Overview of SharePoint

SharePoint is like an online filing cabinet and teamwork hub. It’s a place where you can store, organize, and share files (like documents, spreadsheets, or pictures) with your team, all through a web browser or apps like Microsoft Teams.

Instead of keeping stuff on a physical office server or your own computer, SharePoint puts everything in the cloud, so it’s safe, backed up, and easy to access anywhere with an internet connection.

Think of it as a super-organized digital workspace. You can:

Upload files and put them in folders (called “libraries”)
Let specific people view or edit them (you control who sees what).
Work on files together at the same time with your team.
Find old versions of a file if you need to undo changes.

It’s tied to tools like Teams and OneDrive, making it a go-to spot for companies to keep their work stuff in one place. In short, SharePoint is your team’s online home for files and collaboration—simple, secure, and way more powerful than a regular folder on a server!

SharePoint vs traditional file share

Access Anywhere

SharePoint: You can get to your files from any device (computer, phone, tablet) as long as you have internet—no need to be in the office or on a specific network.
Network Share: You usually need to be connected to the office network (or use a VPN), which can be a hassle if you’re working remotely.

Collaboration Made Easy

SharePoint: Multiple people can work on the same document at the same time (like editing a Word file together), and changes save instantly for everyone to see.
Network Share: Only one person can edit a file at a time, and you might end up with duplicate copies (like “Report_v2_final.docx”).

Version History

SharePoint: It keeps track of every change to a file, so you can see who edited what and go back to an older version if you mess up.
Network Share: There’s no built-in history—once a file is changed or overwritten, the old version is usually gone unless you manually save copies.

Better Organization

SharePoint: You can add tags, descriptions, or custom labels to files, making them easier to search for later (e.g., find all “budget” files without digging through folders).
Network Share: You’re stuck with just folder names and file names, which can get messy and hard to search.

Security and Permissions

SharePoint: You can set exactly who can view, edit, or share each file or folder, and it’s easy to change permissions if someone leaves the team.
Network Share: Permissions are clunkier to manage, and it’s harder to control who has access without IT stepping in.

Backup and Recovery

SharePoint: Files are stored in the cloud, so they’re safe if your computer crashes or the office has a power outage. You can recover deleted files too.
Network Share: Files live on a physical server, so if it breaks or someone deletes something by accident, you might lose everything unless there’s a separate backup system.

Works with Other Tools

SharePoint: It connects smoothly with Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and Office apps (like Word and Excel), so you can chat about files or edit them right from those tools.
Network Share: It’s more isolated—files don’t link up with other apps as easily, so you’re mostly just opening them from folders.

No More “Where’s the Latest Version?”

SharePoint: There’s one central copy of each file online, so everyone’s always working on the same thing—no confusion about which version is current.
Network Share: People might save copies to their desktops or email files around, leading to a mess of outdated versions.