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Top 10 Benefits of SharePoint Hosting
SharePoint hosting can be a valuable tool in managing, growing, and organizing any business or organization. Here are the top ten benefits of SharePoint hosting:
1. Discoverability - SharePoint sites make it easy to find the information you need. The search feature in SharePoint allows for searching of all lists or limiting the search to a specific list. Users can also search the entire site, including document libraries. The search function even allows for searching for a specific contact in the site's contact list.
2. Team Productivity - Because all documents and information are readily available on the SharePoint site, team members can spend their time actually working on projects instead of trying to find paperwork. SharePoint documents are automatically marked with the newest version number, allowing team members to quickly determine which is the newest working version. Users can also scroll back to previous versions and/or retrieve deleted data. There is no need for inboxes to be clogged with attachments because users can simply check the document library. Team members can access and contribute at any time, from any internet access.
3. Collaboration - Project collaboration can be difficult when there are time and place restrictions on team members' ability to meet. With SharePoint , there are built-in lists for sharing information, contacts, tasks and announcements, plus users can add other lists as needed. Photo libraries allow for project related pictures and graphics to be accessible to everyone, which is useful for purposes like standardizing the logo used across all parts of a project. There are also document libraries for sharing documents and information, allowing all members of a team or organization to be able to access the necessary files at any time.
4. Communication - Communication is easy with SharePoint . Users are able to communicate with other team members and key contacts using email or messaging, in both audio and video. SharePoint sites include discussion boards, which users are able to use for exchanging ideas, proposing activities, or having general conversation about mutual concerns within the project. Sites allow for audience targeting, allowing messages to be sent to a specific group, such as members of the same department, rather than being sent to everyone. As an added bonus, users are able to set up alerts that will notify them when documents or information have been changed or added.
5. Easy to Use - For users who are familiar with Office applications, SharePoint is already familiar. SharePoint is fully compatible with Office applications, and those applications can be used to add members and contacts, assign tasks and edit documents. For those who have no Office applications installed, SharePoint documents can still be read using SharePoint viewers. In addition, SharePoint sites offer templates to help users create sites, documents and forms with ease, and templates can be edited using FrontPage.
6. User Control - SharePoint gives individual users control over their virtual workspace. They can create sites, as well as site templates that can be shared with other members. SharePoint sites allow users to personalize their view by moving, resizing or even changing various Web Parts, and the changes are only seen by the individual. In addition, document authors are able to choose how documents are distributed, as well as how they are used by others. Finally, users are able to create their own top-level sites and sub-sites, eliminating the need to have administrators create them.
7. Organization - Not only does SharePoint offer the ability to create and store organizational calendars, but those calendars can be viewed side-by-side with individual calendars through the use of Outlook. All documents are in one place, making them easy to find and keeping projects organized through every stage.
8. Rapid Deployment - SharePoint forms can be used "out-of-the-box" in a matter of minutes. There is no need for a developer to create forms. In addition, SharePoint templates can be easily changed to suit the needs of any organization using Office programs with which the users are already familiar.
9. Management - Site managers have the ability to customize the content and layout of SharePoint sites to make sure users have easy access to necessary information. Managers can also monitor and moderate content usage of the sites and set restrictions on sites to control which users can access the documents there. SharePoint also allows for management of unused sites, which includes deleting inactive accounts or accounts that site owners have not confirmed.
10. Accessibility. SharePoint sites make it easy for members of a team to access necessary documents and information. SharePoint sites are accessible from one password-protected site, and may be accessed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. In addition, SharePoint sites are accessible from any internet connection.
Whether you are running a small business, heading a major corporation, or managing the local youth soccer league, SharePoint hosting can be beneficial to you. With SharePoint hosting, there are no restrictions, no cluttered desks and no missing paperwork, so your team can spend time accomplishing instead of searching.