What can you do with SharePoint?

What can you do with SharePoint?

What can you do with SharePoint?

Everyone is familiar with applications like Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop. But when it comes to Microsoft SharePoint, many business owners have different notions about what it’s used for. Some employ it primarily as a file sharing solution, while others use it to create websites. They have the right idea, but SharePoint is actually capable of so much more.

SharePoint is a platform used to build dozens of solutions for specific business problems. In other words, think of SharePoint as more of a toolbox than a specific tool. To clarify, we’ve compiled a list of four common ways your company can take advantage of the platform.

Making intranet sites

The ability to create internal websites, or intranet sites, is a core feature of SharePoint. These websites serve as your company’s hub for news, announcements, and scheduled tasks. For example, you can design a small site promoting a training seminar to encourage higher employee turnout.

Intranets are also well suited for departments that regularly interact with employees, such as the human resources department. With some help from SharePoint, HR managers can develop employee portals where staff can find legal contracts or submit requests for time off.

Managing files

Like its name suggests, SharePoint provides authorized users a shared “point” to store and access documents from any web browser on any internet-enabled device. Teams that need to stay in sync benefit the most from this feature.

When all files are stored in a centralized database, employees have access to the latest versions of shared Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and Notepad app minutes. And with document versioning, users can always view previous versions and track the changes made by coworkers.

Additionally, SharePoint makes it easy to retrieve old, archived, or hard-to-find documents. With intelligent document cataloging, SharePoint records and indexes keywords and phrases from stored documents, allowing you to retrieve files by typing in specific phrases in the search bar.

Automating workflows

Automating routine processes is also well within SharePoint’s capabilities. Under the Workflows option of your intranet site, you can customize workflows to simplify various business processes. For instance, you can set up a workflow that automatically routes shipping request forms to the relevant people for their approval. At the same time, you can set automated email notifications to remind distribution managers to complete the shipping order.

Gaining business insight

Instead of letting data collect dust in your database, SharePoint’s integration with business intelligence tools like Performance Point or Power BI will put old, archived data to good use.

With PerformancePoint Services, you can embed dashboards that display key performance indicators, resource usage, and project statuses. And with Power BI integrations, you can lay out financial information in interactive, easy-to-understand charts. Simple utilizations of these sorts of data can help you identify problems, point out business opportunities, and minimize the risk of ill-informed decision making.

SharePoint has a long list of great features, so when you're thinking about deploying it, make sure it is customized to serve your specific needs.

If you’re wondering where SharePoint fits in your business, our managed IT services team in Atlanta can help. We will assess your business requirements and implement an innovative SharePoint solution that works for you. Contact our team today at www.intelligis.com.