It’s a Thursday afternoon in a Perth office. A quote goes out to a client, and they ring back asking why the pricing doesn’t match what was sent on Tuesday. Three versions of that document exist. One’s on the server, one’s in someone’s OneDrive, and one’s sitting in an email thread. Nobody can say which one is right.
SharePoint is Microsoft’s platform for storing, organising and sharing business documents and information. It works alongside Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams, giving your team a central place to access the files and information they need.
But knowing what SharePoint is doesn’t answer the question most business owners are asking: do we need this, or is the way we share files now still working?
Key Takeaways
- What is SharePoint? It’s a Microsoft 365 platform that gives businesses a central place to organise, share and manage documents and information, with version history, search and controlled access built in.
- SharePoint becomes more relevant when managing files starts getting in the way. Multiple copies, documents spread across different locations, awkward remote access and unclear permissions can all point to a setup that’s becoming harder to manage.
- A shared drive isn’t automatically the wrong choice. For some businesses, a well-managed shared drive still does the job. SharePoint is worth considering when its additional structure and accessibility solve problems the business is actually experiencing.
- Planning matters before anything is moved. Simply transferring an existing folder structure into SharePoint without considering organisation, permissions and ownership can carry old problems into the new environment.
What is SharePoint, in plain English?
In practical terms, SharePoint brings shared documents and information together, with more control over how they’re organised, changed and accessed.
- A document library is a folder that keeps its own record. It holds files like any folder, but can also track versions, including who changed a document and when.
- A site is a workspace for a team or department. It brings that team’s document libraries, pages and information together in one place.
- Permissions are the rules that control who can open, edit or share content. They can be set around teams and roles instead of managing access one person at a time.
Think of your current setup as a room full of filing cabinets. Everyone has a key, everyone knows roughly where things live, and it works until two people need the same folder or someone takes a file home and forgets to bring it back.
SharePoint is the same room with a librarian in it. There’s a record of changes, people can work from the same source, and when you can’t remember where something was filed, you can search for it.
Put together, that’s SharePoint document management: business files in one place, a history of changes, and clear rules about who can access them. How useful it becomes depends on how well it’s set up around the way your team works.
What SharePoint looks like day to day
For staff, the change doesn’t have to feel dramatic. Files can still be opened through familiar Microsoft 365 apps, and commonly used SharePoint libraries can be made accessible through File Explorer.
For a small business using SharePoint, finance, operations and sales might each have their own document library, so staff know where files belong and where to find them later. Access can also be organised more consistently, making it easier to give a new starter the right access or adjust it when someone changes roles.
SharePoint can also provide a simple internal home page for policies, forms, contact lists and other information staff regularly need. This can form the basis of a SharePoint intranet as the business grows.
Do you actually need SharePoint?
The need for SharePoint doesn’t usually show up as a missing feature. It tends to show up in smaller, everyday frustrations with the way files are stored and shared:
Files live in more than one place
Some documents sit on the office server, others in a personal OneDrive or buried in email threads. When someone needs a file, the first job is working out where the current copy lives.
People email documents to each other internally
Sending an attachment across the office might be the quickest way to get a file to a colleague, but it also creates another copy. Once a few people start making changes, those copies can quickly fall out of step.
Version names have started doing the work
Filenames like ‘quote_final_v3_USE THIS’are a sign people have started tracking versions manually because the system isn’t doing it for them.
One person is the filing system
Staff know who to ask when they can’t find something because one person has learned where everything lives. That works right up until they’re on leave, when something that should be easy to find suddenly isn’t.
Working away from the office is awkward
Staff working from home, visiting a client or at a remote location may need a VPN, a phone call to the office or another workaround to reach a file that should take seconds to open.
Nobody can say who has access to what
Contracts, payroll information or client records may all be sitting in shared folders, but nobody can confidently say who still has access to them or whether that access is appropriate.
One or two of these is normal. When several are happening regularly, the way files are stored and shared is probably creating more work than it needs to.
