In a way, SharePoint is whatever you need it to be.  It can be a public facing website (à la Ferrari); it can be fully customisable with form templates in InfoPath through .Net programming; it can be a central repository for all company documents; and it is apparently the most useful information management system known to man. Well, now that I have paid the requisite homage to SharePoint, why don’t we re-gather some equanimity and take a balanced look at what Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS) has to offer.

For starters, it’s likely free so there’s really no beating value for money here.  If your company has the Windows Server 2003 licence (which is highly probable), then it is not necessary to procure a separate licence for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.  If you have the money and want some extra features and functionality you can go for Microsoft Office SharePoint Services (MOSS) 2007; while it definitely has advantages, some will think it necessary, others won’t.  Okay, with the money topic out of the way, it’s time to get to the gritty, what on earth does SharePoint really do?

To be honest I still have trouble describing it, there are just so many things that it does, and it feels impossible to boil it down.  Okay, deep breath.  SharePoint is...a management system.  It can be used for administrative functions, for file uploads, minute taking, blogging, photo storage, forums; one employee praised it for its ‘great connection to resources’, but this is just scratching the surface.  I’ll begin with what you can do with documents.

Within this central repository there is a library where different types of content can be stored and created, each with its own template and properties.  A way to manage information is by tracking versions in lists and libraries.  There are two levels of versions, major versions (e.g., 3.0, 5.0) are ready to be presented and minor versions (e.g., 1.7, 2.4) are still in the process of being updated.  Because all versions are saved, you can restore a file to a previous version and see what changes have been made and who made them.

After a file is created many people can view and change the file content.  If you want to edit content, you can ‘Check out’ a file because only one person can change it at a time.  Whilst a file is checked-out its icon changes so that colleagues can see that the file is checked-out and who has it.

One of the pertinent features of SharePoint when it comes to information management is permission settings. Each member of staff is granted a certain amount of authority by the owner of SharePoint.  Some employees may be able to read and change every document and access every area of SharePoint, while other users may be restricted to sites that directly relate to their position.  Sensitive documents may be designated read-only to certain users and inaccessible to others.

Once SharePoint has been customised to do and look the way you want, it is shockingly easy to use.  It’s great for someone like me because it is virtually impossible to get lost.  SharePoint uses breadcrumb navigation, so at the top of the page is the progression you took to get to the page you’re looking at.  It’s very, very simple. There’s a search bar at the top of the homepage, very helpful if you want to browse through all the information in SharePoint relating to your topic.  Also, RSS feeds help everyone keep current on everything that is happening within the company; it’s instant news.

SharePoint facilitates keeping up-to-speed with dates, events and tasks.  There is a team calendar where you can record important events and meetings which help you keep track of your schedule.  New Product Tasks lists keep you on top of your progress.  There is a bar by each task which grows and changes colour as the task progresses, and diamonds on the chart indicate milestones.

Simply, this is one of the most useful adjustments an office can make.  Once installed, it is extremely easy to use (when I say easy to use, I mean for non-programmers), and its streamlined processes will improve office productivity.  Personally, I like using SharePoint, I always know where I am and how to find the things I need. SharePoint is something that should be installed by a professional, especially with the amount of customisation that could (and come on, should) be done.  There is a list of public web sites hosted by MOSS to give you an idea of what a public facing SharePoint website can look like (as I mentioned before, our personal favourite is Ferrari), hope you enjoy!