Build a low-cost solution to meet your needs
You can’t escape the phrase ‘Digital Transformation’ this year and although the adoption divide between sectors is reducing, the SME market is still lagging behind. This could be for a number of reasons but one of the most common factors is value. SMEs are more likely to make smaller investments dictated by value, meaning that functions such as accounting and sales are usually the first to get the digital treatment with other areas such as general admin, marketing and operations coming later.
This is where a solution like Microsoft SharePoint fits perfectly. It’s low cost and designed to scale with your business needs. We’ve gathered our top 5 reasons we think SMEs should be using SharePoint.
Collaboration
The modern office has changed so much since early 2020 and many companies now have hybrid working. When you factor in that your SME might also have field employees as well as those splitting their time between home and the office and you have a complex variety of needs. Or do you? SharePoint Online can be accessed from anywhere and any internet-enabled device meaning that all employees can get access to the information they need quickly and in real-time. When you then combine other elements such as Microsoft Teams and Power Automate your solution becomes even more intuitive and makes collaborating on projects, documents, tasks and meetings truly painless.
Engagement
You might not currently have a central location for all employees or you might but your solution could be rigid or outdated, regardless of your situation intranets can be tricky to get right. We have found that the best way to create a well-used intranet is to make sure the key players are involved in the conception phase. Find out what your business really needs and how each department manages their individual processes. This way when you begin building your SharePoint intranet it will have all the areas and integrations needed to keep employees coming back to it day after day.
Integration
SharePoint integrates with all Microsoft products (Office 365, Teams, Power BI, Power Automate, Dynamics 365 Business Central) and a whole host of other solutions via out-the-box or custom connectors. You can also have custom apps built (at a low cost) using Power Apps that add additional functionality within SharePoint. Custom apps can be developed to do pretty much anything, some common examples for SMEs are holiday management solutions, stock control, interactive expense forms and KPI trackers.
Scalable
Many SMEs start by introducing SharePoint as a document management solution. Then as needs arise the structure is ready and waiting to be scaled up. The platform has the capability to deliver even the most complex internet portals so no matter your requirements SharePoint is flexible enough to serve you.
Protected
A common misconception associated with SharePoint is that it’s not safe due to it being cloud-based. Protection for SharePoint is two-fold, first of all you have the protection implemented by Microsoft which includes access security, application security, data security, physical data centre security, and network security and then you have the protection provided by your organisation. We have more information on the best practices to protect your SME here.
It can be hard to imagine the possibilities of SharePoint without seeing examples working in real life, because of this we offer free demos and consultations designed to aid SMEs in making digital adoption steps at a pace and budget that suits them. To book your demo simply complete our contact form or call us on 0191 500 8150.
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