Microsoft SharePoint Online Review

In this post, I’d like to talk about Microsoft SharePoint Online, and why we’re using it.  There are literally dozens of services, programs, and methods of storing and sharing files and documents in today’s business environment.  From sharing out folders on a workgroup, server, or domain inside a local area network, to connecting remotely via VPN or FTP to access stored files, to web-based file sharing and storing, the options are limitless.

NSI Partners has used many of these options, sometimes implementing multiple solutions all at once.  When the staff of the organization is so geographically dispersed as ours is, web-based, or cloud-based, services seem to be the best fit for our needs.  Confining file shares to one computer/hard drive or FTP site in one location that is dependent on the local power and connectivity options, is a solution with too many variables and limitations.  In our research and testing efforts, we have identified a handful of web- or cloud- based services that seem fair enough in design and feature set to get the job done.  However, several things really stand out about Microsoft SharePoint Online.

First off, Microsoft guarantees a full backup/redundant copy of our content, which means if disaster strikes on the primary location, there is a backup available.  Storing our large files and folders at an offsite location reduces the storage requirements at any individual office location, which also reduces backup requirements at those offices.  These features add great value to the need to share and collaborate on files with the team, and to house the files in a safe location where data integrity exists.

Secondly, SharePoint offers many features beyond basic storage of files.  The ability to create custom sites, lists, calendars, workgroups, and complex permission-management means that we can do a lot more as a team with SharePoint than simply saving files in one location.

Thirdly, Microsoft SharePoint Online has “presence awareness” of users who have signed in to one of the other products in the Microsoft Online suite, such as Office Communicator, Outlook, or Live Meeting.  This means I can initiate IM chat with a user, see their online/offline/busy status, and do much more instant collaboration than I could with separate solutions, or without any of these other products.

Microsoft SharePoint Online also has detailed Versioning features, so that multiple previous versions of a document can be viewed and accessed, and staff can save documents as drafts or final versions, with comments.  In addition, SharePoint Online provides the ability to label files as Checked In or Checked Out, so that files must be checked out in order for changes to be made, and then while a file is Checked Out, others only have access to the read-only copy of the file on the server.  These features all help in managing document versions, editing, and minimize the possibilities of staff overwriting eachothers’ efforts.

Finally, when the files in question are Microsoft Office-related, such as Word documents, Power Point presentations, Excel spreadsheets, or even inside Outlook, there are additional features available from inside each of those programs to help manage files on the SharePoint server more effectively and efficiently.

All in all, if your organization uses Microsoft Office, does a lot of document creation and file editing, and has robust storage and collaboration needs, it would be well worth your time to take a closer look at what Microsoft SharePoint Online has to offer. Contact us at tech@nsipartners.com for a free trial or quote!