#Microsoft365 #Office365 #SharePoint – The next posts will be focused at end users and newbies wanting to learn more about SharePoint. I’ll take you through the basics in ‘byte-size bits’ to consume and broaden your knowledge. In this post we’ll take a look at explaining what SharePoint is in layman’s terms.

For previous posts in my #Microsoft365Challenge go to the index page.

DISCLAIMER:  I WRITE ARTICLES ABOUT OFFICE / MICROSOFT 365. CONTENT IS ACCURATE AT TIME OF PUBLICATION, HOWEVER UPDATES AND NEW ADDITIONS HAPPEN DAILY WHICH COULD CHANGE THE ACCURACY OR RELEVANCE. PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND WHEN USING MY BLOGS AS GUIDELINES.

What does Microsoft say?

Organizations use SharePoint to create websites. You can use it as a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information from any device. All you need is a web browser, such as Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Chrome, or Firefox. Want to learn more?

SharePoint Online – A cloud-based service, hosted by Microsoft, for businesses of all sizes. Instead of installing and deploying SharePoint Server on-premises, any business can subscribe to an Office 365 plan or to the standalone SharePoint Online service. Your employees can create sites to share documents and information with colleagues, partners, and customers. Read more…

What does that actually mean?

When explaining SharePoint to my students I always use the following analogy:  “You’ve been using a SharePoint environment for a long time, without knowing it.”

What do I mean by this?  I’m referring to your PC (desktop). You have a Desktop with shortcuts (Home Page), Start Menu and Taskbar (Top Navigation and Quick Launch), File Explorer (Site Contents):

Your PC:

 

SharePoint:

 

File Explorer vs Site Contents:

In your File Explorer you have folders for Documents, Pictures, Videos, Downloads, Music etc. SharePoint has Site contents that shows all you folders (Apps). It also has Site Settings which is similar to the Control Panel on your PC and a Recycle Bin:

Apps on your PC vs Apps on SharePoint:

When you press the Windows Button on your PC it brings up the Start Menu – this is where you can find all the Apps on your PC (Outlook, Excel, Word, etc). When you click on Settings > Add an App on SharePoint it shows you all the Apps that can be ‘installed’ (Site Contents shows all Apps already installed):

Note:  The Start Menu will look different on your PC based on the OS (operating system) installed. Windows 7 will only show the ‘text’ menu on the left. Windows 8 will only show the colorful tiles, Windows 10 shows a combination of both text menu and tiles (blocks).

Conclusion:

So when I ask you what is SharePoint – you already know. You’ve been using it for years. The only difference is – it’s web based (not on your PC), more people can have access to the Apps and Content than just you, work on files together, co-author, it’s accessible from anywhere, anytime, any device (if your PC gets stolen – it will still be ok). Centralized, single version of the truth, fully customizable and it adds much more functionality than ever possible on just your PC. I promise you, you’re gonna love it and you’re gonna be ok, you’ll see 🙂

Purpose of this blog challenge:  I will write 365 blogs in 365 days around Microsoft 365. I did a similar challenge with Office 365, blogs can be found here. I won’t just be talking about the new Microsoft 365 subscription model. I will be sharing any news, tips and tricks around Office / Office 365 / Windows / Mobility and Security. And let’s not forget all the great new Apps & services available.  A lot of what I’ll share on Office and SharePoint will also be applicable to none “Office 365” versions.