Frequently asked questions for Microsoft SharePoint

As an enterprise content management system (ECM), Microsoft SharePoint can streamline communications, centralise information, strengthen team collaboration, and automate business processes.

SharePoint is highly customisable and organisations of all sizes use it for their:

• Intranet Portal.
• Communication Portal.
• Document management.
• Policy management.
• Contract management.
• Knowledge Base.
• Workflow automation.
• Helpdesk and Ticketing.
• HR Onboarding and Offboarding.
• Organisational, departmental, and project collaboration.

Listed above are top SharePoint use cases, but it can be used in other ways depending on your unique requirements.

Ask us how we can help you implement a SharePoint environment that suits your business needs. Book your complimentary consultation here or call us at 1800 126 499.

Deployed into Microsoft 365 cloud, you no longer have to consider upfront hardware investment or regular hardware refresh, nor do you need to think about future software upgrades with SharePoint Online.

You also get to take advantage of these key features:

• Access out-of-the-box (OOTB) web parts or tailor them according to your needs.
• Easy integration with Microsoft 365 apps such as Teams, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI.
• Native integration with employee experience apps such as Microsoft Viva.
• Rapid creation of modern corporate Intranet portal.
• Build rich-looking team sites using its drag-and-drop functionality and pre-built themes.
• Built-in security features for data protection and managing permissions.
• Accessible 24x7x365 on any device.
• FISMA, ISO 27001 compliant, among other regulatory norms.
• Automatic updates with guaranteed uptime from Microsoft.
• Highly scalable.

Professional Advantage implements SharePoint out-of-the-box for a moderate fee, however, the pricing for a custom-designed and deployed solution (which is the typical option for most customers), would be determined by your needs in terms of system functionalities and capabilities.  

 
For more information about SharePoint’s pricing and licensing, please contact Professional Advantage at 1800 126 499 or book your free 1-hour consultation here.

SharePoint implementations can be completed in as little as 10 days for out-of-the-box functionalities or months for more complex or bespoke requirements. 

For a custom SharePoint approach and implementation, you can sign up for our 10-day SharePoint & Teams Analyse & Design Workshop. The workshop will help you jumpstart a modern communication portal and team collaboration hub based on specific priorities and features you want included in your SharePoint environment.

You may contact us at 1800 126 499 or [email protected] to consult with us for free to determine how long yours would take. 

Yes, SharePoint can meet Australian data privacy and residency requirements, especially when hosted through Microsoft 365 with Australian data centres. However, please note that compliance is a shared responsibility. Microsoft provides the tools and infrastructure, while your organisation must configure them appropriately and govern data use effectively.

Microsoft’s commitment to Australian data privacy includes:

• Data residency in Australia for Microsoft 365 services, including SharePoint Online, through New South Wales and Victoria data centres.
• Adherence to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) requirements under the Australian Privacy Act 1988.
• Assessment against the Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP), which aligns with the Australian Government’s Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) and ISM controls.

Click here for more information on how Professional Advantage can help you achieve content management and compliance at scale in SharePoint.

Microsoft operates local data centres in Australia East (New South Wales) and Australia Southeast (Victoria), collectively known as the “Australia Geo”.

Suppose your organisation’s Microsoft 365 tenant is provisioned within the Australia Geo. In that case, most core service data, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Teams chat and files, is stored exclusively within Australian boundaries. Certain workloads not currently resident in Australia (e.g. Viva Engage, Forms, and some Viva features) may remain hosted outside Australia depending on the region and service.

In Australia, SharePoint Online data for Microsoft 365 is stored in Microsoft's Australia data centre regions, specifically Australia East (New South Wales) and Australia Southeast (Victoria), collectively known as Australia Geo.

If your Microsoft 365 tenant is provisioned in the Australia Geo, the following SharePoint-related data is stored locally:

• SharePoint Online site content (documents, lists, metadata, etc.).
• OneDrive for Business files (tied to SharePoint under the hood).
• Microsoft Teams files (stored in SharePoint libraries).
• SharePoint site collections and document libraries.

This storage complies with Microsoft’s data residency commitments, ensuring the data remains within Australia for core Microsoft 365 services.

