SharePoint is one of the favorite choices for companies and small teams that want to collaborate on work that, over the years, has been improved to introduce new features that increase its capabilities and, since 2016, SharePoint has also become available on all mobile devices, giving the possibility to carry the power of the Microsoft collaboration platform with you everywhere. In this article we are going to take a closer look at the mobile version of SharePoint, what are its features and functionality, its advantages and we will make a small overview of app development in a SharePoint environment and who can help us make the most of it.
It is now a fact that the use of mobile apps in the work and private environment is now largely cleared through customs, surpassing even the use of desktop devices in some contexts. Several studies have revealed that web traffic from mobile users rose more than 53% in 2019 and trends reveal that the use of Internet and mobile apps is expected to continue to grow.
This is one of the main reasons why the topic mobile versus desktop devices strongly favors the former in terms of usage. A growing number of users are choosing mobile devices to desktops for activities such as browsing social media, writing emails, reading news and, of course, working.
In this context, it is not surprising that many software dedicated to office work received their mobile version and in 2016 SharePoint was finally made available for smartphones and tablets (initially only on iOS, but since then also available for Android). It was the first time that Microsoft's content management and collaboration platform was made available from the Redmond company on the move.
The possibility of carrying with you the functionality and capabilities of such a useful collaborative tool is definitely not to be underestimated and having your company intranet always in your pocket is a boon for all those employees whose working lives take place fairly both inside and outside the office. However, it's how you use the available features that make the difference in terms of the benefits you can derive from them. So let's see better how to take advantage of them.
The main reason behind the development of SharePoint Mobile was to help users quickly access four types of information that could normally only be accessed with SharePoint Online on desktop devices: new updates from within the company, frequently used sites within their organization, quick links to important business pages, and access to lists and lists of employees, customers, and suppliers.
But is it just a matter of being able to passively view this information? Absolutely not, SharePoint Mobile allows all on-the-go workers to do a lot more, including:
In a nutshell, through the use of SharePoint Mobile it is possible to channel most of the aspects of your professional life and keep them everywhere in your pocket enclosed in a single and convenient app that is always ready to use.
If you want to start using the SharePoint app on your mobile device, just go to the App Store of the reference device, enter 'SharePoint' in the search bar and look for the official SharePoint app with the Microsoft logo.
After that, you simply have to click on the download button to start installing the app on your device and, once the download is complete, click on the Open button. After installing the app, just click on the corresponding icon to start it and enter your login credentials to start using the app on the move.
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Contact us if you have a SharePoint Online project in mind.
The release of the SharePoint mobile app has made all the collaboration and content management features that characterize the Microsoft platform easily accessible and always at hand. This mobile intranet tool provides access to all the files necessary to facilitate collaboration with your team members and allows you to take advantage of almost all the capabilities of SharePoint, conveniently contained within your smartphone or tablet.
Now that we have a clearer general idea of how SharePoint Mobile can help us meet our work needs even on the go, let's take a closer look at its functionalities by analyzing its three main sections.
The first feature that we are going to discuss is the one related to the Feed. The Feed is the section that is generally found on the main page of a website or a social media website. Here you can scroll and view the contents that are regularly added to the sites to which you are subscribed.
It is therefore a sort of showcase that offers news, discussions and posts that are constantly updated and personalized according to the interests of the user who is using the page.
In the SharePoint app, you can access this information section from the tab in the bottom center, called”Find”. Inside, you can find not only the content posted by members of your organization on the sites to which you have access, but also all the news, conversations and resources most related to your research within your intranet environment. The contents within the app are organized as follows:
Now we come to the second feature of the SharePoint app: News. This section contains the latest posts published by the sites followed by the user. But not only that, the news shown also comes from the sites and pages suggested by the system based on the actions performed in the app. For example, if you frequently visit a certain site or view pages of content related to a specific topic, the app will once again offer us these or similar pages for consultation.
This section therefore follows a semi-personalized model similar to that of the Feed and seeks to propose content that, although not closely related to the user's projects and department, could still be useful for his work.
By clicking on the title of a post, you will arrive at the full article, complete with interactive web parts, images and related documents, which offers a user experience that will never be of lower quality than normal intranet browsing on desktop devices.
The only difference with the web version of SharePoint concerns the interaction with posts. If the app allows users to create and publish news, add reactions such as' likes' and leave comments (when enabled), however, the app will not allow users to modify or delete a news item once it has been published. To do this, unfortunately, it will be necessary to access the intranet from your PC and use SharePoint Online.
The last feature we are going to discuss is the Me section. This is the user's personal area, where saved content, people contacted and recently used files are collected for more convenient use in a single space.
At first glance, we might seem like an extension of the Quick Access area in the Feed, but it allows for a whole series of additional actions.
In fact, here you can find not only the articles that you intend to read later and the frequent resources that you have recently used in the app, but you can also see and modify your profile, for example by uploading a photo and indicating your role in the company next to the name.
The development of apps for SharePoint is a rich and constantly evolving field, which offers developers in the sector many opportunities to improve the efficiency and productivity of organizations that decide to adopt solutions based on the Microsoft collaboration platform, not only for the development of corporate intranets and extranets.
