SharePoint is evolving fast with AI, automation, and smarter governance shaping the modern workplace. Learn how eGroup and Microsoft experts unlock new features to streamline collaboration and reduce costs.
SharePoint (and OneDrive) have quietly powered collaboration for years, sometimes so quietly we forget to dig deep– but in our Fall roadshow, I teamed up with Jesus Shelby, Director of Cloud & Microsoft 365 Services, to unpack what’s new, what’s next, and how to get the most from modern SharePoint. You can also hit play on the recording here.
Recent Directions
SharePoint’s recent advancements are foundational for how organizations manage content, reduce administrative overhead, and prepare for an AI-driven future.
The latest possibilities we focused on include:
- Reducing administrative burden through automation and smarter governance
- Making your SharePoint Online (SPO) system AI-ready for Copilot and other intelligent services
- Saving costs by tackling storage sprawl and optimizing resource usage
- Improving compliance with advanced security and data governance controls
- Enhancing employee experience with modern, intuitive tools
Let’s dive into the key themes and actionable takeaways.
Key Advancements and Upcoming Improvements
SharePoint Advanced Management’s (SAM) and the Content Management Assessment (CMA) Dashboard
- Automates governance tasks and prepares sites for Copilot activation
- Provides a unified dashboard to evaluate site health, permissions, and lifecycle readiness
- Helps identify over-permissioned sites and remediate security risks efficiently
“If you have Copilot– even one license– you’ll have access to a subset of the SAM controls.
They’re really the most important parts for getting more information around your SharePoint sites, your permissioning, who’s accessing what, and how things are being shared.”
— Jesus Shelby, Director of Cloud & M365 Services
SharePoint Backup and Archive Service
- Automates backup, integrates with Microsoft 365, and reduces manual effort
- Quickly restores sites and files to minimize risk and impact of data loss
- Moves inactive sites to cheaper storage, but still supports retention policies and compliance
- Controls costs tightly with its (upcoming) file-level archive capability
“Backup covers Exchange and content, whereas archive is really only content– your files, your SharePoint sites. Archive and backup are different; they serve different purposes.”
— Jesus Shelby, Director of Cloud & M365 Services
Intelligent Versioning
- Automatically tracks document changes and flags significant updates
- Minimizes storage needs by preventing redundant file copies
- Enables easy retrieval and comparison of older versions, supporting better teamwork and rapid decisions
- Can save up to 70% of storage consumption on sites
“Most people aren’t even aware of how much storage these things are actually taking up. To clean them up manually is pretty onerous. Having this built into the platform is extremely helpful.”
— Jesus Shelby, Director of Cloud & M365 Services
AI File Actions and Knowledge Agents
- Users can summarize, compare, generate FAQs, and create audio summaries from documents using AI
- With knowledge agents, Metadata tagging is automated, improving search accuracy and enabling advanced workflows
- AI features are enabled via the ‘AI Actions’ button (for Copilot-licensed users)
Copilot-Connected Enterprise Image Libraries
- PowerPoint users can pull branded images from SharePoint Organizational Asset Library or Templafy, maintaining brand consistency
- Libraries are registered using PowerShell with
CopilotSearchableflag
Copilot-Powered Page Sections
- AI-generated sections help authors create content faster with relevant contextual formatting
- Improves productivity and consistency in SharePoint page development
SharePoint Agents
- Smart assistants answer natural language questions using SharePoint site content
- Deployed via Teams integration (or accessible via the SPO page itself) and configured with domain-specific content scopes
Free for Microsoft 365 Copilot users or pay as you go for unlicensed users
Hero Links for Secure Sharing (Future)
- Generates a unique secure link per file with automatic permission settings
- Simplifies sharing and reduces errors related to file permissions
- Feature is enabled by default for convenience
“Microsoft’s going to start releasing this early next year. It should simplify how people are sharing, remove confusion, and make it easier when links are going around.”
— Jesus Shelby, Director of Cloud & M365 Services
What Technologies You Need to Know
- Purview – Data governance and compliance management, including sensitivity labels
- Advanced Management (SAM/CMA) – Unified dashboards and controls for site health, permissions, and lifecycle
- Knowledge Agents – Automate metadata tagging, FAQ generation, and document summarization
- Hero Links – Simplified, secure sharing links for files and sites
- Intelligent Versioning – Automated version control and storage optimization
Best Practices, Lessons Learned, and Recommendations
- For SAM/CMA, start with a full export of your sites and configurations to assess exposure and permissions. Then, use group-based access controls to rein in unfettered access and simplify management. Leverage CMA and SAM dashboards for visibility and targeted remediation on an ongoing basis.
- Educate users on sharing behaviors and monitor activity to maintain security
- Enable knowledge agents to automate metadata and improve search accuracy
- Plan for storage optimization with intelligent versioning and upcoming file-level archiving
- Apply sensitivity labels and configure Purview for file-level protection
- Test new features in preview and stay abreast of roadmap updates via the Message Center
Conclusion
SharePoint is accelerating behind the scenes, with AI, automation, resiliency, and cost controls at the forefront. Staying abreast of these new capabilities can reduce administrative burden, save costs, and empower employees with more secure collaboration tools.
Turn SharePoint Insights Into Action
Take the next step in your Microsoft 365 journey. Our experts help you map out a strategic roadmap that modernizes collaboration, governance, and AI readiness.
