Over the last decade, numerous novel enterprise software applications, business suites, and robust Information Technology (IT) platforms have been created by several vendors, giving rise to new workplace opportunities, more refined business operations, increased productivity, and better operational efficiency. Modern IT enterprise systems typically focus on integration, collaboration, and the usage of analyzed business data (Business Intelligence) to better increase internal operations and meet the needs of customers more efficiently.
From public cloud systems to mobile tablets to Big Data analysis and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, many new technologies have greatly impacted the global ecosystem of businesses in several ways. While such technologies can be readily adopted by SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and large businesses alike to increase their operational efficiency and productivity and to increase the bottom line of the enterprise, such technologies must be leveraged correctly.
5 Tips To Collaborate Better In Microsoft SharePoint
The Microsoft SharePoint system is one of the most robust, powerful enterprise software systems today. While Google offers Google Sites/Docs for document creation, sharing, storage, and collaboration, Microsoft offers a number of equally powerful solutions that can be integrated into the IT infrastructure of most enterprises to allow greater, more seamless, and integrated operations and daily workflows, allowing all personnel of a company to use the robust tools of Microsoft SharePoint for daily collaboration and data sharing. Microsoft SharePoint is a platform and set of packages, applications, and tools installed on a backend server and connected via an enterprise’s intranet.
Thus, along with Microsoft OneDrive - or a private company cloud system - SharePoint allows the community of an enterprise to operate together in a collaborative manner via a central, online IT software hub. Microsoft SharePoint, thus, is a cloud-based online server and collaborative management, development, storage, and enterprise data analysis platform that can be used to create documents or files, share data across networks, collaborate, and update information in real-time, analyze data to generate reports (based on Business Intelligence), store and upload data to the central system, manage workflows and operations, develop dynamic (Web 2.0) websites, and much more.
It is important to recognize that Microsoft SharePoint is not a single program but is a suite of online (server/cloud-based) tools and thus operates as a platform for web development, data sharing, and collaboration. Regarding the latter, one of the core functions of SharePoint is to help establish an efficient, productive workplace community by allowing all personnel in an organization to work together in a seamless, integrated manner.
While certain tools associated with SharePoint can be installed locally on a desktop/laptop or other workstation - such as SharePoint Workspace and, previously, SharePoint Designer - most tools associated with the SharePoint platform are utilized via a local intranet and accessed via a browser or other online/network gateway. SharePoint can also work alongside Microsoft Office and its included suites, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc. Integrating local Microsoft suites with the cloud-based SharePoint system allows for seamless integration of workplace workflows, documents, and data, along with the feasible sharing of files, efficient collaboration, and real-time updating of business files, all of which allows enterprise workflows to be created, managed, and updated across organizational teams in a feasible manner.
Added Benefits Of Using Microsoft Sharepoint
Microsoft SharePoint has the added benefit of allowing for centralized management of all workplace operations, which creates an interface for executives to utilize SharePoint as a central management hub. As noted by Microsoft, SharePoint’s core functionalities can be divided into six key areas:
- Sites: Microsoft SharePoint is largely a powerful, efficient website development engine and platform, allowing businesses to create dynamic websites (not simply static, read-only webpages) for specific teams, for an entire department or company, or the public. Additionally, it is important to note that most of SharePoint’s functionalities are delivered to a business via a series of intranet sites with a specific organizational hierarchy.
- Communities: SharePoint’s functions allow for the creation of an integrated, closely-knit community of contributors, allowing teams, or other personnel, to update, comment, edit, create and/or share files/documents across a team, department, or enterprise.
- Content: SharePoint operates in conjunction with cloud storage and cloud computing systems, allowing an enterprise to securely upload crucial business documents and/or files into the central hub (SharePoint system) while specifically allowing certain documents to be uploaded, or the entirety of the documents/files created by specific personnel. For instance, in being integrated with Microsoft Office, local files created on local workstations can be automatically uploaded into the SharePoint system, allowing immediate organizational collaboration.
- Search: Microsoft SharePoint offers a powerful solution for locating, viewing, and accessing specific pieces of data among a large pool of files and contents, all while maintaining the correct viewing permissions and the security integrity of crucial business files so that all personnel is able to view/access only the appropriate files/documents at any given time.
- Insights: The uploading of contents and collaborator workflows associated with a large pool of business data does not give data scientists and executives any actionable insights. To this end, SharePoint allows the seamless integration of Business Intelligence and data analysis applications with the core system to allow the data associated with the SharePoint system to be leveraged in a way that can give executives new strategies and business operational tactics.
