Understanding SharePoint

• SharePoint is hard for many to grasp initially.
• It's not a single program but a platform encompassing various products and technologies.
• Learning SharePoint is like learning Microsoft Office, where you learn individual components.
• SharePoint is a set of solutions; Microsoft consistently adds more features with each version.

SharePoint as a Server Product

• SharePoint is a server product installed on backend systems and shared across a network.
• Desktop installations include SharePoint Designer and Workspace.
• Interaction with SharePoint primarily occurs through Microsoft Office programs or a web browser.
• Six areas of focus: sites, communities, content search, insights, and composites.

Functionality

• SharePoint creates websites without needing specialized web design or programming skills.
• Websites can be for personal use, teams, companies, or public access.
• SharePoint allows users to contribute, change, and edit content.
• Facilitates collaboration, shared calendars, task lists, and discussion boards.
• Manages large content volumes and tracks changes.
• Users can upload documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and multimedia into SharePoint.

Content Management

• SharePoint centralizes content storage, removing the need for local or network drives.
• Content access can be controlled, monitored, and audited for specific users and content types.
• All types of content can be hosted.
• Users can continue working without system slowdown and can easily access and update documents across devices.
• SharePoint has an integrated search engine which indexes all data stored.

Content and Collaboration

• SharePoint's search engine is sophisticated and allows searching content and people.
• Access is secured to prevent unauthorized access.
• Information can be consolidated to improve understanding and organization.
• Advanced features include dashboards, scorecards, and real-time updated Visio diagrams.
• Knowledge workers can consolidate data for informed decision-making.
• SharePoint is customizable and extensible.
• Custom workflows and forms without coding are possible.
• Coding allows for integration with legacy applications and databases.
• SharePoint is a platform for building tailored solutions, not a pre-packaged solution.
• SharePoint offers website creation, collaboration, content centralization and search, data aggregation, and extensibility.

Learning SharePoint

• SharePoint has extensive capabilities that can take months to learn.
• Focus areas include site building, workflow creation, data analysis, or document saving and management.
• Users can start by saving documents and gradually explore advanced features.