Yes, SharePoint supports ISO 27001 document control requirements, but with some configuration and governance policies in place. Microsoft SharePoint Online is not an ISO 27001 certification tool by itself, but it provides the capabilities you need to meet document control clauses under Annex A.7 and A.8 of ISO/IEC 27001.

What can help your organisation meet several requirements for ISO 27001 is iWorkplace, especially around information governance, document control and compliance processes.

See below a summary of its capabilities on how iWorkplace supports ISO 27001 compliance:

Note: While iWorkplace helps you implement controls required by ISO 27001, your people, policies, and governance still play a critical role. Certification depends on how the platform is configured, used, and governed, not just the tools alone.

File shares are clunky, harder to find the information that you need, doesn't provide an audit trail or secure file sharing.

SharePoint, on the other hand, has:

1. Co-authoring - update the same document with your teammates at the same time. 
2. Version Control - see what modifications were done on your document by whom and when. 
3. Powerful Search - lets you find the information that you need in mere seconds. 
4. Secure file sharing and storage - store your files in a secure site and share them only with people who have access to your team site.  
5. Real-time collaboration - collaborate on documents with colleagues in real-time.  
6. Access your files anytime, anywhere, on any device. 

You can read more about the advantages of using SharePoint instead of a file share in one of our blogs here. 

Yes you can. SharePoint is built with collaboration in mind not just for internal users but for external parties as well such as customers or suppliers.

Your files can be synced locally on your PC. Changes made to your documents will be synched the next time you go online.

SharePoint is web-based and can be accessed using any of your favorite browsers or devices. However, you have the option to install the SharePoint app on your mobile device for a better user experience.

Absolutely! In fact, being an enterprise content management (ECM) system, Microsoft SharePoint is primarily used for document management and collaboration. Part of its core functionality as a document management system are:

• Document Libraries. Store and manage files in a centralised document repository so your users can organise, access, collaborate, and version control files effectively.  
  
  
• Versioning. Track changes in your documents and manage document revisions. You can view previous versions, compare versions, and restore earlier versions if needed. 
  
  
• Check-In/Check-Out. Check out documents to prevent other users from making conflicting changes in your documents. This feature ensures that only one person can edit a document at a time, maintaining data integrity and avoiding conflicts. 
  
  
• Metadata and Tagging. Create custom metadata columns and tags to make it easier to search, filter, and categorise documents based on specific attributes. 
  
  
• Document Collaboration. Empower real-time collaboration on documents with your teammates by enabling simultaneous editing of document, viewing of changes made by others, communicating through comments, or assigning tasks. 
  
  
• Document Approval Workflows. Streamline document review and approval processes by defining sequential or parallel approval steps, set deadlines, and receiving notifications for pending approvals. 
  
  
• Document Permissions and Access Control. Set granular permissions on documents, folders, or libraries. You can restrict access to sensitive documents, control who can view, edit, or delete files, and define permission levels for different user groups. 
  
  
• Document Searching. Find documents quickly based on keywords, metadata, or content within the document. The search results can be further refined using filters. 
  
  
• Records Management. Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements with SharePoint. It allows you to declare documents as records, apply retention policies, and manage the lifecycle of important documents.

Definitely! Leveraging SharePoint’s document management system capabilities and collaboration features, it is the perfect solution to help you manage your entire policy lifecycle.

Because it’s already part of your Microsoft 365 digital workplace, users no longer have to collaborate, store their documents in one system, and apply necessary metadata and tags for compliance in another.  
 
We tackled what makes SharePoint best suited to solve your policy management frustrations in this blog post, but here’s a high-level overview: 

• Single place to collaborate and automate your policy management lifecycle process.  
• Always be ready for auditing.  
• Automate policy reviews and approvals.  
• Keep your documents well organised.  
• Maintain access control and security. 
• Native integration to Microsoft 365 tools and services.

Learn more about using SharePoint for policy and procedure management here.

The main difference between Office 365 and an on-premise version of Microsoft SharePoint is that you rent Office 365 but buy the on‑premises version. Office 365 is provided as software‑as‑a‑service and does not involve a heavy up‑front investment. With Office 365, you pay a monthly or annual subscription fee that entitles you to automatic version upgrades and Office on-demand services.

