Efficiency and effectiveness are the names of the game for most successful organizations. Finding platforms and software that support your business operations keeps things running smoothly. When it comes to software, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any rivaling the multifaceted Microsoft 365. As a managed service provider, SharePoint is one of our favorite Microsoft 365 services. In this blog, we’ll share the five best ways to use SharePoint more effectively in your organization.
What is SharePoint?
SharePoint is a part of Microsoft 365 that lets you manage documents and content professionally. You can use it as a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information from any device–all you need is a web browser.
Whether you are an admin or an end-user, knowing and implementing the best practices will ensure everyone can use the content without difficulty.
5 Best Practices for SharePoint
- Name files consistently. As with any file-storing platform, it is key to have a file naming plan and stick to it. Avoiding obscure file names and disorganized naming practices will save employees time and enable you to maximize the effectiveness of SharePoint’s file search engine.
- Use the lock feature to secure documents. No need to store sensitive docs on another platform–use the lock feature within SharePoint to restrict access to sensitive files.
- Use document tagging. Despite following a file name strategy for consistency, many users still need help finding the required document. Tag your documents for Microsoft Search to show you more specific and relevant results. Tagging works similarly to the genre of a movie or channel of a TV series–it will help you locate all files that belong to the same category. To add a tag, go to a library and add a new category field like date of creation, last modified, etc. This might look like “Blog_Name_1_Date”, etc.
- Manage access requests. Have you ever clicked on a file that was shared with you only to see your access is restricted? To avoid this issue, SharePoint can set up a specific support email to address such requests and quickly approve users who need access to particular documents to continue their workflow.
- Utilize personalized views. Each employee can use SharePoint’s filters and toggles for document management. It lets you display extra metadata details, filter files of your choice, sort files in various orders, group files in one or multiple groups, etc. Every team member can create a personalized view accessible only to them. This maximizes efficiency for each employee as they can view documents and other items in a way that makes the most sense to them.
Managed IT With Microsoft 365
As managed IT service providers in the Madison, WI, area, we are big proponents of Microsoft 365. Many of our clients use it, and we frequently recommend it. Why? With a host of features and functions, there is little Microsoft 365 can’t do. Plus, keeping your team’s operations–from lists to document storage to team chat–all within one platform is a huge benefit from a cybersecurity standpoint.
If you have questions about introducing or managing Microsoft 365 for your organization, please contact the Clarity Technology Group team here.