How to Know Your Business needs a SharePoint Upgrade

How to Know Your Business needs a SharePoint Upgrade

SharePoint releases a new version immediately after making improvements or adding new features to the existing one. The latest version has better functionality and enhanced security, and is more customizable and easy to use. Your organization may experience challenges or lack some in-demand functionalities with its current version. Upgrading your Sharepoint for a better experience and ongoing support is a good idea.

What are the types of SharePoint upgrades?

Whenever a new SharePoint version hits the market, business people will wonder if their business needs an upgrade and how beneficial the new version will be for their business. A promotion brings many benefits and unique benefits that are beneficial and better than the previous version. There are two SharePoint upgrades:

How to know your business needs SharePoint upgrade

The upgrading process is easy and may not need external help to upgrade successfully. Several factors influence the decision for a Sharepoint promotion. Your firm should consider what effects an upgrade would have in the short and long term. Here is how to know if your business needs an upgrade:

1. Your Platform's Support Has Ended

Your organization will probably face many issues using an unsupported Sharepoint version. Microsoft releases security updates and patches which protect your platform from vulnerabilities and other potential cyber threats. Apart from missing out on Sharepoint's benefits, such as enhanced collaboration and productivity, your organization could face significant risks that would derail your business.

Finding partners and staff willing to support and maintain the platform can be challenging. This can put your mission-critical tools at risk due to an unsupported platform. Upgrading guarantees your organization's protection from potential threats with the latest security updates.

2. Your Current Sharepoint Has Very Little Adoption Rates

Sharepoint helps improve productivity and collaboration between employees in your firm. That means the employees must use it constantly in their day-to-day activities. An outdated version of Sharepoint may lack the necessary features for better collaboration between your employees-this may lead to the employees' reluctance to use the platform. 

Poor adoption rates may result from obsolete features that no more extend function. It would help if you considered upgrading to the latest version to improve the platform's functionality. Sharepoint's customization ability enables you to add more features that suit your users' needs.

3. Lack Of Content Organization

Sharepoint should provide the relevant content to the right users on request. The quality and structure of the information should meet the organization's needs. The users should be able to access the content on the platform smoothly. Firms must conduct frequent audits of the content available on their platform.

An audit may recommend that the firm clean, update, and reorganize its content to meet the organization's needs. With an updated Sharepoint platform, you may not need to organize your content regularly because a newer version has advanced organization features that do the job for you.

4. Your Search Function Is Not Reliable

Sharepoint's search feature enables users to find specific documents or files using keywords. It can also search for a team member's profile information. If employees find it challenging to locate files or other content, they can stop using the platform, leading to reduced adoption rates. Upgrading your Sharepoint version will enable you to access a more user-friendly search function, which provides an exact match of the content required.

5. Your Users Need An Improved Mobile Usability

With the rapid technological advancements, more people's adoption of mobile device usage is on an upward trend. Your organization needs to deliver a seamless mobile experience to its Sharepoint users for effective collaboration and communication. More people also work remotely, and a mobile device would be handy when they are away from their desktops.

Offering a well-designed mobile experience ensures your platform has high usage and adoption rates. Earlier versions of Sharepoint do not support portable usage. Upgrading your Sharepoint version lets you identify the mobile features and functionalities your firm needs to introduce for users to work without issues.

What Do You Need for a Successful SharePoint Strategy

Many organizations' Sharepoint implementations fail before realizing the platform's benefits due to not having the right strategies required for a successful implementation. Firms should upgrade to a Sharepoint that aligns with their business needs-this will ensure they reap improved productivity and team member collaboration benefits.

Reasons why you need a successful Sharepoint strategy

1. Define Your Goals

The first step is to identify the goals you want to achieve with Sharepoint. You need to ask yourself why you need it. It may have spectacular features and massive benefits, but if it does not apply to your business, you should not consider introducing Sharepoint to your organization. Defining your goals will enable you to implement them correctly because you already know their impact on your business.

2. Hire Sharepoint Experts

It would help if you employed a Sharepoint expert to help you navigate some complex areas that require professional knowledge. A SharePoint expert can match Sharepoint's capabilities with your needs. They will also lay out a plan to execute your goals using available resources and within the estimated timeframes.