- Composites: SharePoint allows businesses to customize modules and create add-ons without the need for code to allow additional functions that suit an enterprise's specific needs, such as a composite allowing specific workflows and operations/projects to be created and managed in a certain way, and/or an add-on giving executives the ability to generate specific reports based on the analysis of specific business data-sets.
As noted by Viftech, Microsoft SharePoint gives enterprises several key advantages and benefits with regard to managing, implementing, and carrying out business strategies and enterprise operations. These benefits include the ability to apply and utilize an increased magnitude of Business Intelligence solutions - with feasible integration with other areas of the enterprise’s IT infrastructure - along with the ability to manage corporate risks, increase collaboration throughout a project’s life cycle, and establish better workplace communication between - and within - teams. Additionally, SharePoint allows better content management, a more scalable infrastructure, centralized administration of all workplace operations, site consolidation, security and integrity of data, and a customizable system to meet every business needs.
Other features that allow SharePoint to be a flexible and robust enterprise solution for most businesses are its ability to connect with legacy systems, the ability to integrate data analysis, Big Data, and Business Intelligence systems with the platform to gain insights into business operations and activities, and its ability to be greatly customized with custom add-ons and modules (without the need to code) to suit the specific goals of an enterprise. While Microsoft SharePoint is a powerful and robust platform, it is a complex one for it to be leveraged correctly by businesses. Its functions must be thoroughly understood, and certain best practices should be followed.
1. Plan Your Information Structure In Advance
Business Productivity is one of the most important aspects of any organization’s daily and continued operations. Increased productivity and efficiency directly correlate with an increased bottom line. As noted by Microsoft, the McKinsey Global Institute and a Gallup Poll, respectively, noted that “productivity improves by up to 25% in organizations where employees are connected.” Additionally, they noted that “disengaged employees cost the US more than $500 billion each year in lost productivity”.
Although Microsoft SharePoint can greatly increase an enterprise’s productivity and efficiency, its functions must be leveraged correctly and with an overall business strategy in mind. While SharePoint allows an immense amount of content and data to be stored and accessed via its system, that information must be structured and modelled in a particular manner to increase business productivity and the efficiency of continuous workflows and operations. Within the intranet SharePoint system, how personnel access the information within the system is entirely based on the Information Architecture associated with an enterprise’s information management and governance model.
Information Architecture And The Importance Of Planning Ahead
Per the above, for an IT system (including the SharePoint system) to operate in a way that benefits a business, the Information Architecture (IA) must be well-organized and based on a strategic plan. The overarching IT strategic plan of a business should include a section detailing how the information within the SharePoint portal is to be organized, governed, and maintained. For the most optimal information structure to be realized for any given enterprise, a carefully-crafted plan must be created, and the development of the information architecture must be carried out accordingly.
Several factors are associated with an enterprise's optimal IA, including the objectives and model of the business, the type of content being dealt with, the classification of content and privacy/associated content permissions, the life cycle of the content, and the personnel (teams, departments, etc.) who will be accessing the content.
Site Hierarchy
With regard to an optimal SharePoint structure and architecture, the organization, or hierarchy, of the SharePoint websites - through which SharePoint’s features are delivered - determines how the system can be leveraged and is thus an important factor that businesses should take into account. Since the features of SharePoint are delivered via a series of intranet sites, the site hierarchy also helps to determine the accessibility and administration of information/data. Essentially, the deployment of a specific intranet hierarchy allows different teams, departments, and personnel to potentially access, manage and control their documents, information, data, security, integrity, and workgroups in a specific way.
There are several models associated with proper intranet hierarchy, but regardless of the specific enterprise or department using SharePoint, there are some best practices and common options available:
- Separate Site Collection: Each department gets its own site collection with this option. This option is good for scalability, where very large enterprises have departments that are not connected to - and rarely communicate with - other departments, but it has the downside of requiring a significant amount of administrative overhead to manage the potentially large number of separate site collections being utilized.
- Departmental-subsite Single Site Collection: With this option, all departmental sites reside in a single site collection one level below the homepage (the root). This allows for easy administration, feasible creation of new departmental sub-sites (residing under the homepage), and optimal management of metadata, security, etc.
- Functional-subsite single site collection: With this option, instead of all departmental sites residing below the homepage, adding another level of sub-sites based on departmental function allows for easier administration and management of sub-sites by site owners.
It is important to note that sites are where content is stored and that each site collection can be managed for administration, permission, and security and can be crafted for a number of departments with many unique sub-sites.
2. Track What Users Are Searching For In Your Intranet
As has been noted, the SharePoint intranet system allows personnel to conduct robust searches for specific pieces of data/content within the system. It is possible to harness the data associated with user searches to determine notable and significant trends and to pinpoint patterns and specific metrics associated with key business documents. This can help executives make better, more informed decisions based on understanding how users interact with specific SharePoint sites. SharePoint provides a robust usage analytics report system that can allow managers, site owners, and/or executives to understand better what users search for within the enterprise’s intranet.
