The Potential of SharePoint Intranets: A Comprehensive Guide

Aida Pandur

SharePoint intranets used to be an often overlooked feature of Microsoft 365. However, with things continuing to be more and more online, organisations have started recognising the transformative power of SharePoint intranets, and the way they can revolutionise internal communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

Developed by Microsoft, SharePoint offers a versatile platform for building and managing intranets. In this guide, we will look at the essential aspects of SharePoint intranets, and explore their ability to elevate your operations.

Understanding SharePoint Intranets

At its core, SharePoint serves as a web-based collaborative platform that empowers organizations to create and manage intranets. By leveraging SharePoint's capabilities, businesses establish a centralised hub where employees can seamlessly access critical information, documents, and resources.

SharePoint intranets encourage collaboration and enable teams to work together, share knowledge, and stay updated with important company news and announcements.

Seamless Collaboration and Communication

SharePoint intranets offer a rich set of features designed to streamline communication within organisations.

Team sites provide dedicated spaces where groups can work on projects and share files. They can co-author in real time, and all changes are tracked, making the whole process more effective and efficient.

However, there is another type of SharePoint sites known as Communication sites. These are not as collaboration oriented as the Team sites, but more focused on delivering the news across the entire organisation. These sites are more customisable and can be focused on looks more than utilisation.

Efficient Document Management

Document management lies at the core of SharePoint's capabilities. It provides organisations with tools for storing, organising, and securely sharing files.

Most notably, SharePoint intranets enable version control, document check-in/check-out, and advanced search functionalities, which makes keeping track of documents a lot easier. Employees can access the right information at the right time, enhancing productivity and reducing time wasted searching for files.

Workflows and Process Automation

SharePoint intranets also allow organisations to streamline their business processes through customisable workflows and automation. From simple approval processes to complex workflows involving multiple departments, SharePoint simplifies and optimises tasks.

Automation improves efficiency and reduces the amount of manual effort you have to do. That alone boosts productivity, and allows your employees to focus on high-value work.

Centralised Communication and Knowledge Sharing

SharePoint intranets have the role of the central hub for internal communication - news articles, blogs, discussion boards, and announcements keep your employees informed about company updates, events - and even policies. In short, SharePoint allows your employees to stay engaged with the content in one central location, which simultaneously serves as a knowledge sharing base.

Secure Data Management

Security is probably the most sought after feature when it comes to SharePoint intranets, as controlling access is important for protecting sensitive information. With SharePoint, you can enforce permissions, control access to documents, and maintain data integrity. SharePoint provides a secure environment for storing and sharing files – giving you a peace of mind regarding data confidentiality.

Mobile Accessibility for a Modern Workforce

Due to increased usage of mobile phones, everything has to keep up with the demand – as such, SharePoint intranets are designed to be mobile-friendly. Users can access information, collaborate and do their every-day activities on SharePoint using their smartphones or tablets. Flexibility is very important for productivity, and having SharePoint available on the go is quite a plus.

Why SharePoint Intranets Are a Must

By embracing SharePoint, there is a whole world of possibilities that opens for businesses when it comes to employee engagement. It’s a powerful platform that offers an intuitive digital workplace experience; giving your teams the best possible experience.

SharePoint’s unique features, customizable workflows and security measures are a match for any organization, small or large. Maybe you need a large data space and everyone to work together, or maybe you just need a document repository that just sits there. Perhaps you just need a way to deliver the news to multiple departments?

In any case, the solution is flexible and scalable, and tailored to your needs! If you want to enter a discussion around SharePoint, Dolphin IT Solutions has a proven track record of delivering many different SharePoint projects, for organisations of all sizes. Reach out to our experts for a consultation, and give your business the thriving digital workspace that it needs.

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