SharePoint vs shared drive
A traditional shared drive does one job very well: almost everyone understands how to use one. That’s worth more than it sounds. The trade-offs tend to become more noticeable as the business grows, people work from different locations and more documents need to be shared.
| Area | Shared drive | SharePoint |
|---|---|---|
| Where files sit | Usually on a server in your office or another network location | Stored in Microsoft 365 and accessed over the internet |
| Two people, one file | Depending on the file and setup, simultaneous editing may be limited or create conflicting copies | Supported Microsoft 365 files can be co-authored, so people can work in the same document without creating separate versions |
| Access away from the office | May require a VPN, remote session or another way of connecting to the business network | Available through Microsoft 365 wherever the user has the right access and an internet connection |
| Who can see what | Commonly managed through folders and network permissions | Access can be organised around teams and roles, with permissions carried through the structure |
| When someone leaves | Files may be spread across network folders, devices and local copies, so access and ownership need to be checked | Shared content stays within the organisation’s SharePoint environment, while the person’s account access can be removed |
| Finding an old document | Usually depends heavily on filenames and knowing where to look | Search can use filenames and, for supported content, information within documents |
| If the internet drops | Staff connected to the local network may still be able to work | Synced or cached files may remain available, but full SharePoint access depends on the connection |
When a shared drive is still fine
Not every business needs to move.
A well-maintained server that’s patched, backed up and monitored may still suit a small team working mainly from one office, particularly where large or specialist files need to stay local. Slow or unstable internet can also make local storage the more practical choice.
Plenty of businesses use a mix, keeping everyday documents in SharePoint while specialist files or workloads stay where they work best.
Is SharePoint an extra cost?
For many SMEs already using Microsoft 365, SharePoint Online is included in their existing business plan rather than purchased as a separate platform. Exactly what’s included depends on your Microsoft 365 licence, so it’s worth confirming what your current plan covers.
Where do-it-yourself SharePoint setups usually go wrong?
Moving the old folder tree across untouched
Years of nested folders don’t become easier to navigate just because they’ve moved to SharePoint. If the existing structure is already difficult to use, carrying it across brings the same problem with it.
Setting permissions file by file
Granting access individually whenever someone asks quickly becomes difficult to maintain and review. Organising permissions around teams and roles makes it easier to keep access appropriate as people join, leave or change roles.
Using OneDrive as the company shared drive
OneDrive is designed primarily for an individual’s files. Using it as the company filing system can create problems when important documents are tied to one person’s account instead of being kept somewhere the business manages collectively.
Syncing everything to every laptop
Not every employee needs every library available offline. Being selective about what is synced keeps the everyday setup simpler and avoids storing unnecessary files on individual devices.
Nobody owns the structure
Even a well-organised setup can become messy over time if nobody is responsible for it. As teams, roles and documents change, someone needs to keep an eye on naming, structure and access.
Treating platform availability and backup as the same thing
SharePoint includes its own retention and recovery capabilities, but these may not cover every business’s backup and recovery requirements. Depending on those requirements, the business may also need to consider independent offsite backup.
The platform matters less than the setup
Knowing what SharePoint is only answers part of the question. What matters is whether it solves a problem your business actually has.
BIZ-LYNX Technology provides SharePoint Consulting Services for businesses across Perth and Western Australia, covering design, migration and ongoing IT management. Our clients work directly with the engineers who manage their environment, so the people discussing the setup also help put it into practice.
Not sure whether your current file setup is still working for your business? Talk to our team about what’s working, what’s getting in the way and whether SharePoint is the right next step.
FAQs
Is SharePoint the same as OneDrive?
No. OneDrive is primarily designed around an individual user’s files, while SharePoint provides shared spaces for business documents and information. The two work together within Microsoft 365, but shared company documents will often be better suited to SharePoint where access and ownership aren’t tied to one person.
Does SharePoint work with Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Teams and SharePoint are closely connected within Microsoft 365. Files stored in a Team’s channels are generally held in the SharePoint site connected to that Team, while Teams gives staff a familiar place to access them alongside conversations and meetings.
Can SharePoint grow with the business?
Yes. A SharePoint environment can be adapted as the business adds people, departments or new ways of working. The structure that suits a small team today may need to evolve over time, so it helps to build it with future changes in mind.
Can external clients or suppliers access files in SharePoint?
Yes, SharePoint can be configured to share selected files or folders with people outside your organisation. External access should be set up deliberately, with appropriate permissions around what each person can see and do rather than giving broader access than they need.
Do staff need training to use SharePoint?
It depends on how SharePoint is set up and what staff need to do with it. If the structure is straightforward and people are mainly opening, editing and sharing documents through familiar Microsoft 365 apps, the change may be relatively small. More complex setups may require additional guidance so staff understand how they’re expected to use the system.
