New Features in SharePoint 2016

SharePoint 2016 is built on the same core as SharePoint 2013 online, but with improved scalability, performance, reliability and user experience. The new update also comes with a handful of new and exciting features.

This blog builds upon the new features that were announced in the SharePoint 2016 IT Preview.

Improved Provisioning Capabilities

SharePoint 2016 is designed to help manage administrative tasks more efficiently by reducing the processing time of each individual task. The new and improved provisioning capabilities will free up your IT department to focus on other mission critical projects.

Mobile Experience

The new SharePoint 2016 update also includes an improved mobile navigation experience. The touch-friendly experience incorporates industry standards for mobile push and information synchronization. It also empowers screen consistency across different devices such as desktop, mobile, tablet or slate.

Hybrid Cloud Search

Hybrid search makes content finding easy. If there is an environment in which content and applications are spread across on-premise and Office 365 it’s the hybrid search solution. Hybrid search is based on indexing on-premise content in Office 365.

Application Launcher

SharePoint 2016 also introduced changes to the UI to reflect the look and feel of Office 365. Additionally, App Launcher, a new navigation feature, was added to allow users to easily access sites and personal files.

Simple and Quick File Sharing

The file sharing experience has also been revolutionized in this newest update. To share files, a user will simply select the file and click on the “Share” button located on the top right of every screen and enter the names of people to whom they want to share a file with. Mechanism and security of file sharing is no longer a concern.

Increased File Size

SharePoint is now supporting uploads of more than 2GB in file size. But keep in mind that Microsoft recommends uploading file size up to 10GB to prevent chances of disconnecting or getting a timeout while uploading the file.

Fast Site Creation

The site creation process has really sped up with SharePoint 2016. A user can now create a site collection from site template in just a few seconds.

Zero Downtime Patching

SharePoint administrators who are managing SharePoint servers are facilitated because the number of packages is reduced. Secondly, downtime which was previously required to update SharePoint servers is also removed.

Compliance Tools

SharePoint 2016 includes data security controls so that only authorized people can access specified data. It also allows Document Deletion Centers to preserve items in SharePoint and OneDrive for a fixed period of time, as well as manage policies that control deletion of documents.

Site Folders

OneDrive for business is becoming more similar to My Site. The main purpose of site folders is to allow the user to navigate to files and libraries from a single portal.

Looking to upgrade your existing Microsoft SharePoint application to the latest version, or looking to deploy SharePoint for the first time to help with your internal document management? FMT Consultants can help with all your SharePoint needs. Fill out the form below to schedule a demo or request a quote.

Written by:
Imran Arshad, Senior Consultant
FMT Consultants