In the last two years, Microsoft 365 innovations have skyrocketed beyond years before, and that pace continues across all of Microsoft. As of November 13, 2020, Microsoft has 458 updates in development, has launched 607 updates, and is currently rolling out 178. This pace showcases Microsoft’s continued commitment to innovation and the advancement of businesses everywhere.
At the center of Microsoft 365’s digital workplace solutions is SharePoint. Its purpose includes improving the overall employee experience and engagement through effective communication and collaboration. Fortunately, SharePoint’s purpose aligns with Microsoft’s commitment to a better digital workplace, and the results have been outstanding.
At the center of Microsoft 365’s digital workplace solutions is SharePoint. Its purpose includes improving the overall employee experience and engagement through effective communication and collaboration. Fortunately, SharePoint’s purpose aligns with Microsoft’s commitment to a better digital workplace, and the results have been outstanding.
There are a few reasons why powering or running your Intranet on SharePoint provides significant advantages. Understanding how SharePoint’s cloud-first features and its ability to scale rapidly are particularly important to its innovation and your improved modern intranet.
Cloud-only features will only be available to organizations that leverage or connect/integrate Microsoft 365 with their organization. Innovation is bundled with SharePoint Server for on-premises SharePoint environments.
These SharePoint releases are based on the innovation that happens in SharePoint Online and Microsoft 365. In many cases, you may wait several years before a SharePoint cloud-based feature is available on-premises. For example, the last version of SharePoint Server was feature locked, based on the innovation/code and testing cycles, at the start of 2018. That means that, in 2021, SharePoint 2019 is closer to 3 years old when it comes to innovation and improvements in SharePoint Online.
Some SharePoint Online features may never be available for On-Premises. SharePoint Online connects to Azure enabled services like Video Streaming, Deep Analytics/Insights, or Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence capabilities. These capabilities might not be as richly available in a hybrid configuration, or some elements may require additional licensing. However, at all times, you can expect that innovation is both cloud-first and sometimes cloud-only.
Cloud innovation enables rapid scale and solution development. Storage, improvements to encryption and security, and new integration opportunities are delivered consistently by the team. This development is all in service of and based on customer and industry feedback.
While there are many improvements being made behind the scenes that enable new scenarios, they are often represented through improvements for end-users using your Microsoft Office 365 powered Intranet.
Not only are you getting SharePoint improvements, but you are also receiving Microsoft Azure improvements at an incredible scale, and thorough quality assurance. Example: Consider mobility support with an Intranet powered by Microsoft 365 versus a traditional one.
New Portals that connect and integrate with your company’s Microsoft 365 Intranet will provide a better app experience. These experiences rival those developed by an on-premises Portal team. The AI enrichment and algorithms that help organizations succeed are based on Microsoft 365 digital patterns of work that get captured in the Microsoft Graph.
Microsoft Power Platform provides incredible performance and flexibility for rapidly designed, integrated, tested, and deployed solutions that even technical end users can deliver. You could even consider the innovation from a management perspective. It’s powered by Microsoft 365’s MDM, security, and compliance capabilities, which are often shared across everything from Dynamics to Project Online.
Did you know that there have been hundreds of improvements and updates to Microsoft 365 that have upgraded the Intranet experiences? Microsoft 365 continues to innovate and improve businesses’ everywhere, and SharePoint has never been a better platform.
We hope you’ve enjoyed the mini-series on Microsoft 365 Intranet Advantages. Now, you’re ready to learn more about your future Intranet. Download our definitive guide to SharePoint Intranets to discover how this solution can improve your internal communications, user experience, and more!
