SharePoint Overview

We recommend that you read this document through, as it provides an overview of how SharePoint works, and how you can best take advantage of it. 

What is SharePoint?

SharePoint is an online collaboration tool designed to improve businesses efficiency. You can use SharePoint as a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information from almost any device. All you need is a web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox or Safari.

Working With SharePoint:  

SharePoint offers three main ways to work with it: 

Online Only -

This way of working with SharePoint requires no Microsoft software to be installed on your PC, all you need is a web browser. You can navigate to the Office 365 web portal and use Microsoft's Office Web Apps as you would with the installable version of Office. At this time you can only use SharePoint's collaboration features when using the Office Web Apps.

For more information on using Office Online, please click here.

Office Programs - 

This is the preferred way of working with SharePoint, it requires you to have the Office programs installed on your PC, however, access to SharePoint is integrated into the Office applications themselves. This allows you to open, save and edit files from SharePoint much quicker than using SharePoint through File Explorer. 

For instructions on using the Office programs with SharePoint, please click here. 

File Explorer -

This method of using SharePoint entails you opening a connection to SharePoint through File Explorer and working with it as you would a server of NAS. 

For instructions on opening SharePoint Document Libraries with File Explorer, please click here. 

When using this method it's common to receive a 'Site Unavailable' error message, this is because Microsoft requires you to provide your Office 365 email address and password on a regular basis in order to access your SharePoint Document Libraries from File Explorer on your Windows PC/laptop.

For more information on this error, please click here.

Collaboration 

Sharepoint offers collaboration features, that allow multiple users to work on a single document at the same time.

For help on using SharePoint's collaboration features, please click here.

Jargon Buster

• SharePoint - SharePoint is a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information from almost any device.

• Team Site - SharePoint Team Sites provide a place on the Web where your team can communicate, share documents, and work together on a project. For help finding your Team Site, please click here.

• Document Library - A Document Library is a location on in a Team Site where you can create, store, update, and collaborate on files with team members. 

• File Explorer - File Explorer, previously known as Windows Explorer, is a file manager application that is included with Microsoft Windows.

• NAS - A NAS is a type of file storage device that provides file storage over a network.