Microsoft SharePoint

From intranets to document and content management, allow all your users to work and access key information in real time with Microsoft SharePoint.

What is Microsoft SharePoint?

Microsoft SharePoint is a secure environment where organisations can order, store and share information and files across all devices.

SharePoint is a leading collaboration tool for building intranet sites and portals. It enables more effective teamwork through dynamic team sites for project teams and individuals or teams across multiple departments or organisations. The flexibility of the application means that it can be customised to streamline work processes and work more efficiently, all the time collaborating effortlessly and securely with team members inside and outside your organisation, across PCs, Macs, and mobile devices.

With the advent of Microsoft Office 365, SharePoint can be delivered either on-premise on your own server or as a hosted application.

• SharePoint Online. A cloud-based service, hosted by Microsoft, for businesses of all sizes. Instead of installing and deploying on-premise, any business can subscribe to an Office 365 plan or to the standalone SharePoint Online service. Your employees can create sites to share documents and information with colleagues, partners, and customers.
• SharePoint Server 2016. Organisations can deploy and manage SharePoint Server on-premises. It includes all the features of SharePoint Foundation. And it offers additional features and capabilities, such as Enterprise Content Management, business intelligence, enterprise search, personal sites, and Newsfeed.

Key Features & Benefits of SharePoint

Improved branding & customisation
SharePoint 2016 has improved its design features resulting in richer themes, background images and allowing far more control over its look and feel. Web content management is also significantly easier than in previous versions.

Streamline tasks
SharePoint 2016 has improved task management and, as a result, collaborative project work. The improvements include task tracking, visual timelines, to-do lists and the ability to view both SharePoint and Outlook tasks in one place.

Improved mobility
Improved mobility is increasingly important and SharePoint Server 2016 does not disappoint. With optimised viewing for users across a variety of mobile platforms, Akita can render a single SharePoint published site in multiple formats for different devices, even adding SharePoint push notifications for smartphones if required. Data can be synced for offline use with Office web applications also benefiting from enhanced viewing on mobile browsers.

Collaboration
One of SharePoint’s key features is the collaborative nature of the software. Users are connected with the information and tools they need, when they need them and wherever they are. Shared workspaces, calendars, documents, notifications and alerts can be created while offline synchronisation capabilities improves team productivity.

Search
SharePoint’s search capabilities make finding documents straightforward. Through the search box, SharePoint will let you know whether the information is available within the existing document library.

Security and Integrity
SharePoint’s document management features ensure the integrity of documents. These include requiring users to check out documents before editing, viewing revisions, restoring previous document versions and the ability to set document-level security.

Compliance
SharePoint Server 2016 allows businesses to adhere to stricter compliance demands. Retention policies can be created and managed and applied to sites and associated Exchange mailboxes.

Apps Stores
Microsoft has introduced a SharePoint apps store which provides a multitude of add-ons and additional features.

Common uses of SharePoint

Team websites
SharePoint provides a cost-effective way to create professional-looking websites with a range of useful features. These are ideal for sites which are knowledge-intensive or for those requiring collaboration.

Project management tool
Teams can create a SharePoint site for projects, with easier and more efficient management. For those using MS Project, this seamlessly synchronises.

By providing team-members with the most up-to-date project information and making it far it easier for them to control, share and collaborate, it is an incredibly powerful project management tool.

Business search engine
Using SharePoint to organise documents makes it easier for employees to find information that would otherwise remain inaccessible, for example that held on a local computer or secured folder. However, it goes further than simple document searches as employees can also quickly find users, conversations, announcements, etc.

Intranet/Extranet
SharePoint provides an ideal platform for creating and managing intranets (effectively a website for internal usage). This allows companies and authorised employees to easily communicate important internal information such as company announcements, company policies, employees notice boards, etc.

Similarly, an extranet (broadly speaking an intranet which select external parties such as suppliers are authorised to access) can be managed. This allows for external communication through a secured and monitored system.

Document management
By creating Document Library folders, users can upload any files to SharePoint, whether or not they are standard Office files. However, through its’ integration with Microsoft Office programs users can share and collaborate using the application itself, seamlessly saving to document libraries for Excel, Word, Visio, etc. Synchronisation between programs is, as you would expect, a strong feature of the product. For example, Microsoft Office calendars and contacts can be synchronised with your team’s site.

How can Akita help?

Akita provides a range of integrated, complementary solutions for SharePoint, meaning that we can integrate your applications and streamline business systems. Organisations should also consider working with us for the following reasons:

• Akita has implemented solutions for clients across a range of industries.
• The team will proactively work with you to get the most from SharePoint, ensuring it fits with your business model and makes your organisation more efficient.
• Choose from either hosted SharePoint or a traditional server solution depending on your requirements.
• Bespoke customisation from our Microsoft experts, saving time and money on installation.