SharePoint is a service offered by Microsoft and available in Office 365 subscriptions . Its Saas (online) version is SharePoint Online . And like many people, you might be wondering: what is SharePoint Online ? And above all, what are its advantages? This article offers you to take stock.
What is SharePoint Online?
SharePoint Online, integrated into the Office 365 Portal , is a collaborative platform that allows you to create dynamic team sites , exchanges or dedicated to a project, a division or a business department. On these sites , authorized users will be able to store, share and organize working documents with their colleagues or external partners. Very practical at a time when remote work or teleworking continues to grow.
What are the benefits of SharePoint Online?
SharePoint Online advantage # 1: lightness
At the difference of SharePoint Server , this service is hosted on the Microsoft cloud . No physical server or internal resource is required to be able to use it.
SharePoint Online Advantage # 2 : Collaboration
SharePoint Online is clearly focused on collaborative actions and project management . Your employees as well as the external partners involved will be able to centralize all their documents / files on a workspace designed for their common project.
SharePoint Online Advantage # 3: Efficiency
In addition to the fact that collaborative work is easier, sites are created by users according to their rights. They manage its content, organization and interface in a very intuitive way. A collaborator will be more efficient with a tool that he masters all the more if he is the investigator.
SharePoint Online Advantage # 4: Accessibility
This Cloud service is by definition not attached to any hardware. Your employees will therefore have access to their interface from any device (smartphone, tablet, computer) and at any time .
SharePoint Online Advantage # 5: Security
Microsoft is deploying increased security measures on each of its services. SharePoint is no exception. Access to the documents stored there is subject to control. Just like sharing, whether internal to your company or intended for external partners.
Benefit # 6: Organization
SharePoint Online from vastasys allows you to create team or communication sites. Each of these sites has its own URL address and is linked to a “parent” site. The tree structure of your site collection will therefore be perfectly readable.
Benefit # 7: Synchronization
You have the option of linking SharePoint to your other Microsoft applications . You will therefore be able to consult your emails and diary from your interface, duplicate your backups using Microsoft OneDrive and modify your documents directly online using the Office suite …
What are the features of SharePoint?
Portal : the tool offers an unprecedented web infrastructure allowing the creation of intranet, extranet and internet sites.
Documents : facilitation of the management of company documents and files. All the documents are gathered in one place, employees can access useful information such as customer data, prices, offers, etc.
Projects : All users have the opportunity to participate in a regulated and compliant content management lifecycle. SharePoint helps improve user experience, processes and policies.
Searches : Users can search for content, information, business data and people that could be useful to them on an integrated platform.
Process and workflow : automation of procedures and work processes.
Integration and reports : users access structured / unstructured data in order to create intuitive reports (Excel, Access, Visio…).
What are the specificities of the SharePoint Online version?
Some features are indeed specific to the SharePoint Online version .
Team and intranet sites (several standard SharePoint models);
Extranet sites: 50 partner access licenses are available in the license, beyond that, additional licenses must be ordered;
Simple website customizable with the company logo and to choose from the pre-established models.
Communities
Personal sites with private storage space and a standardized page for defining their personal information;
Tags that allow users to mark standardized tags or comments.
Contents
Possibility to edit in the browser thanks to Office Web Apps.
Research
Contextual and phonetic search with the SharePoint search engine;
Search for people and their expertise, in the presence of personal websites.
Decision-making
Access to Excel and Visio Services.
Composites
Deploy solutions developed specifically with the sandbox mechanism, without needing prior validation from Microsoft;
Access Services (data obtained through the browser);
Forms Services;
Deployment of advanced workflows;
Addition of Silverlight Webparts.
Overview of the possibilities of the SharePoint site
Manage projects with the Gantt chart;
Use site templates for collaboration or meeting management;
Work offline;
Use wikis and blogs sites;
Create processes, forms and workflows;
Generate advanced reports;
Integrate data from other applications (ERP, Accounting, CRM, etc.).
Do you need additional information? Get closer to a Microsoft partner , SharePoint Online will certainly meet your expectations in terms of mobility, accessibility and data security. To go further, do not hesitate to download our guide on Microsoft Office 365 .
