Five cool things you probably didn’t know SharePoint could do

By Eric Riz

April 10, 2012 — (Page 2 of 2)
3) Take it offline. A question I’m often asked is how to edit or access data when completely offline (like on a plane, which is where I’m writing this article). The answer is SharePoint Workspace, a simple, out-of-the-box tool that allows users to access their documents and files. Once Workspace is configured, users have access to their document lists and can make whatever changes they need. When they’re back online, a check will be done with the server to synchronize the data with a more recent version, all of which is invisible to the user.

4) Subscribe. One of the easiest features to manage and use is also among the most underutilized features in SharePoint: the ability to set up and subscribe to e-mails and/or text-message alerts to advise of any modifications made to documents in SharePoint (or to any SharePoint document library or list). For managers, this is a great way to learn that status reports have been completed, or that a client document is ready for publication.

5) Coauthoring. My favorite collaborative feature is the ability to have document coauthoring, allowing users to work simultaneously on Word documents or PowerPoint slide presentations. This is a huge time-saver for anyone who shares information and collaborates when creating or editing documents.

Picture this: You e-mail a link to a document you just completed, which resides in a SharePoint library. Each reviewer can access the document, and can edit or provide their feedback simultaneously within the file. SharePoint displays pop-ups and on-screen notifications to show which sections have been edited, and allows for push-button synchronization to update the file. This essentially means you don’t need to send attachments anymore, which is a relief for your inbox and hard drive.

Eric is the EVP of Systems Integration for Concatenate, a software firm focused on maximizing SharePoint through product innovation and systems integration based in Toronto. You can reach Eric by e-mail at ericr@concatenateinc.com or on Twitter at @rizinsights. Read his other SharePoint thoughts on his blog at www.ericriz.com.

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Comments

05/18/2012 06:33:44 AM EST

Thanks for explaining the deitals between SharePoint versions. The company I work for uses FPWeb to host SharePoint. They are easy to work with and they like to have fun. Just watch their videos they cracks me up every time. Only true nerds could get this excited about a software launch !

Hong Kong, (China)Ivor

Five cool things you probably didn’t know SharePoint could do

By Eric Riz

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