3. Develop A Training Strategy

You must train your users before the implementation is complete for maximum user adoption. New software is only helpful if it's put into use. Training the users upfront will ensure high adoption rates, and they will feel empowered when using the platform because they will already be familiar with it.

4. Create A Governance Plan

Every platform has rules and regulations that govern and indicate how to use the forum. A governance plan also defines the roles and responsibilities of various users and the timeframes in which decisions must be made. It would be best if you appointed a team of project managers, executives, business users, and IT personnel. This team will be mandated to review user analytics, content growth, user permissions, etc. You should also see to it that every user respects the governance plan.

5. Create The Most Effective Information Architecture You Can

Having a picture in mind of the result you expect after implementing Sharepoint is good. One mistake many organizations make is thinking they will make changes later, as it seems so easy. The reality is that it's only theoretically valid, but practically, it isn't easy. It's like building a house without a clear picture of the end product. The house will most likely not be the one you wanted. You'll need to make adjustments, and you may even need to make architectural changes to meet your needs. Making the changes after completing the project is more challenging to implement than when you'd clarify what your end product should look like. You should clearly understand how you want your Sharepoint to look before you implement it.

What are the Benefits of SharePoint Upgrade

As a new version of SharePoint hit the market, many people migrated to the new platform to take advantage of the new features and functionalities the upgraded SharePoint offered. Failing to migrate and upgrade to the latest version can make users frustrated as they will not be able to compete with the rest due to a lack of new advanced features. Here are the benefits of the SharePoint upgrade. 

1. SharePoint Upgrades Improves Data Security and Compliance.

As a business person, security and compliance should be your primary concern. It would help if you were sure that all your confidential information and data are secure and that you don't risk losing any information when migrating.
With the SharePoint upgrade, you can enjoy improved features like multiple backups, multifactor authentication, and protection against data mining.

An efficient backup system will ensure your information is fully restored upon technological hitches or accidental deletion. When you upgrade, you will enjoy an improved security upgrade.
SharePoint upgrade stores your data in disks that use BitLocker encryption, making it difficult for hackers to hack your system. Additionally, Microsoft ensures that SharePoint meets all the compliance standards in place. With compliance, you can be sure that the new version will not go under at any time. 

2. Scalability

SharePoint upgrade allows you to pay for the specific services relevant to your business and upgrade as your demand grows. You will enjoy the flexibility of the multiple subscription plans for your business.
You will also pay for the storage capacity you want and scale higher when the need arises. Storage capacity is essential for any business since you will need enough space to save your files.

3. Access to OneDrive 

One drive is beneficial to your business. Moving to SharePoint Online through SharePoint Upgrade will reap all the benefits of using OneDrive. With OneDrive, you can store all your essential files in one place, making it easier to locate them when needed.

OneDrive enhances flawless internal and external collaboration regardless of where you are accessing it. It also has the 'Sync Client' feature that allows you to sync your files between SharePoint Online and OneDrive for your business needs. You can also control who accesses your documents using the OneDrive feature to enhance confidentiality. You can use OneDrive to create reports that can aid you in keeping your business on track.

4. Accessibility

You can access your business information from anywhere using any device. All you will need is reliable internet. 
Accessibility enhances work efficiency as people are not tied to one location. Hence they can work from anywhere and help solve a problem instead of rushing to the office, which might take time. 
The flexibility of accessing files from anywhere and working from any location is crucial, especially when a disaster strikes. Your business will not be affected as your staff can work from home.

5. Automatic Updates

Updating your system can be a hassle, especially with other business deals. With an upgrade, you will enjoy the automatic upgrading system. You will get the latest version of SharePoint without outsourcing or trying to update the software. 

6. Improved Communication Sites

The SharePoint upgrade offers a better communication channel. The creation of new communication sites has become faster and more reliable. The promotion provides new ways of sharing news and documents. 

Conclusion

Upgrading your Sharepoint version will enhance your employees' collaboration and communication. Knowing if your business needs a Sharepoint upgrade is the first step to ensuring your organization is on track with the latest document-sharing technology. It's also good to familiarize yourself with what you need for a successful Sharepoint strategy to avoid unnecessary delays and downtime during implementation. You can reach Guru Solutions for quality SharePoint Upgrade services.