Tracking user queries and analyzing keyword/search patterns to generate usage reports is a feasible operation within the SharePoint system. The usage analytics report system displays a myriad of different user statistics and metrics used to generate two usage reports that are updated automatically every 24 hours, along with developing a collective view of all user activity within a site - the usage summary report.
3. Understand Meta Data
Metadata typically entails information about a piece of data that allows it to be easily accessed, organized, classified, categorized, and/or managed. Within the SharePoint system, metadata is the information about the stored files, such as author, title, creation date, modified date, file size, etc. It is important to note that some metadata in SharePoint is generated automatically, while others must be manually entered by the user. The more refined a file’s metadata is, the better the file can be categorized and managed.
What Is Metadata And How Is It Used In Microsoft SharePoint?
Per the above, metadata allows site owners and personnel to create detailed, custom metadata tags and categories within the SharePoint system to better organize files and site content. Additionally, SharePoint supports local and global (site-wide) metadata, all of which help to increase the efficiency of data accessibility based on the robust search function. Essentially, detailed metadata categories allow for refined, filtered search operations so that users can locate and access specific pieces of data when needed.
Ensure Employees Understand Its Function To Properly Search And Upload In The Intranet
The significance of detailed and customized metadata categories and tags must be understood by personnel as they upload and create content within the SharePoint system. This practice helps ensure that all content is categorized correctly and can be found when needed. Suppose personnel do not understand or implement correct metadata best practices. In that case, productivity can greatly decrease due to inefficient search operations that do not allow users to find the pertinent content/data they require when needed.
4. Keep Private Documents Out Of The Public Search
The SharePoint system is largely permissions-driven and also allows for the secure storage of private documents. When using the intranet system linked with externally facing public websites, it is important for executives and managers to ensure that all private documents are kept out of public search operations. Thus, the effective management of all private and public information - associated with all internal/external sites within the overarching enterprise SharePoint system - is key to ensuring that only authorized users are able to view private documents.
How To See What Permissions A User Has
Once a SharePoint site is created, setting user permissions is crucial to ensure that only specific users, teams, or departments have access to critical information. It is important to note the differing aspects of user permissions. For example, having permission to access a file differs from editing and sharing permissions. Depending on the specific project and/or management model, a site owner or manager may want to determine who is permitted to take certain actions within a site or subsite. Additionally, it is possible to establish SharePoint groups, which are users with the same permission level. To view the permission level of specific users or groups, managers, or site owners need only open the list/library with the pertinent user/groups and use the list settings option to check the permissions and management information for the associated list/library. The same operation can be done to view the permissions of users/groups related to folders, documents, and files.
Keeping Private Company Documents From Being Available To All Employees
In addition to viewing the permissions of a user within the SharePoint system, the Microsoft platform allows for the feasible management of user and site permissions within all sites and subsites. As noted by Microsoft, “by default, all sites, lists, and libraries in a site collection inherit permission settings from the site that is directly above them in the site hierarchy.” Assigning unique permissions to a list/library to keep certain documents private requires breaking permission inheritance, followed by the assignment of unique permissions, all via the Permissions page. Additionally, the use of the SharePoint classification screen helps prevent certain documents from being published in the wrong (non-private) categories. The use of private sites also keeps personal documents from being accessible to inappropriate users.
5. Master The Mobile App
In an age of globalism and corporate-wide collaboration, coupled with remote workers and/or traveling personnel, it is important for key systems to be available to all personnel on the go. To this end, SharePoint offers both iOS and Android apps that businesses should leverage and a VPN service to encrypt communications when accessing backend services to keep up business productivity. An enterprise’s intranet should be organized with an effective, non-cluttered Information Architecture to ensure that mobile users can access the pertinent files to remain productive. Essentially, the SharePoint intranet should be mobile-friendly.
Remember That Your Intranet Is As Powerful As The People That Use It
An effective SharePoint Intranet is only powerful if the users are able to leverage its functionalities appropriately. In order to do this, it is important for personnel to understand how to use SharePoint services correctly. Keeping business productivity up is always a primary goal and can be done by creating a business environment where personnel is constantly engaged and active. SharePoint helps to create such a business community and environment, while management can aid this by implementing an appropriate employee checklist that helps to ensure that everyone is using SharePoint effectively.
In conjunction with other business tools and suites, Microsoft SharePoint can operate as a powerful enterprise tool that can dramatically transform modern businesses if used correctly.