The top reasons for moving to Office 365: 

1. No longer have to invest in IT hardware or software with continuous release cycles and automatic upgrades. 
2. Get access to automatic backups and geo-replicated disaster recovery.
3. Instantly mobilise your workforce with Microsoft Teams and offline sync for your documents with OneDrive.
4. And use the latest Microsoft software and never have to do an upgrade or migration project again!

If your preference is to own your own software, or if you're not sure you can maintain an Office 365 subscription for the long term, the on‑premises version may be your best option. However, this means that when Microsoft upgrades its Office software, you won't have the latest version.

Contact us at 1800 126 499 or email us at [email protected] for more information about SharePoint licensing and deployment options. 

No, they are tailored plans with their own features and limitations.

To find out more about Office 365 subscription and SharePoint Server options, call Professional Advantage at 1800 126 499.

SharePoint can be purchased as part of your Microsoft 365 software bundle or as a stand-alone plan. Neither plan has not-for-profit pricing.

However, you can take advantage of Microsoft’s not-for-profit offer. Eligible NFPs can get Microsoft 365 Business Standard free for up to 300 licenses or Business Premium at 75% off - both of which include SharePoint.

Check this site for eligibility requirements. You can then proceed to registering your NFP here to gain access to the benefits. Professional Advantage also provides discounted consulting rate for eligible NFPs.

Contact us 1800 126 499 or [email protected] for more information.

No unfortunately you can't. Microsoft needs to authenticate all users who access a SharePoint site.

To ensure that your users have the right knowledge to share documents, configure team sites, administer SharePoint, develop apps, or customise workflows—we recommend that users undergo training. The training can be done as part of your project’s User Acceptance Training (UAT) and/or change management plan to be facilitated by your implementation partner. 

It can also be taken from a Microsoft Learning Partner for an instructor-led, more general kind of approach. 

The cost of SharePoint intranet development in Australia can vary significantly depending on the complexity, customisation, and required support level.

A one-time cost of $10,000 to $25,000 applies to small organisations or not-for-profits using out-of-the-box features. This is ideal for small teams, low-complexity needs, and rapid deployment.

A more tailored intranet with some custom configurations and integrations applies to mid-sized organisations, which would cost between $25,000 to $60,000.

An advanced intranet solution with extensive features, integrations, and governance for large organisations or regulated sectors would cost between $60,000 and $150,000+.

The costs above are estimates only. Please contact Professional Advantage for a quote based on your specific requirements.

Anyone implementing SharePoint should have the right administration and development skills. Embarking on a SharePoint project without a good technical understanding of the platform may result in a failed project, increased rework costs, or an inability to fully maximise its potential. 

We highly recommend working with a SharePoint partner such as Professional Advantage, which has a team of experienced developers, solution architects and project managers, has in-depth real-world experience, and uses proven implementation methodologies to ensure the success of your project.

A good track record of SharePoint projects would come in handy too to validate their experience. 

A major success indicator for any Intranet project is when your users actually use it. The key to driving end-user adoption is keeping your users engaged and make sure you don’t make change management an afterthought.

Try customising your adoption campaigns per user type or encouraging competitions and incentive programs to drive usage or keeping the interface nice and simple. These and many more are just some of our tips to help your users adapt to the new technology.

Read more about our tips on how to drive SharePoint adoption in this blog. 

If you need further assistance with your SharePoint change management, please visit this page to learn how we can help.  

If you are still using obsolete version of SharePoint for your Intranet portal or other business-critical application, you would be wise to commence planning your migration to SharePoint on Microsoft 365. Past the end of life deadline, you risk facing managing these challenges on your own: 

• Costly or no technical support.
  Without Microsoft’s regular patches and updates, you will be on your own with supporting an obsolete version of SharePoint. This will impact your user’s overall experience if your SharePoint environment (or your applications hosted on it) experiences any kind of ‘bugs’ or failures, resulting in extended downtime to fix an unsupported fix. That is if it is even possible. You may find a third-party vendor that supports an obsolete SharePoint version but not without incurring steep support costs.

