SharePoint, a Microsoft content management system, enables end users with little or no technical knowledge to add content to an intranet, internet or extranet.  This significantly reduces the requirement for a number of web designers/administrators, ensures faster information availability, and leaves control of and responsibility for content in the hands of people with the specific knowledge applicable to their area. 

SharePoint integrates easily with other Microsoft products such as Frontpage (html editor), InfoPath (online forms), Outlook (email), Excel (spreadsheets and graphs), etc.  SharePoint provides a number of templates which can be modified to reduce administrator work.  Information can be categorised, grouped, sorted, filtered and displayed in various views quickly and easily, and information restricted to the appropriate audience - a task which can be performed by administrators and trained content managers.  Recent changes Microsoft have brought to Sharepoint in the newly released 2007 version provide workflow processing capabilities with the Microsoft range of products and line-of-business applications such as SAP and Siebel.  Click here to view a Microsoft demonstration on SharePoint 2007.

A site built with SharePoint can expand rapidly and run efficiently under a controlled program of building staff and management awareness of how easy SharePoint is to use, and what features are available to improve their work processes.  A full program would involve:

• Analysis of the current state of your intranet (including SWOT analysis)

• Recommendations for improvement and further development

• Internal promotion to staff and management for product awareness and to encourage provision and updating of content

• Increased content and improvement of knowledge management practices

• Determination or application of design and information control standards

• Training of administrators (full control of intranet), content managers (control as determined by administrators for specific pages or restricted access team sites, and in accordance with the content manager's skill level) and end users

Champion Corporate Services and their associates can also assist in implementing a new SharePoint system requiring technical assistance in server administration, development of web parts, etc.