Modern SharePoint
A couple months ago, we selected a group of customers (whom we knew had moderate experience with Classic SharePoint) and asked them to summarize their opinion of the product in a few words. Not surprisingly, the results came pouring in with words such as confusing, intimidating, overwhelming, complicated and not user-friendly.
One client said she takes SharePoint with a grain of salt, slice of lime and a shot of Patrón. Another said that while technology oftentimes insults his intelligence, but SharePoint rubs it in.
Apparently, Microsoft was receiving the same kind of negative feedback, which prompted them to develop and release Modern SharePoint in May, 2016. Truth be told, we had a hard time encouraging our clients to utilize the classic version because we knew the frustrations that would surely ensue.
Simply put, Modern SharePoint is a breath of fresh air. The modernized version is user-friendly, flexible, faster page loading and mobile-responsive out of the box. With Modern SharePoint, you have the ability to create two types of sites, Team site or Communication site.
Before you choose what type of site will best fit your needs, we recommend starting with your intent and desired business outcomes. Team sites are typically behind the counter and private to select employees, whereas Communication sites are visible to all employees.
Team sites
Team sites are perfect for times when you want to work on create a place where the members of a group or project team can collaborate on project deliverables, plan an event, track status, or exchange ideas. At Louisville Geek, we use Team sites to organize our EOS Level 10 meetings, so each department has a common place where they can go to log issues they wish to discuss during upcoming meetings, keep track of their To-Do’s, and share a common scorecard to view real-time data and statistics.
Communication sites
Communication sites are perfect for company Intranet sites, when you want to broadcast news and information to a larger group of viewers. At Louisville Geek, we utilize our Communication site as an Intranet, as well as a platform for storing frequently accessed documents, upcoming events, FAQ’s and an employee directory.
The main advantage of Modern SharePoint is the ability to easily edit pages. Users are able to integrate web parts, which are similar to WordPress plugins in that they are building blocks for your page. Web parts allow users to add text, images files, videos, charts and much more to respective pages. If you’re interested in learning more about Modern pages, this YouTube channel includes a series of videos produced by SharePoint experts to educate users on modern pages.
More benefits of the modern SharePoint
Modern SharePoint is more secure
Classic SharePoint sites run any script you load, even scripts that gathers private information about users or approves actions without necessary permissions. With a few configurations on your Modern SharePoint setup, these scripts can be easily blocked.
Modern SharePoint is more flexible than Classic SharePoint
Modern SharePoint isn’t restricted by the hierarchies that classic SharePoint used to organize site contents. Hierarchies in Classic SharePoint are obstinate and nearly impossible to change. Modern SharePoint is built to scale as organizations change.
Modern SharePoint makes file management easier
Lest we forget how rapidly our world changed with the rise of cloud services such as Dropbox and iCloud. These tools were easier to use, received continuous updates, and were ready for the mobile era. Classic SharePoint fell behind. Modern SharePoint addresses this by giving lists and libraries more flexibility. Microsoft Flow can be used to create workflows like matching SharePoint file names to titles.
