SharePoint, file storage and intranets
SharePoint can be the tidy, searchable home for your company files, or another place where documents go to get lost. The difference is in how it is set up: a clear structure, permissions that follow your teams and sharing rules that protect client information.
SharePoint, file storage & intranets for small and medium businesses
Many businesses arrive at SharePoint by accident. Someone made a Team for a project, files ended up in its channel, another department built its own site, and now there are three copies of the price list and nobody is sure which is current. Staff go back to emailing attachments or saving to their desktop because finding things feels harder than it should. Underneath, sharing links created years ago may still give outsiders access to folders nobody remembers.
We plan the layout before moving anything. Usually that means a small number of sites matched to how your business divides its work, such as finance, operations and clients, with libraries inside each and permissions granted to groups rather than individuals. Shortcuts in OneDrive and File Explorer let people work in familiar folders, and version history means a file that was overwritten can be brought back without calling anyone. Search becomes useful again once there is one copy of each document.
An intranet is the other half. A simple home site can carry company news, policies, the staff handbook, forms and links to the systems people use every day, all inside the Microsoft 365 you already pay for. We keep it plain and easy to update, train one or two people to own it, and set retention rules so documents you are legally required to keep are not deleted by mistake while old drafts can safely expire.
What's included
Information layout
A short plan of sites, libraries and folders matched to your departments, agreed with you before any files are moved.
Permissions by group
Access granted through Microsoft 365 groups linked to roles, so a new starter in accounts automatically sees the finance files and nothing more.
External sharing rules
Sensible defaults for sharing with clients and suppliers, including expiring links and limits on which sites can share outside the business.
File migration
Content moved from servers, Dropbox, Google Drive or old SharePoint sites, with long paths, duplicates and broken files dealt with first.
Sync and shortcuts
Libraries added to File Explorer and Finder through OneDrive, so staff work in folders that feel familiar while files live in the cloud.
Company intranet
A home site with news, policies, forms and quick links, designed to be maintained by your own staff without technical help.
Retention and versioning
Version history and retention settings that keep what you are obliged to keep and let short-lived drafts expire.
Sharing audit
A report of files and folders shared with people outside the business, so old links can be reviewed and removed.
Who is SharePoint and intranet work for?
SharePoint work is usually worth doing if:
- Staff can't find the current version of common documents
- Your Teams and SharePoint sites grew without any plan
- You still have a file server mainly holding shared folders
- You don't know which files have been shared outside the company
- Policies and forms live in a mix of email threads and desktops
- You want a simple intranet without paying for another product
Not sure where to start?
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Book the health checkSharePoint, file storage & intranets questions
What is the difference between OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams?
OneDrive is for a person's own working files. SharePoint holds files that belong to the business or a team. Teams is a place to chat and meet, and the files you see in a Teams channel are actually stored in SharePoint behind it.
Can we keep using folders the way we do now?
Yes. Libraries can be synced or added as shortcuts, so they appear in File Explorer or Finder like a normal drive. Most staff carry on working in folders and get version history and remote access as a bonus.
Is SharePoint suitable for large files?
It handles everyday office files well. Very large design, video or CAD files can be slow to sync over a typical connection. We look at your file types and sizes and suggest a different approach for the few that need it.
How long does a move into SharePoint take?
For a small office, planning and copying usually take one to two weeks, with the final switch done after hours. Larger or untidy file shares take longer, and the timeline is set out in the written quote.
Do we need an intranet as well?
Not every business does. If staff regularly ask where a policy or form lives, or important notices get lost in email, a simple intranet home page usually pays for itself in saved time.
Can clients upload files to us?
Yes. A library can accept files from people outside the business through a request link, without giving them access to anything else. We set limits so it can't be used to browse your other files.
What does SharePoint setup cost?
SharePoint itself is part of most Microsoft 365 business plans. Planning, migration and intranet build are project work quoted in writing first; small changes later are billed at $109 an hour remote plus GST or covered by your plan.
Other ways we help
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