• Increased security risks.
  Microsoft's regular patches to guard against modern-day hackers and cyber criminals will no longer be available post-end of life support of your SharePoint version. This leaves your organisation vulnerable to security breaches, not to mention the possibility of falling out of organisational compliance with industry regulations or standards.

• Future application incompatibility.
  Your organisation will continue to evolve and require new application functionalities to be added to your SharePoint environment well into the future. But meeting this goal by adding new features to a vendor-retired SharePoint version will be challenging, given its compatibility issues with the latest and modern applications.  

To avoid these risks, we recommend planning your migration to SharePoint Online and we provided some insights into how you could do that successfully in this blog.

You may also reach out to us for a SharePoint migration assistance.  

The key to determining your readiness is to do your homework first. Plan the upgrade with your users early on and perform an audit of your existing environment. Determine which sites or files to retain and plan to build on your SharePoint farm.

You can also read these additional resources to help you better prepare for your SharePoint upgrade project:

1. SharePoint implementation fails to avoid.
2. How to migrate your file shares and why you should.
3. Renovating your SharePoint Information Architecture.

If you still need further guidance, please don’t hesitate to reach out at 1800 126 499 or email us at [email protected].

A typical SharePoint migration service includes a structured process to move content, workflows, and permissions from legacy systems (like file shares, older SharePoint versions, or third-party platforms) to SharePoint Online (Microsoft 365). Here’s what’s usually included:

• Discovery and Assessment. Audit current systems, content, and user needs to plan the migration strategy.
• Information Architecture Planning. Design the structure of new SharePoint sites, libraries, metadata, and permissions.
• Migration Execution. Use migration tools to transfer content, metadata, and permissions securely.
• Testing and Validation. Verify data accuracy, access rights, and functionality post-migration.
• Training and Change Management. Provide user training, guides, and support to drive adoption.
• Post-Migration Support. Fix issues, adjust configurations, and offer ongoing support.

Need assistance migrating to SharePoint? Professional Advantage can migrate your content from any source. Call 1800 126 499, email [email protected] or book directly here for a free 30-minute consultation.

First and foremost, understand your primary purpose as it will dictate the vision for the project. Learn the new platform’s capabilities as well so you’ll know what’s possible before you begin. More about the key things you need to prepare for in advance in this blog.

The timeframe to complete a migration or upgrade project largely depends on the amount of content you intend to put into your new environment. The sooner you start discussing with experienced SharePoint consultants about your requirements, timeframe and budget, the better.

No, many files are not suitable for storing in a web-based format.

Also, SharePoint's infrastructure and admin costs are far greater than those of a file server. Only migrate documents that benefit from a managed, version-controlled collaborative space.

Identify active and non-active files and keep the non-active files on cheaper storage in file servers. Index them via search and/or plug them seamlessly into the web experience using third-party add-ons.

While SharePoint can accommodate your folder structure similar to your file share, we think it’s no longer needed.

SharePoint has a powerful search capability that simplifies the way you organise and categorise your files. It does most notably through the use of metadata. Tagging your files in a consistent way will make it easier to find them for future use, without the need to dig through heaps of folders.

Below are some of the common SharePoint security mistakes that many organisations commit. 

1. Access rights that are too broad. 
2. Using default or weak passwords in their SharePoint environment.
3. Ignoring patch management. 
4. Using traditional security tools to protect their data in SharePoint. 

To keep your SharePoint Online environment locked down, you need a set of tools that will allow you to proactively protect against and detect breaches before it can cause damage. More about the security tools available on this blog and recorded webinar. 

Alternatively, you may call us at 1800 126 499 or email us at [email protected] for more information. 

Traditional security tools such as firewalls and anti-virus are no longer enough to keep your data safe against advanced and persistent cyber threats, but you can take these actions to protect your data in SharePoint.  

• Prevent data loss.  
  Prevent accidental sharing of confidential information with the wrong people. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies can identify personally identifiable information across Microsoft 365, including SharePoint, emails, and OneDrive content, preventing the accidental sharing of sensitive information. You can easily set this up on your existing Microsoft 365 Enterprise plan subscription without paying extra fees. 
  
