What is SharePoint?
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Microsoft's SharePoint collaboration platform has six key areas.
CREDIT: Microsoft |
SharePoint is an online collaboration tool developed by Microsoft. It is often used as a content management system for Intranets. SharePoint allows teams within an organization to share information anywhere there is Web access. With SharePoint, users can set up websites to share documents, manage projects and publish information. SharePoint also has many social media capabilities, such as blogs, wikis, microblogging and discussion boards.
SharePoint and Web parts
SharePoint is displayed entirely through a Web browser. With the initial installation, 40 pre-built application templates allow you to organize Web parts, lists and libraries into a unique look and feel. You can edit the user interface by displaying or filtering information in various ways. SharePoint can be set up to simply display a list of contacts or can be used for complex functions like Project Management.
SharePoint is a platform
SharePoint is a platform rather than a software application. It provides many features that organizations can then use to build applications. Applications are a set of features tied together to create a useful capability. For example, SharePoint has many social capabilities such as blogs, wikis, microblogging and discussion boards.
Microsoft explains SharePoint's key areas as follows:
- Sites: SharePoint Sites delivers a single infrastructure to provide portal and collaboration capabilities across intranet, extranet, and Internet sites. Bring users together to share information, data, and expertise across organizations.
- Communities: SharePoint Communities empowers people to work together in ways that are most effective for them. Allow people to collaborate in groups, share knowledge and ideas, connect with colleagues, and find information and experts easily.
- Content: SharePoint Content enables all users to participate in a governed, compliant content management life cycle. SharePoint Content makes it possible to expertly balance user experience with policy and process.
- Search: SharePoint Search give users the ability to find the content, information and people they need by combining an integrated, easy-to-manage platform with best-of-breed enterprise search technology.
- Insights: SharePoint Insights enables users to access and interact with information across unstructured and structured data sources. Empower users to discover the right people and expertise to make better and more agile business decisions.
- Composites: SharePoint Composites empowers users to rapidly respond to business needs by creating their own no-code solutions on-premises or in the cloud, through a rich set of building blocks, tools and self-service capabilities.
The features of SharePoint
SharePoint has a number of key features that make it a comprehensive organization solution. Within a single infrastructure, SharePoint provides a portal through which collaboration can occur. The content management system can create an air of open discussion. Users can create blogs, forums and other comment-based discussions. The software can also store documents and files for sharing among multiple users. From a management standpoint, SharePoint tracks how information is accessed and used through the use of reporting tools.
SharePoint’s greatest strengths lie in its use as a collaborative tool. It brings together groups of individuals and facilitates an environment of communication and sharing. It provides the framework needed to help a group transcend communication barriers. While the software requires extensive setup and preparation, once all of the features are fully functional, it creates a truly comprehensive communication tool for companies, non-profit organizations and groups of individuals.
