One of the most popular and flexible collaboration tools is Microsoft SharePoint. The platform features can seamlessly integrate a wide variety of applications and platforms.
According to the latest data from Statista.com, over 81% of businesses are already utilizing cloud SharePoint for internal teamwork and communication. Over the past decade, this figure has increased progressively, and now exceeds 200 million users all over the globe.
In addition, more than 80% of the Fortune 500 use SharePoint as an internal communication and intranet platform. A significant portion of the user base still isn’t aware of the features that a powerful platform like SharePoint offers to them. All these features intend to influence and increase the productivity and efficiency of the system. This indicates that there is still a gap in its utilization.
For Those Who Are Unfamiliar, What Is Microsoft SharePoint?
There’s a lot to cover when talking about Microsoft SharePoint 2019, the latest version of the popular collaboration platform. So, it is a web-based collaboration platform that unifies a company’s server-based data (including documents, folders, files, and more) in a unified manner. Using a web browser, such as Firefox, Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, etc., it is accessible from a wide variety of devices.
New Features Are Added in the Latest Versions of SharePoint
SharePoint 2019 was built with on-premises collaboration and data center preferences in mind. And, this is the first thing that stands out about it.
SharePoint has undergone several changes. However, Microsoft designed the vast majority of them keeping cloud-based data centers in mind. SharePoint 2019 is a game-changer because it brings on-premises data management to the forefront of technology.
1. A Fresh Interface for SharePoint Team Sites
SharePoint 2019 is a stark change from its predecessors, which featured a more classic design for the SharePoint team’s interface. The news publishing engine that facilitates communication within the team without demanding a dedicated chat group, as is the case with Office 365, is the most notable change and addition to this version. As a result, there is no longer a need for any kind of exchange integration to be linked and ensure smooth operation.
2. A Futuristic Interface for SharePoint Communication Sites
The next major update that stands out in the new SharePoint is the prominence of enhanced communication sites. Users of a communication site typically use it to spread and discuss company-related announcements, guidelines, and policies, as well as any other information of interest to the community.
SharePoint 2019, the most up-to-date version of the platform, offers three distinct communication site templates. Showcase, Blank, and Tropic are the names of these three.
3. Modern Lists & Libraries
Microsoft has invested more time and resources into developing the more powerful and reliable version of Office 365, which gives users the ability to view all of the relevant data that is available with just a single glance.
You can have information such as permissions and metadata displayed on the front page of modern lists and libraries. In addition, these lists and libraries have kept handy tabs such as ‘Move To’ and ‘Copy To’ to facilitate the easy movement of information and data.
In addition to this, you now can refine your data by using conditional formatting on your libraries and lists, just like in Microsoft Excel. This enables the sharing of filtered information with the user base that was desired without disclosing the complete data and makes the retrieval of information much more quickly.
4. The Advanced Search Functionality
The new SharePoint also features a method of data search that is both much simpler and much quicker than its predecessor throughout the whole SharePoint environment. You can utilize conditions and filters in the more modern search experience to locate the data you are looking for.
5. A Modern Homepage for SharePoint
The contemporary homepage for SharePoint is now a sight to behold and is very deserving of praise. The new SharePoint home brings together all of the information that is currently spread across the various communication teams and sites.
This also combines the sites that you follow, and all of the activities that you perform on those sites can be seen on the home page as well. This grants you instant access to all of your most frequently visited web pages and websites.
6. Support for the Improvised Framework
This is not a brand-new feature but rather an improvement made to the existing support framework. SharePoint 2019, which supports the SharePoint framework 1.4.1, is a comprehensive framework for the development of web parts that are compatible with both SharePoint online and on-premises. You can access these web parts through either platform.
Developers will find this most helpful as it allows them to host JavaScript files automatically, use asset packaging, and work on client-side web parts in the SharePoint framework.
7. An Improvised Version of OneDrive
Users who access SharePoint 2019 on-premises get the ability to synchronize their OneDrive folders with Windows 10. NGSC, which stands for ‘Next Generation Sync Client,’ is the most recent upgrade that has been implemented to OneDrive, which SharePoint 2019 makes use of. This SharePoint upgrade enables users to work on the most cutting-edge innovations, such as Files on Demand and others.
8. Advanced Hybrid Application Launcher
SharePoint also introduced another new feature known as the hybrid app launcher. This feature enables users to enjoy a smooth and trouble-free transition between the online and on-premises environments. They can use it when the hybrid mode is active.
9. A More Seamless Integration of Flow Throughout PowerApps & BI
Organizations that are using SharePoint entirely on-premises will continue to have access to all of the SharePoint and InfoPath features until the year 2026. On contrary, Online clients and organizations using SharePoint in hybrid mode, will have access to additional features in the coming years.
The hybrid customers will have a more streamlined experience when using Power BI, MS Flow, and PowerApps across both their online and on-premises content. Because of this, they will have the ability to have a Business Process Automation development process that is more user-friendly across a platform. On top of that, Microsoft refreshes its functionalities every week with newer features.
Even though this is not a newly added feature to SharePoint 2019, but rather an improvement made to the SharePoint 2016 version. It enables much-streamlined data integration across all of the different SharePoint sites.
10. The Integration of Power BI with Report Servers
In earlier versions of SharePoint, these features replaced the Business Intelligence features, which is why those earlier versions are no longer available. In SharePoint 2019, the new feature that will allow you to create exceptional reports is the Power BI report server. You can look very much forward to more of such features.
What Are the Benefits of Upgrading to SharePoint 2019?
The modern SharePoint 2019 comes packed with features that are necessary for every data-driven organization. Particularly for those that operate on-premises data centers and make use of SharePoint. These organizations are the ones that need these features the most. If you use it, you will receive a seamless user experience through all types of content. This will allow you to manage it effectively and reuse it in accordance with the requirements of your business.
Microsoft has greatly improved and expanded upon communication and team sites. This results in making routine work together much less cumbersome and more efficient. Complete integration between SharePoint and OneDrive makes data and activity management a breeze. Collectively, all these features make it a desirable package for on-premises and hybrid business setups.
Conclusion
SharePoint 2019 will bring a high level of data security to both cloud-based and on-premises SharePoint configurations. In turn, this gives organizations increased levels of control regardless of the type of SharePoint deployed. The open architecture makes it possible for different extensions and apps to easily and seamlessly integrate with one another, which in turn makes business activities more streamlined and trackable.