The SharePoint platform and SharePoint solutions have a great significance in an organization

SharePoint undoubtedly is a hot topic nowadays. Unlike a lot of software apps which are developed for a certain purpose, the technologies of the platform provide a framework that could be used in a lot of various functions. The extent of what it could do is only limited by the imagination and creativity of both the developers and end users.

The platform claimed more than seventy percent enterprise penetration, bringing in over $2 billion a year for Microsoft.  The product, which was launched in 2001, experienced the fastest growth in the firm's history, even compared to Windows and Office and is considered an industry standard ECM platform. Why is SharePoint so successful? The main reason is because it is deeply embedded within organizations. As a matter of fact, two out of three enterprise employees have it and use it in some capacity. The usages range from extranet, intranet and portal creation to most common document management or enterprise content management. With the recent 2013 release, organizations could even use it for widespread social networking and the App Marketplace.

It is indeed the platform of choice and is extremely beneficial to any organization because of innovation, practicality and adoption. For a smaller company, deploying SP via Office 365 could be a great way of addressing specific needs cost-effectively and efficiently.

Through its use as a centralized workspace, a firm could gain the following : 1. A backed up, secure, searchable and versioned repository for maintaining and storing documents.

2. A place to share information and collaborate with members of the project team.

3. Ability to access documents with any device anywhere with an internet connectivity.
4. Access to calendars and presences so one could find and reach colleagues when needed.
5. A portal to communicate and engage employees.
6. Access control over workspaces to meet regulatory needs and protect sensitive data.

Regardless if only one of these needs is a priority for an organization, the speed of implementation, price point and ease of us would likely make the decision to go in this direction a no-brainer. Moreover, by starting SP when a firm is small, it would be a part of how the business works and it would face far lesser adoption challenges as the business grows and expands its use to address the requirements which are common in bigger and more complex firms.

For bigger, more complex and geographically dispersed enterprise, the platform is a powerful one that could increase productivity and collaboration across the firm as well as facilitate information-sharing and employee engagement. The companies that are best able to capitalize on the business value that the framework offers, embrace it as a tool that meets a huge range of needs, like the following :

1. Team collaboration

2. Knowledge and document management

3. Corporate communications/intranet

4. Employee community-building

5. Process and workflow automation

6. Personalized workspace and portal

For example, there is one leading restaurant chain in middle east, which effectively utilized SharePoint to develop a Document and Request Management System, an intranet web application. The system solved their major problems in day to day coordination as many of the tasks were handled manually and information was distributed over different branches. The system handles workflows in HR, Document library, Request handling and Event or Appointment Management. In each workflow, specific users have permission to carry out specific task.

Using the Microsoft framework to address these requirements benefits a company in several ways, including:

1. Enhanced team collaboration

2. Enables information to be shared securely and in real-time

3. Easier to find and manage content that is reusable

4. Supports meeting regulatory requirements

5. Streamlines and automates business processes

6. Simplifies IT infrastructure

7. Facilitates employee engagement

8. Offers employees with one location to access everything they need to work

For example,