  
• Classify and label documents.  
  Depending on the sensitivity of your content, you can classify and label documents with persistent protection regardless of whom the document was shared with or where it is stored. Azure Information Protection (AIP) is a tool in the Microsoft Security stack that provides administrators with the capability to define how content is protected using automatic or recommended classification. 
  
  
• Detect breaches before they cause damage.  
  Much of the content shared to and from SharePoint environments is via email communications, so protecting against malware or unsafe links used for phishing attacks becomes a basic necessity for any IT administrator. Microsoft 365 Threat and Endpoint Protection can identify and block malicious files that may otherwise end up in online libraries such as SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams. Coupled with Cloud App Security, you have insight into the threats being targeted at your business and users in Exchange Online and SharePoint Online. 
  
  
• Gain visibility and control of data in the cloud.  
  If your business is not yet in the cloud, your employees will be to some degree, even more so if they work remotely or are frequently mobile. Dropbox or other file-sharing apps can compromise your data’s security if there is no control over what they share or store in the cloud. With Cloud App Security, you can see what cloud apps are being used within your organisation. You can identify the potential risks that it can bring based on up to sixty factors. 
  
  
• Protect data on the go.  
  When your users lose their mobile devices or laptops, user credentials often get compromised, resulting in a security breach in your SharePoint environment and other apps. With Microsoft Intune, you can protect your corporate data while allowing your users to stay productive on the go. With it in place, you can enforce security policies, configure device settings, manage applications, and protect corporate data on both company-owned and personal devices.  

Contact us at 1800 126 499 or sign up here to learn how we can help secure your SharePoint environment.

Microsoft Delve is a search tool that lets you find the information that's most relevant to whatever it is that you and your colleagues are working on. If you have ever had trouble finding and organising the files you need when you need them - and that's just about everybody - Delve provides the solution.

As Microsoft says, "Delve highlights key information of interest to you, based on what you are working on and the actions of people in your network."

Using Delve, you do not need to search throughout your different applications to find you're looking for - Delve integrates your relevant content all in the one place.

Delve tracks your online activity and produces search results that are based on that activity. Information unearthed by Delve is presented in an attractive, easy to understand card based design. With Delve, you don't even need to know the name of a file or where it is stored. Delve presents documents wherever they are stored in Office 365 or OneDrive for Business.

No, SharePoint agents are not free of charge. Using it requires a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license or a pay-as-you-go subscription billing setup for your organisation to use it.

A SharePoint agent refers to an AI-powered assistant that interacts with your organisation’s SharePoint data. These agents can:

1. Search and summarise SharePoint sites, libraries, and lists.
2. Retrieve and organise knowledge from shared documents.
3. Help create or update pages, policies, or lists through natural language commands.

Essentially, it’s an AI agent built on top of SharePoint that understands and works with your organisational content.

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the differences between SharePoint agents and Copilot agents.

Yes, you can. Technical expertise is not mandatory to use SharePoint agents.

If your organisation has Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses or has enabled pay-as-you-go billing, you can create and use agents directly. Microsoft also provides no-code tools and learning paths for business users and admins to build and manage agents.

Long-time Microsoft SharePoint Partners like Professional Advantage can be especially valuable in these areas:

1. Strategic Planning and Use Case Design.
   We help identify high-impact workflows and design agents that align with business goals.
   
   
2. Advanced Customisation and Integration.
   For complex scenarios like integrating agents with Power Automate, Teams, or external systems, we can bring deep technical expertise.
   
   
3. Governance and Security Setup.
   Ensuring agents comply with organisational policies, permissions, and data governance is critical. Professional Advantage’s consulting team can help configure this correctly.
   
   
4. Change Management and Adoption.
   Driving user adoption, training, and communication is often overlooked. We can lead these efforts to ensure ROI.
   
   
5. Ongoing Support and Optimisation.
   Post-deployment, we can monitor performance, refine agent behaviour, and scale usage across departments.

Connect with us here for further assistance in your Microsoft Copilot adoption.

Yes. SharePoint Online is included in most Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise plans, though how it's configured and used varies widely across organisations.

A focused project (like a policy hub) can take weeks; a full intranet or migration typically takes a few months, depending on complexity and the amount of legacy content to migrate. Get in touch for a quote tailored to your organisation.