If you’re a regular reader of our blogs, then you should be familiar with the monthly Power BI update cycles that are introduced in direct response to user feedback.
However, Power BI is not the only popular Microsoft platform that benefits from regular improvements, as other services also receive the same treatment, demonstrating the company’s ongoing commitment to quality.
Building its reputation as a web-based collaborative platform that integrates with Microsoft Office, SharePoint is a platform that has experienced rapid growth in recent years, allowing businesses to store and share information with ease.
Like our Power BI blogs, we’ve decided to look back at the latest round of updates, exploring and analysing the most significant changes and the impact these will have on our clients.
SharePoint page/news authoring improvements
Recently, there has been a lot of focus on refining the creative process for consumable news and pages, giving authors greater freedom with new and exciting options.
Using drag and drop, authors can now upload images to the canvas, as SharePoint automatically adds the file viewer and uploads the file to the document library.
A link preview feature has also been introduced, which will embed videos from Stream and YouTube links, while the new on-page anchors allow readers to navigate around the page with ease.
Other important introductions include the undo/redo option, allowing users to undo changes prior to saving and vertical sections which will change the way modern pages appear.
Allowing users to share durable, mixed-media information to their wider team, the updates have made processes more efficient, while enhancing internal collaboration.
Updated site usage page
The site usage page has also benefitted from a series of updates, featuring new ‘Unique Visitors’ and ‘Site Visits’ charts.
There is also a ‘Popular Platforms’ chart, giving users the ability to see where site traffic is coming from (desktop, mobile, tablet), which can help businesses when it comes to tailoring their websites.
Not only will these updates give users access to important stats and information, but it will allow key decision makers to make better judgements based on the evidence presented.
The new features can be accessed via the gear icon on the SharePoint site, which will display an option for ‘Site Usage’.
360-degree image previewer
When it comes to visualisation, it is crucial that technology is updated and utilised to present data in the best possible way.
No longer previewing images in 2D, the 360-degree image previewer shows images in 3D, while allowing customers to view 360-degree photos in an interactive, panoramic manner.
The images can be viewed directly within SharePoint and OneDrive, with each example accompanied by its file information, activity and comments.
Alternatively, users can manually tag their photos to end with ‘.360.jpg’ to force activation of the viewer for specific images.
Improving the quality of images, this update enhances the user experience by giving people the option to interact with photos, using updated technology to give a 360-degree view of the data presented.
Sharing insights leads to greater success…
As the intelligent content service that powers teamwork, SharePoint promotes collaboration on proposals, projects and campaigns throughout your organisation.
Integrating with Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Yammer and other key apps, the platform enhances operational efficiency, helping you unlock new business opportunities by sharing important information.
Investing in a bespoke SharePoint solution can reduce IT and development costs, while increasing business speed and agility, with regular updates introduced to improve the overall user experience.
Our Office 365 Overview Engagement will help you better understand the tools available as part of the Microsoft Office 365 platform, demonstrating how best-in-class apps combine with powerful cloud services to enhance business collaboration.
If you need advice with finding the right solution for your business, contact our in-house team and begin outlining your strategy for the future.