What are the benefits of Microsoft SharePoint for your business? 

What are the benefits of Microsoft SharePoint for your business? 

If you have been looking to switch from costly onside file storage to scalable cloud storage in the past decade, then you will have come across the name Microsoft SharePoint at least a couple of times. Microsoft SharePoint has established itself as a powerful tool for businesses looking to streamline their business operations, foster collaboration amongst teams and departments, and manage all your business data securely.

What Is Microsoft SharePoint?
Microsoft SharePoint is a versatile, scalable, unified platform for, cloud storage, collaboration and document management platform that is part of and integrates directly with the larger Microsoft 365 environment. Enabling businesses to work more effectively across teams while supporting critical security measures for enhanced data access control. Additionally, SharePoint has extensive customisation options which allow businesses to adapt it to their unique needs, making it suitable for a wide array of industries and use cases. 

Benefits of Microsoft SharePoint in Business
The main advantages to Microsoft SharePoint over local storage, or other cloud-based solutions, lie in its ability to enhance collaboration between employees and teams, boost productivity, and offer secure data management. 

Collaboration and Communication: SharePoint provides a collaborative team and businesses workspace, where team members can work together on documents in real-time, with version control and feedback options integrated directly into its compatibility with the Microsoft 365 suite of tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more). Additionally, it integrates with Microsoft Teams seamlessly for file sharing and collaboration on the go, ensuring everyone has easy access to the latest information when and where they need it. 

Document Management: By providing structured team libraries for file storage, SharePoint allows users to organise and retrieve documents efficiently, whilst also providing advanced search functionality to further streamlines access, reducing time wasted on finding files and minimising redundant work. 

Security and Compliance: SharePoint offers enterprise-grade security controls, including permissions settings that help prevent unauthorised access to sensitive information, integration with Privileged Identity and Access Management systems, and for businesses in regulated sectors, SharePoint can support compliance requirements, providing peace of mind. 

Scalability and Customisation: Microsoft SharePoint can easily scale as your business grows, providing customisation options to have various “sites” for various departments or projects, adapting to meet the growing needs of your business as it grows, supporting both small teams and larger enterprises alike. 

How SharePoint Supports Secure Data Storage
Security is at the core of Microsoft SharePoint, primarily focusing on data security for its users. With role-based access, encryption, and advanced authentication options, SharePoint offers comprehensive protection against unauthorised data access, whilst also offering additional layers of protection, including data redundancy, backup, and disaster recovery options. 

As part of SharePoint’s “security first” core, data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, aligning with industry standards and regulations to keep information safe from potential breaches. By using built-in Data Loss Prevention (DLP) features, businesses can set up automated monitoring and auditing for sensitive data across all SharePoint sites and documents, which can be crucial for compliance in many regulated industries. 

Integrating SharePoint with Privileged Identity & Access Management (PIM)
Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is an important security feature for businesses who want to abide by policies of Zero Trust and the Policy of Least Privileged Access, that helps businesses manage and monitor access to critical data within Microsoft SharePoint, as well as other applications and services within a business. PIM's integration with Microsoft SharePoint allows businesses to better control who has elevated permissions within the platform, reducing the risk of unauthorised access to sensitive data, auditing access to data, and giving one time or limited time access to data with automated or monitored elevated access policies. 

For example, an administrator might temporarily grant an employee access to specific SharePoint libraries for a high-priority project, with PIM revoking the permissions after a set period. This level of control helps organisations prevent “permission creep,” where users accumulate unnecessary to files and folders, they do not require access to over time, which could increase security risks.  

PIM’s alignment with the Policy of Least Privileged Access means that employees only have access to the necessary files to do their role effectively, granting only temporary access to other data when required. This not only protects company data but also supports compliance efforts in industries with stringent data security requirements. 

How SharePoint Can Support Different Business Teams
One key strength of Microsoft SharePoint is its flexibility, allowing teams tailor their SharePoint environments to suit specific needs, enhancing document management, collaboration, and data security in ways that align with their unique workflows. 

Let us look at some common examples; 

Human Resources (HR)
HR teams can use SharePoint to securely store employee records, manage onboarding and training documentation, and distribute updated business policies and employee handbooks. With PIM, HR administrators can grant temporary elevated access to personnel who need it, such as IT team members assisting with sensitive HR data. 

Marketing
Marketing teams can use SharePoint as a central hub for brand guidelines and standard branding elements (such as logos), content management, campaign assets, art files, print files, photos, videos and more. Temporary permissions managed through PIM could also allow external collaborators, such as designers or agencies, to access specific folders or resources only for the duration needed, reducing the risk of sensitive information about upcoming campaigns being exposed to unauthorised third parties. 

Sales
Sales departments could benefit from SharePoint’s secure storage of CRM data, customer information, sales reports, and more. With PIM the business can control access to sensitive customer/client information, tracking access to files storing sensitive data, allowing temporary access for users working on specific accounts or projects, and reducing potential risks associated with overexposed information or unauthorised access to sensitive data.  

How can SharePoint benefit your Business?
Microsoft SharePoint, when combined with Privileged Identity Management (PIM), offers a robust solution for secure data management, collaboration, and compliance across any business environment. By integrating PIM, businesses can gain granular control over who can access sensitive data, ensuring that any elevated permissions are both temporary and well-monitored. 

SharePoint’s versatility, for not only providing a platform for seamless team collaboration and centralised document storage, but also a foundation for robust, compliant data protection sets it apart as a market leader for business document management and storage.  

If you would like to find out how you can transition your business document management solutions to Microsoft SharePoint and integrate Privileged Identity Management to improve data access security and monitoring, fill out the form below and speak to our specialist team.