February 15, 2023 Knowledge Center Office 365

Modern SharePoint: Are You Using These 5 Features?

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Hard to believe that just a few years ago, most companies didn’t use a cloud-based file-sharing platform. Instead, documents were tucked away in folders – hard to find and even harder to collaborate on with others.  

Today, millions of people use a cloud-based version of SharePoint to manage content or create sites for sharing information. But SharePoint has changed a lot in recent years and is packed with features you may not have had the chance to try. This guide provides a quick overview of the platform and shares five key features that improve content management and collaboration for companies of every size.  

What Is SharePoint? 

Many companies didn’t truly transform their digital experience until the pandemic. Before then, we were often hamstrung by our tools and their digital limitations (ahem: firewalls).  

While SharePoint started in 2001 as a server-based file-sharing and collaboration tool, today’s SharePoint is one of Microsoft’s core solutions. It helps companies share and manage content and knowledge and makes it easier to find information and collaborate. SharePoint has powerful features that work in the cloud on any device and integrate seamlessly with all other Microsoft 365 products.  

5 Features of Modern SharePoint to Start Using Today 

A quick note: The features below are in the latest cloud-based version of SharePoint Online. Many of these features may not be included in the latest on-premise versions of SharePoint Server. 

File storage and sharing – you can use SharePoint to securely collaborate on files, data, news, sites, and other content with people inside or outside your company. No more exchanging documents by email or having multiple versions of the same document (that’s so 2019). With SharePoint, everybody can access the same files in the same location. Each time the file is saved, a new version is created (and the previous version is saved under version history).   

Sites and site collections – anyone who worked with Classic SharePoint knows that sub-sites were challenging to move around. Now sub-sites are out, and every site is part of a site collection associated with a hub (a flat collection of sites that share navigation, branding, and other elements).  

This structure is more flexible and adapts easily when your needs change (edit your hub navigation, and you’re done). You can also create your own sites and manage permissions rather than going through a site administrator. And you can customize your audience by project, workgroup, department, geography – whatever works for you.  

Intranets – While intranets are technically a site, they’re worth calling out separately because SharePoint is so well-known for them. (And if you’re not using SharePoint that way, you’re missing out.) The platform makes it easy to create beautifully designed communication sites for sharing news and information with your teams. You can also use a SharePoint intranet to share common resources and applications on portals or home sites. And you can segment and target content in a variety of ways. Best of all, SharePoint intranets work on any device from anywhere. 

Site templates – no more HTML or third-party web design tools required. Today, you can click through the SharePoint lookbook and choose a predesigned template. The templates make it easy to quickly stand up a site, with options like welcoming new employees or sharing company news. You can change your template whenever you’d like or customize it with your brand’s creative elements. Even better, the template’s responsive design ensures your site delivers a great experience on any device.   

Power Automate (previously called Flow) – tired of manual processes that require you to log in and out of different programs to complete? Power Automate makes it easy for anyone to automate repetitive workflows – with no coding required. Start with the basics like forms, notifications, and approvals or dig in and automate complex company-wide workflows. We promise it’s easier than it sounds, and the efficiencies this tool creates are well worth the effort. 

Related reading: Using Microsoft Power Apps and Power Automation to Streamline Tasks 

Are you harnessing the power of SharePoint and Microsoft 365? 

Microsoft 365 and its collection of platforms help companies create and connect in new ways. But it’s hard to keep up with all the ecosystem’s features, and many companies are missing opportunities to improve their digital experience. 

If you’re still using Classic SharePoint, the exceptional team at SUCCESS can help you migrate to Modern SharePoint when you’re ready. And if you’re already using Modern SharePoint, we can help you get more value out of the platform. 

Contact us to learn more about our Microsoft 365 services