What is SharePoint used for
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Part of the Microsoft 365 for Business series. Related: How To Set Up Email Signatures Microsoft 365Microsoft 365 Backup Explained
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SharePoint is Microsoft 365's cloud platform for storing, organizing and sharing business documents and building team intranet sites. Businesses use it as a central, secure home for shared files — replacing old network drives — and as the backbone for company portals, document libraries with version history, and collaborative workspaces. It powers the file storage behind Teams and integrates with the rest of Microsoft 365, so staff can co-author documents and find information from any device.
SharePoint as your shared file storage
The most common business use of SharePoint is as the modern replacement for the old shared network drive or file server. Instead of files trapped on an in-office server, SharePoint stores them in the cloud where staff can reach them securely from anywhere:
- Document libraries organize files by team, project or department.
- Version history keeps every previous edit, so you can roll back an overwritten or corrupted document.
- Co-authoring lets several people edit the same Word or Excel file at once.
- Permissions control exactly who can view or edit each library or folder.
Because it is cloud-based, there is no server to maintain, and files sync to laptops through OneDrive so people can work offline and resync automatically when reconnected.
Building an intranet and team sites
Beyond storage, SharePoint is a platform for building company intranets and team sites. These are internal web pages where a business shares information and resources:
- A company portal with news, announcements, policies and HR documents.
- Department or project sites where teams keep their files, links and tasks together.
- Searchable knowledge bases and document repositories.
Sites can be built without coding using ready-made templates, then customized with the pages, libraries and lists a team needs. For a growing business, this turns scattered information — policies in email, forms on someone's desktop, procedures in people's heads — into an organized, searchable hub everyone can rely on. It becomes the single place staff go to find what they need.
How SharePoint works with Teams and OneDrive
SharePoint rarely works alone — it underpins other Microsoft 365 tools:
- Microsoft Teams stores its shared files in SharePoint behind the scenes. Every team channel has a SharePoint document library, so collaborating in Teams and managing files in SharePoint are two views of the same data.
- OneDrive handles individual file storage and syncs SharePoint libraries to a user's computer for offline access.
This integration means a document can be edited in Teams, organized in SharePoint, and synced through OneDrive — all the same file, never a duplicate. Understanding these relationships helps a business set up a clean structure: personal drafts in OneDrive, shared team work in SharePoint, and conversation around it in Teams. A well-planned structure prevents the file sprawl that frustrates so many companies.
Setting up SharePoint properly for your business
SharePoint is powerful, which means a thoughtful structure matters more than raw features. Poorly planned, it becomes a confusing maze of overlapping sites; well planned, it is the organized core of your business.
A good setup considers:
- Information architecture — how sites, libraries and folders map to your teams and projects.
- Permissions — granting access by group so the right people see the right files, supporting privacy obligations under PIPEDA and Law 25.
- Migration — moving files from old network drives or other systems while preserving structure.
- Governance — naming conventions and rules so the environment stays tidy as it grows.
For Canadian businesses, permissions and data residency also tie into privacy compliance. A managed IT partner can design the structure, migrate your data and train staff so SharePoint becomes an asset rather than another place files go to get lost.
FAQ
What is the difference between SharePoint and OneDrive?
OneDrive is for individual file storage — your personal work documents in the cloud. SharePoint is for shared team and company files, intranets and collaboration. In practice, drafts and personal files live in OneDrive, while documents the whole team needs live in SharePoint. Both are part of Microsoft 365 and sync to your computer for offline access.
Can SharePoint replace my office file server?
Yes, for most businesses. SharePoint stores shared files in the cloud with version history, permissions and anywhere access, removing the need to maintain an on-premise file server. Files sync to laptops via OneDrive for offline work. Migrating from a server needs planning to preserve folder structure and permissions, but the result is more flexible and lower maintenance.
Is SharePoint included with Microsoft 365 business plans?
Yes. SharePoint Online is included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium, as well as the Enterprise plans. Every business subscription includes SharePoint team sites and document libraries, and it also powers the file storage behind Microsoft Teams, so you already have it whether or not you have set it up.