What are the Biggest Changes for SharePoint 2016?
Many users have questions and concerns revolving around Microsoft’s new SharePoint 2016. Some may already use SharePoint and wonder if it is worth it to switch to a new version. Others may not use SharePoint currently but are curious about what the new version holds. While I will not be able to address every single new feature of SharePoint 2016, I hope to outline generally what SharePoint’s new features will mean for its users.
Continuing Hybridization With Office 365
Unsurprisingly, some of the biggest changes have come with SharePoint’s increased movement towards integration with Office 365. SharePoint 2016 helps to provide an Office 365 experience to On-Prem users.
Users can also search through both their SharePoint On-Prem index and Office 365 index with a single query. This feature can be activated by both the Office and On-Prem search query. Users are able to see both their cloud or On-Prem data from either location. Users who follow sites both On-Prem and in Office 365 will now be able to see all of their sites under the App Launcher feature.
App Launcher is a new feature of SharePoint that tries to mimic the Office 365 experience and interface as much as possible for its SharePoint users. Using the App Launcher, users can create interfaces that are nearly identical for both their SharePoint and Office interfaces.
New Infrastructure Improvements
SharePoint 2016 also brings in new infrastructure and performance improvements. Two quick changes are its new fast site creation, and the removal of file size upload limits. With a newly available template, SharePoint users can now create site collections in a single second. A significant improvement over SharePoint 2013.
SharePoint 2016 has also removed the 2 GB file size restriction for uploading files. However, Microsoft advises that users still keep upload sizes below 10 GB to prevent complications with the system.
Overall SharePoint 2016 Has Made Many Significant Changes
It would be difficult to discuss them all in detail here.
For those still unsure whether they want to implement SharePoint 2016, specially trained SharePoint consultants can give an honest assessment. Consultants can help determine whether SharePoint 2016 would be a good fit for your business needs, and then help you through any potential implementations or integrations.
