SharePoint, the tried-and-true platform for managing information, has been in the game for over 20 years. Today, a plethora of companies rely on Microsoft’s solution to bolster their internal communication capabilities and streamline processes for file sharing.
The benefits of customizing SharePoint are applicable to companies of all sizes, so it’s no wonder that many businesses are seeking professional help to build and optimize this versatile platform. But where to start? We’ve compiled some essential factors to keep in mind below.
What is SharePoint?
To sum up SharePoint in a few words is a challenge, as it encompasses a variety of functions. This versatile application serves as a Content Management System (CMS), facilitates document sharing and collaboration across businesses, streamlines workflow and boosts productivity, and offers a host of other capabilities.
Thanks to Microsoft SharePoint’s cutting-edge features, gaining access to data from any location with an internet connection is a breeze. Initially created for data storage and management, the platform has since expanded into a robust solution for enhancing communication and boosting productivity across organizations. SharePoint is even compatible with Microsoft Office, making it adaptable to suit the distinct needs of any business.
When to Customize SharePoint?
With its inherent flexibility, customizing SharePoint to align with your business processes and requirements is a savvy move. This highly adaptable platform can be easily integrated with an array of applications and services, so you can select the ones that best suit your organization’s needs.
Partnering with an expert software development company to develop or adapt technologies for specific business needs can yield a multitude of benefits. Outsourcing customization provides access to skilled professionals with a proven track record in developing tailored solutions, while also delivering cost and time savings that may be challenging to achieve with an internal team. Moreover, it can minimize the risk of new technology development, as specialist firms often possess the expertise and resources to ensure that the project is executed to a high standard.
- SharePoint’s integration capabilities extend to a myriad of tools and platforms, ranging from intranets to bespoke applications and beyond.
- Elevated productivity levels
- Recently updated add-ons and features
- Comprehensive and intuitive support resources
Engaging an external organization to redesign a platform, optimizing it for human and machine use, can heighten the likelihood of your personnel fully utilizing the system.
SharePoint: Best Practices for Customization
How much can the system be customized to align with my business requirements? Here are the top 6 recommendations:
Evaluate Your Requirements.
At the outset of your SharePoint customization endeavor, it is crucial to identify the objectives that you and your organization have in mind for utilizing the platform. Given the extensive array of available applications, it is vital to prioritize what is most critical to your business. Depending on the size of your enterprise, collecting feedback from employees about their present and potential future experiences with the system could be advantageous. Management may be keen to consider opinions and ideas that result from such input.
You might necessitate a Business Intelligence software solution or aim to enhance your company’s website. If you are self-assured about managing this process, tailoring SharePoint could prove to be a productive approach in attaining the optimal solution.
Delegate Customization to an Expert
SharePoint endeavors are prone to failure, much like other technology-associated projects, when unequipped with the relevant training and expertise. Instead of counting on your in-house IT team to effect the required modifications, it is recommended to engage a firm that specializes in SharePoint customization. This will help guarantee the successful implementation of your SharePoint initiative.
By dedicating adequate time to meticulously plan the development process from the inception, you and your vendor can collaborate to ensure the platform caters to your exclusive needs and requisites. This will not only result in immediate time and cost savings but also fewer errors needing rectification in the future.
Contemplate Future Upgrades, So Plan Accordingly.
Microsoft frequently updates SharePoint, but these alterations can cause inconsistencies with any customizations or external plugins you may have installed. Following an update, incompatibilities may surface, resulting in faulty functionality of certain features or an overall impaired user experience. With this in mind, it is vital to regularly monitor for updates and appraise their impact on your SharePoint framework.
When introducing modifications to your program, it is crucial to contemplate updates, paying special attention to third-party components that may not be compatible with forthcoming versions. This highlights the significance of consulting professionals to handle the customisation of SharePoint. They can forecast how future versions might affect any changes made.
Engage External Parties for Support
Underestimating the potential of plugins to enhance an already exceptional platform must be avoided. Nevertheless, verifying the reliability of the source of the plugins is crucial. The SharePoint Store delivers a broad range of applications, add-ons, and other plugins, created and offered for sale by Microsoft partners, ensuring compatibility with SharePoint.
Even so, it’s worth noting that external parties, such as a dependable development team, may provide useful solutions.
Take Control of SharePoint Customizations
Granting access to SharePoint’s customization features and imparting an understanding of its working to every employee is not obligatory. Allowing backend access to all department members can create a chaotic scenario.
To prevent unauthorised alterations to the code, it is critical to enable access to the source only to sanctioned IT personnel, such as managers or software engineers. Setting up an authentication system can be advantageous in order to ensure that only authorised users can make alterations. This system will authenticate those with the right credentials, giving them the access to make modifications.
It is evident that denying all staff members access to SharePoint is not advisable. Several individuals and teams will necessitate access to the platform. However, the complexity of the platform necessitates limiting customisation and alteration of its structure to a chosen group of IT professionals who possess the relevant expertise and experience.
Direct Your Attention on Achieving Results
It is important to recognise that customising SharePoint pages could potentially have an adverse effect on performance, such as slow-loading pages or system freezes. Trading-off performance for unnecessary features that would go unused may cause the platform to become ineffectual.
Prior to deploying any updates, ensure that your code is bug-free and is not impeding the speed of SharePoint.
By dedicating time and resources to customize SharePoint to complement your organization’s requirements, you can avail significant advantages. By optimizing your platform, you can anticipate augmented productivity, efficiency, and collaboration. It is important to consider the following best practices when upgrading SharePoint:
