Using SharePoint to Expand Employees’ Mobile Resources

SharePoint is a powerful tool for businesses, as its adoption numbers indicate. It can be used in any number of ways, but when relied on in its full-capacity it can be the central platform for most custom applications and business cases. One lesser mentioned, but very powerful feature is how the system can be extended to offer mobile users the same resources as those accessing from their desk at the office. To be clear, this is referring to internal applications, not for customer-facing applications. Here’s how it can do it:

SharePoint mobile responsiveness.

SharePoint sites will automatically adjust themselves to the type of device currently in use. For example, newer mobile phones will render the page in HTML5, which will be responsive and fit their screen well. Older devices may use a more compatible type of HTML to similarly display the content. Normally, SharePoint will automatically jump to the “full screen mode”, or PC view that one would see when connecting with a laptop or desktop computer.

Office apps.

Now that Microsoft has released their core Office suite on iOS and Android, employees can edit and upload documents from their device while on the move. The OneDrive for Business app can sync the necessary SharePoint documents so that accessing the needed files is always a simple process.

Location.

SharePoint sites have the capability to use one’s current location. Obviously, when using SharePoint at the office it may not be necessary, but certain applications or uses for mobile employees may require location data to be logged, and SharePoint’s location-awareness can make this automatic and exact.

Business intelligence on the go.

Employees need to have BI information at the exact moment that they make decisions. They often make these decisions away from the office. SharePoint is a great tool for mobile by giving employees access to the data while working remotely. The benefits of giving quicker access to data for salespeople, for example, may drive productivity and thus, sales revenue.