In today's information-based society, managing electronic documents has become an increasing challenge. Personal computers and e-mail in boxes have become storage repositories, shared drives are disorganized and inefficient search tools make finding relevant information a difficult task. Fundamental issues arise, such as:
- Information is scattered
- There are often multiple copies of the same document
- Tracking and modifying changes is not straightforward
- Merging changes from multiple users can be problematic
Coupled with document management challenges, forward-thinking business environments are tasked with promoting a culture of collaboration. Knowledge workers (those who work primarily with information or develop and use knowledge in the workplace) specialize in various disciplines; hence, their ability to assist and leverage one another's capabilities can greatly benefit the growth of any organization.
Common tools available for addressing these issues can be technically complex and difficult to integrate with existing business processes and procedures. A practical yet effective solution can allow an organization to focus on delivering value to their core business instead of being burdened by information management roadblocks.
SharePoint addresses these challenges by allowing individuals with basic Microsoft Windows and Office skills to easily create and manage their own document management and collaborative solutions in their organization.