The apps in Microsoft SharePoint are integrations that add functionality to the standard collaboration spaces on the platform. Some apps are predefined and come with the platform, but there are many others that add functionality and options not found in the normal SharePoint platform. With the use of modern technologies and development tools, developers can create powerful, customized solutions that integrate seamlessly with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
And speaking of Microsoft 365, SharePoint is not only tightly integrated with all the most familiar tools of the old Office 365 but also with the new and more powerful tools of the Microsoft digital workplace such as Power Platform and in combination with the solutions offered by the suite, it allows users to create customized applications, automated workflows and reporting dashboards using Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI respectively.
There are mainly two types of apps that can be developed for SharePoint:
The advantages of developing customized dynamic web applications for SharePoint are numerous and for convenience we will list below only the most important and worth mentioning:
Who can help us, therefore, to make the most of the potential listed above? To be able to do this with the absolute certainty of succeeding in your digital expansion objectives, it is necessary to rely on competent software consultants and developers with years of experience behind them, preferably specialized in the development of ad hoc solutions designed for Microsoft environments, even better if they are long-time certified partners of the Redmond development company.
In a single word? Dev4Side.
With a catalog of Beyond 50 vertical and ready to use applications for SharePoint, Dev4Side is currently the best provider you can find in Italy for projects based on SharePoint Online, for intranet and extranet.
Microsoft Solution Partner and Microsoft Gold Partner, with more than 15 years of experience in software development and management of applications dedicated to the business world, our company has developed solutions for the digital workplace such as intranet.ai with more than 200 installations worldwide.
Thanks to our solid expertise in SPFx development (mentioned just above), we can implement agile and high-performance solutions, optimizing the productivity and efficiency of the entire corporate SharePoint tenant.
Dev4Side harnesses the power of SharePoint Online to digitize all internal processes, including the management of previously paper-based approvals, requests, reservations, and forms. We use the platform for document generation, integrations with other platforms, and more, offering modern and efficient solutions to improve business processes.
We are able to assist the customer in the implementation of their document system, providing support both for the creation of documentary archives and for the complete management of the document lifecycle. This includes creation from templates, protocollation, management of approval flows, publication and distribution, ensuring an integrated and efficient document process.
Our professionals will also be available for facilitate the transition of your corporate intranet to SharePoint, with the aim of optimizing infrastructure and management costs, as well as maximizing the use of the advanced collaborative features offered by the Cloud platform, and they will deal not only with the intranet, but also with the transition of file shares and complete tenants, including Teams and Mailbox, ensuring a fluid and efficient management of all corporate digital resources.
Since its first appearance in 2001, SharePoint has been one of the most used and loved software in Microsoft's digital workplace environment. An extremely versatile tool that can revolutionize the way in which your organization and its elements (individual employees, teams and departments) can communicate, collaborate and operate on common projects.
The constant updates it has received over time have made it one of the most important tools for encouraging collaboration between employees and with its mobile app it has allowed all those workers whose working lives take place on long trips and trips to be able to actively participate in office life even in full movement.
The development of apps for the Microsoft collaboration platform then led the latter to become much more than a simple development solution for corporate intranets, integrating elements and functionalities from the entire Microsoft 365 environment and opening up like no other office software to the design and integration of custom solutions to build and expand your digital work environment.
In a nutshell, from managing all business content, creating corporate websites and intranets to keep users updated, orchestrating business processes to automate routine tasks (such as workflows) and developing customized apps to increase team productivity, SharePoint offers users and organizations a complete solution across the board for every type of need.
A SharePoint app is a customizable, standalone application that extends the functionality of your SharePoint site. It allows users to perform specific tasks or access specific resources directly within the SharePoint environment.
A SharePoint app can streamline processes by providing tailored tools and functionalities directly within the SharePoint platform, reducing the need to switch between different applications and increasing productivity.
There are various types of SharePoint apps, including productivity tools, project management apps, document management solutions, and custom apps designed to meet specific business needs.
To install a SharePoint app, you can navigate to the SharePoint Store, select the desired app, and follow the installation instructions. You may also need administrative permissions depending on your organization’s settings.
Yes, you can create custom SharePoint apps tailored to your business requirements. This can be done using SharePoint Framework (SPFx) or other development tools provided by Microsoft.
Using a SharePoint app offers seamless integration with your existing SharePoint environment, centralizing tools and resources within one platform. This integration improves accessibility, enhances collaboration, and reduces the complexity of managing multiple systems.
SharePoint apps integrate seamlessly with other Microsoft services like Office 365, Teams, and OneDrive, providing a unified experience across different tools and enhancing collaboration and productivity.
Yes, SharePoint apps are designed with security in mind. They follow Microsoft’s robust security protocols to ensure data protection, compliance, and safe access within your SharePoint environment.
Yes, you can manage permissions for a SharePoint app. SharePoint allows you to control access at various levels, ensuring that only authorized users can access specific apps and their data.
The Modern Work team effectively and swiftly addresses IT needs, primarily focusing on software development. The technical staff is well-trained in implementing software projects using Microsoft technology stacks and is skilled in managing both agile and long-term projects.
