What is Sharepoint, and how can SMEs use it?

Need to share a file or manage a project? Microsoft's Sharepoint is the go-to service to efficiently manage secure file sharing, support team projects, and create information hubs for a company's employees and partners.

Sharepoint used to be a service that only large enterprises could access. Today, any business—no matter their size—can use Sharepoint as part of the Microsoft Office 365 online service; it's a fantastic tool that enables you to do much more with less.

Specifically, you can do at least three important things:

Share files securely, without creating duplicates.

Create project sites and dashboards for teams.

Website creation aimed at specific groups of people.

With Sharepoint, you can set file permissions and time limits, embed third-party services such as Slack and Salesforce, build information hubs for projects, policies and procedures, and much more. Let's look at these three features.

Sharing Files in Sharepoint

We send files to colleagues inside the business and outsiders such as partners or suppliers, which can result in different versions of a document. You can quickly lose track of who has a file or the latest version of a file. Sharing files is great, but it creates quite a mess for security and clarity.

Sharepoint makes file sharing and management much simpler. When a file is in Sharepoint, you can share a link instead of the file itself. There will be one version of the file which multiple people can work on at once. You can also set permissions for access, downloads, and even time limits.

Since everyone accesses one file on Sharepoint, you can track their activities. This is very useful if multiple people must edit the file (perhaps a spreadsheet for adding staff birthdays) or only specific people should view it (such as experts from different departments approving a legal policy document).

Teams Sites on Sharepoint

Sharepoint is also an excellent project management and information hub through its Teams websites. Microsoft Teams is a messaging app for your organization that provides a workspace for real-time collaboration and communication, meetings, file and app sharing. Coordinate file access with other team members, provide information such as a task list and shared calendars, and integrate OneDrive, Teams, and other Microsoft apps or third-party apps such as Slack, Salesforce, or ClickUp.

Since Sharepoint is part of the Microsoft Office 365 platform, you can attach a pre-existing team group to the team site and even integrate Microsoft Teams for maximum collaboration.

Content Sites on Sharepoint

Not every scenario calls for sharing files or running teams. You may want to share information with the rest of the company, such as new leave policies. This is where Sharepoint's content site feature comes in.

Content sites are internal websites where a small group provides information to a larger audience. The site's creators can add and arrange information using simple drag-and-drop tools. Teams’ sites are robust: embed documents, third-party feeds (such as Twitter), forms, countdown timers, and more.

Design is easy: search for modules and drag them in place. Select from an extensive library of design elements and images or upload your own. The whole point is to create content sites for your company—particularly for internal users (such as your employees), but you can also create external sites.

How To Get Started

Sharepoint sounds great, so how do you start? If your business already uses the Microsoft Office 365 online platform, you'll find Sharepoint under the apps. Alternatively, you can sign up for Microsoft Office 365, which starts at a very low price per user (and you can pay month-to-month).

Once you have Sharepoint going, get started with a few simple tutorials. One of the best is the introduction video below from Microsoft that covers the basics, specifically the Teams and Content sites. Soon you'll be on your way, creating impactful teams and company sites, and sharing files without creating risks or losing control over your company data. Watch the introduction video below:

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