Microsoft SharePoint is more than an excellent online document management system (DMS). SharePoint (SP) is, in addition to a DMS, also a social intranet. Yet SharePoint is often known as a document management system. And that’s not weird at all. Microsoft, the developer of SharePoint, itself names the management and sharing of documents in SharePoint as the first and most important characteristic.
And it is true that SharePoint as a DMS has an excellent track record and offers many advantages. But still, describing SharePoint only as DMS does the application injustice. Because SharePoint is a social intranet.
Explanation SharePoint
So there is some ambiguity about what SharePoint exactly entails. That is why this blog starts with an explanation of SharePoint. What possibilities does SharePoint offer? A short overview of the application possibilities of SharePoint followed with an explanation should provide clarity.
SharePoint is a social intranet, which means: “a virtual platform that is accessible to everyone within the organization. It is dynamic and completely focused on interaction. The information needs of the user are central to a social intranet, because they themselves determine what information is useful to them. Important
Parts of SharePoint are therefore accessibility, dynamics, interaction oriented, information needs and the centrality of the user . When you list these properties, you will quickly conclude that the document management system offers a good foundation for the other application possibilities of SharePoint.
The SharePoint DMS
The SharePoint DMS is therefore an important building block. And that makes sense. Because SP’s DMS meets many needs. Consider, for example, the increased security of digital DMS. No more paperwork, only accessible to authorized persons, always a backup available in the cloud and it is always possible to revert changes to versions in documents.
Your organization will also become leaner through a well-functioning document management system. After all, there is only one digital version of each document available with SharePoint consulting. This means that employees with SharePoint’s DMS no longer keep and store personal versions, but only use and edit the version that the system offers.
This also means that documents are easier to find and it reduces the need for storage capacity. After all, the ‘dry wood’ disappears with a good document management system.
Storing and sharing information
But SharePoint is so much more, it’s a social intranet. After all, employees within your organization are busy searching, editing, storing and sharing information. Hierarchy within that knowledge network is becoming increasingly unimportant. Working no longer takes place in a top-down manner, but transforms. Modern knowledge networks can be compared to a flock of starlings. Many employees move in perfect choreography in their working environment. Like a cloud within which coherence exists.
The accessible, dynamic and interactive are indispensable additions to achieve a social intranet based on information needs and centrality of the user. Targeted SharePoint. Functions such as liking, following, blogging and sharing personal updates support the process of creating knowledge, collaborating, promoting engagement and ultimately moving like a flock of swallows in perfect choreography in your own virtual platform.
These positive and social qualities are important for your organization because it ensures transparency and interaction. As a result, all employees come into contact with each other when this has added value without old hierarchical structures creating obstacles. A social intranet therefore also brings about a cultural change within your organization. Your organization is transforming from a ”top-down information-sending” setup to an interactive information-seeker setup. In other words, SharePoint turns your organization into an open kitchen where the information needs of the employee are central.
How does SharePoint work?
Collaboration is thus promoted by SharePoint because it is easy for employees to share documents, data and updates within a social digital platform. It is also possible to adapt websites to streamline work processes and to collaborate securely via different devices. In this way you create involvement and connection within your organization. After all, sharing has never been easier.
When your employees know how SharePoint works, they will find what they are looking for within a few clicks. SharePoint works with a powerful search engine built into the application. This allows everyone to use SharePoint in a smart way to obtain information and insights. The organization where you work can also make optimal and quick use of all knowledge stored in the system.
So far, the capabilities and transitions SharePoint delivers have been impressive. However, there is one more important part of SharePoint that is not discussed that is crucial to our understanding of how SharePoint works. Namely, transforming business processes from notifications and approvals into complete workflows. This further increases employee productivity and allows everyone to create rich, digital experiences with forms and tailored applications