritten to server crashes and difficulty finding files when needed, document management is a major heartache in many organizations. SharePoint can help eliminate any issues you may be experiencing with your document management system. It stores documents blazing fast and makes it easier to find documents, thanks to the option of storing files with metadata. With automatic version control, you can see who changed what and when.
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Improved flexibility
SharePoint allows users to build their intranet where they can share information and collaborate. It boasts a range of built-in features which you can leverage to create an intranet site for your organization so you can connect with your employees and improve internal communication in a protected environment. While SharePoint can help boost flexibility, the tool itself can be rigid. If you work with a complete SharePoint intranet solution like Powell Intranet, you’ll better control the look, feel, and functionality of your SharePoint intranet.
Conclusion
Microsoft SharePoint is the golden ticket to transforming your organization’s performance. However, SharePoint has a variety of limitations that are difficult to overcome with the tool alone, especially in terms of internal communication, which is why it’s best to build an intranet with a third-party solution. Powell Intranet is a Microsoft partner you can trust for your organization’s intranet. We leverage SharePoint’s strengths and improve its weakness: make it easier to design and deploy, increase engagement, and improve adoption.