SharePoint: The flexibility that became a problem
SharePoint can become almost anything. That's its strength. It's also the problem.
Most businesses we speak to use it for document storage. Some have built intranets. Others have attempted to create project spaces or customer archives. The result is often the same: a folder structure whose logic no one remembers, pages that no one maintains, and employees who spend time searching instead of working.
«Where is that file located?» is probably the most common question in Norwegian companies with Microsoft 365. Not because the file is missing, but because no one knows where it was put.
Tailoring that costs more than it's worth
SharePoint can be customised. But customisation means developer hours. And developer hours mean costs that quickly exceed the value of what you're building.
A bespoke setup requires maintenance. When Microsoft updates the platform, the customisations may stop working. You will then be faced with the choice of paying for new development or living with something that is half-broken.
For a business with 20 to 80 employees, this is rarely a good investment. You don't need a unique SharePoint solution. You need structure that works from day one.
When data disappears out of the house
Many companies add third-party apps to SharePoint to cover needs the platform doesn't address on its own. CRM, project management, form tools. It works technically, but there's a catch.
The data is often stored in the supplier's cloud, not in the company's own Microsoft 365. This means you lose control over where customer information, project data, and documents actually reside. In the event of a security breach at the supplier, it is customer contracts, project documentation, and employee information that are exposed.
If you are investing in Microsoft 365 in the first place, the solution you build on top of it should also store data there. Otherwise, you are paying for a platform you are not fully utilising.
Business Online is built on SharePoint
Business Online is not a third-party app that connects to the platform. It is a ready-made platform built directly onto Microsoft 365. All data is stored in the company's own SharePoint solution. No external cloud, no extra storage.
This means three things in practice:
You are missing out on tailoring. Business Online comes with a ready structure for project mangement, crm system, Quality management system and document management. Hundreds of workflows are ready from day one.
You avoid the maintenance problem. When Microsoft updates, Business Online updates in sync. You won't need a developer to fix what broke.
The data remains yours. Documents, customer information, and project data are stored in the company's own Microsoft 365. You own it. You control it.
From folder chaos to structure
The most common thing we see with new clients is a SharePoint solution that has grown uncontrollably. «We need one place where the checklist will live, where spreadsheet files will live, so people don't use different versions."
»of the same documents all the way," a project manager in an HVAC company told us.
We see this particularly in project-based companies within construction, oil and gas, electrical, and technology. Companies with 10 to 100 employees where SharePoint grew faster than the structure around it. Folders within folders. Pages created two years ago and never updated. Versions of documents where no one knows which is the current one.
With Med Business Online, each project gets its own space with documents, checklists, and communication gathered together. Templates and management documents are copied in automatically. Employees know where things should be because
The structure is the same for all projects.
It is not a replacement for SharePoint. It is SharePoint with a plan.
From folder chaos to complete overview
Builder Tommy Bårdsen went from an uncontrollably growing folder structure to a unified system for all projects. Today, they manage many projects without anyone searching for files.
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SharePoint isn't the problem. The lack of structure is.
Most businesses we work with haven't chosen the wrong platform. They've simply never had help using it correctly. SharePoint is already there. Business Online gives it a plan.
See how SharePoint can work for you
We'll show you how Business Online provides structure to SharePoint, with your projects and documents. 30 minutes, no obligation.