Let's examine how to use SharePoint to benefit you and your business.

Microsoft SharePoint has become a big name in portal software. SharePoint allows companies to setup intranets. According to Merriam Webster, an intranet is: a network operating like the World Wide Web but having access restricted to a limited group of authorized users (as employees of a company). It can provide a valuable way for companies and other organizations to share information, collaborate, and more.

This article will explain the who, what, why, where, when, and how you can use SharePoint to benefit you and your business.

• Who. SharePoint is made by the software giant Microsoft. SharePoint has two different levels (much like Windows XP Home and Professional): Services and Portal Server. It can help basically any small business that frequently uses computers and the Internet. SharePoint is also popular among non-profits and can be effectively used by larger businesses as well.

• What. SharePoint is software that runs on Windows Server (it can also be hosted remotely – without Windows Server, see the “Where and How”) and allows companies to create an intranet and, with SharePoint Portal Server, a full-fledged website for use by external users (i.e. website visitors, customers, partners, etc.). It allows, among other things, for companies to: customize pages and content from a browser, users to get information via RSS and email, store documents in a central location, have a central message board, utilize a central event calendar, have a central contact list, and more.

Microsoft says that one of SharePoint’s key features is allowing smaller teams to work on a bigger project and all of team members throughout the entire company being kept on the same page. For example, if your company is a software company, the team that works on the user interface could see what the programming team is doing, etc. The functionality of smaller teams working on a bigger project can be applied to almost any industry and any company.

SharePoint includes settings so meetings can be conducted using it, projects can be managed, and documents can be created right in SharePoint. In addition, SharePoint has a site builder feature that can be customized for almost any purpose with minimal help from the IT department.

SharePoint Services can be used to publish a team site (that anyone can view), but is made mainly for use by internal users (employees). SharePoint Services doesn’t really allow you to differentiate between public and private users, and is therefore, better suited for use by internal users such as employees.

SharePoint Portal Server allows for companies to create a full fledged website using its more advanced permission features as well as make integration into some other more advanced Microsoft software and platforms such as Exchange, Project, and Team Foundation easier and more effective.

• Why. If your company has many employees who use the Internet or work on projects, an intranet is probably critical. It provides a central place for information to be stored, collaboration on various projects, and much more. A program like SharePoint is needed to keep all employees on the same page.

If your company uses Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc. frequently – SharePoint is an excellent choice because it integrates very closely with those products. In addition, many other products made by other companies integrate with SharePoint, allowing it to be a total solution.

• When. SharePoint is relatively new (it first came out with Windows Server 2003) and has gone through a few small updates and releases since then. It’ll likely continue to be developed and released with Windows Server products.