Wake SharePoint Online from its slumber!
Do you know what untapped potential SharePoint Online holds for you?
Document management, process automation, central collaboration platform – these are just some of the many options you can use SharePoint Online for. Best of all, if you already have Office/Microsoft 365 licenses, these options are available at no additional cost.
In this blog, we want to introduce you to SharePoint Online and show you ways to get the most out of it.
Cloud advantages
SharePoint Online is a cloud solution. This means you can access it from anywhere and at any time. Whether in the office, on the road or in the home office, all data and information is available. And in case you don’t have an Internet connection, you can synchronize the document repository with your device, making it available offline.
Another plus: Your data is stored in one of the two Microsoft data centers in Switzerland.
Scalability
Scalability means that capacities adapt to your needs. If you want to store large amounts of data, they are provided with a lot of storage space. If you have only a few data, you will occupy little space. Initial investment costs for servers, which must be designed for maximum capacity at all times, are eliminated. You pay for what you need and have the possibility to expand capacity on an ongoing basis.
Collaboration
The Corona pandemic demonstrated the importance of being able to easily collaborate and communicate with each other in teams. Seamless integration between SharePoint Online and trusted Microsoft 365 tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook allows multiple people to edit documents simultaneously and collaboratively. Version management ensures that all parties involved always edit the latest version. Older versions are saved and changes can be tracked at any time.
Search function
How much time do you spend searching for specific information or documents?
Surveys show that up to 30% of working time is spent on this. 30%! What is too much is too much. Two important features of SharePoint Online significantly reduce search time:
1.) It is a central collaboration platform. This means that all documents are stored in the same place. This prevents an urgently needed document from being stored only on employee A’s desktop or team leader B’s local hard drive.
2.) The search is facilitated with metadata. Metadata is data about data. In the case of a contract, for example, it is helpful to record some additional information such as the contract partner, expiration date and cancellation period. Thanks to this metadata, you can later filter and search all contracts and quickly find the desired copy.
Permissions
You always have control over who can access which data. Both internal and external people can have access to specific lists, folders and documents. You decide whether people are given read-only or edit-only permissions.
Flexibility
Each organization decides for itself which functions of SharePoint Online are used. The flexibility of the solution allows you to pick out exactly what you need.
Do you need a central repository for your quotes?
Would you like to have your personnel files available digitally?
Is your accounts payable process still very paper-heavy?
Would you like to be able to record vacation and absence requests digitally and approve them easily?
For all these examples, SharePoint Online offers a suitable solution.
Automate processes and design machining interfaces
You benefit from the excellent integration of SharePoint Online with Microsoft’s Power Platform. Power Automate automates your processes, Power Apps helps you design the editing interfaces according to your wishes, and Power BI analyzes and visualizes your relevant data. Depending on the scenario, you may even use these tools at no additional cost within your existing Office/Microsoft 365 licenses.
Examples from practice
We have implemented the following examples of solutions using SharePoint Online and Power Platform:
Accounts payable workflow: document storage with automatic readout of invoice data, approval and forwarding to ERP
Approval processes: Single/multi-step approval of invoices, call logs and much more.
HR-Suite: personnel dossier with automated appraisal interview
Our services
We would be happy to review with you how you can make the best use of SharePoint Online in your organization. Together, we awaken the unused potential from its slumber. We address your needs individually, analyze your initial situation and finally find the appropriate solution.
Contactus for a consultation or demo of an existing solution.
