SharePoint: The Most Powerful Tool You’re Still Undervaluing


Stop Underestimating SharePoint Online

You’ve seen the infographics. You’ve read the blogs. Every other post in your feed talks about optimizing SharePoint for Copilot, implementing robust governance, and getting your data “AI-ready.”

They’re all making really valuable points. But...
None of it matters if your organization still underestimates SharePoint.

Until you recognize and understand that SharePoint is foundational to how Microsoft 365 works, no amount of governance checklists, security policy overhauls, or AI excitement will get you across the finish line.

Stop the SharePoint Hate

You’ve heard (or maybe said) it all before:

  • “I hate SharePoint.”

  • “It’s confusing.”

  • “Why can’t I just recreate the same folder structure we had on the file share?”

  • “It’s dumb.”

This mindset is where transformation efforts go to die. 💀

SharePoint powers more than you think:

  • Microsoft Teams file sharing

  • OneDrive’s document backend

  • Viva Connections home sites

  • Copilot’s content grounding

  • Microsoft Loop, Stream, Planner, Lists, the list goes on.

Ignoring SharePoint is like trying to run a marathon with your shoes untied. You might get there, but not without a lot of unnecessary pain.

SharePoint Needs to Be Someone’s Actual Job

If SharePoint is still your IT generalist’s “fourth job,” that’s a problem.
If the only SharePoint training users get is, “It’s in Teams,” that’s also a problem.

And if you have a growing or already complex SharePoint environment, with hundreds of sites, multiple business units, and years of legacy content, then it should be someone’s actual job.

Especially if you’re planning to implement AI in any form, whether it’s Microsoft Copilot or a custom solution, SharePoint needs intentional ownership.

Not occasional oversight. Not part-time support.
Actual strategy, architecture, and care.

Want to use Copilot effectively?
You need:

  • SharePoint Online expertise

  • Thoughtful information architecture

  • Governed metadata

  • A security and permissions model that reflects business needs not inherited from the file share

Your SharePoint administrator should be trained, trusted, and tapped into strategic goals.

Change the Conversation

Every successful SharePoint project, especially file share or on-prem migrations, hinges on changing the user conversation.

That starts with Adoption & Change Management:

🏆 Create champions, not complainers

🛠️ Run workshops to demonstrate how metadata replaces folders

🔍 Show how views, filters, and search improve productivity

⚖️ Acknowledge the pain, but highlight the value

Start Using Metadata (Without Overwhelming Everyone)

Metadata doesn’t have to be intimidating. In fact, small, intentional steps can change everything.

Here’s my go-to starter plan:

1. Pick a use case everyone cares about

Example: Company policies, procedures, or HR documents.
Everyone needs access. Everyone has had trouble finding them.

2. Create simple columns

Make it metadata instead of a folder or part of the file name:

  • Department

  • Policy Type

  • Effective Date

  • Status (Draft, Approved, Archived)

3. Build views

Set up filtered and grouped views like:

  • “All HR Policies”

  • “Policies by Department”

  • “Recently Updated Policies”

These are way more useful than folders plus it’s Copilot-friendly.

4. Train users to tag

Use Content Types or just plain library columns. Train users during upload or drag/drop to apply metadata.

Governance Isn't Optional

Copilot doesn’t ignore bad governance. It inherits it. That means:

  • Overshared content will show up in search

  • Duplicate, untagged documents will pollute results

  • Unique permissions will confuse your security model

  • Classic sites and unmanaged sprawl will degrade the user experience

Start with these governance basics:

Classify your content
 Use sensitivity labels to separate public, internal, and confidential content. This helps enforce the right access levels.

Control external sharing
 Audit who has access, especially via anonymous links. Start tightening policies gradually to avoid business disruption.

Limit who can create sites and Teams
Restricting site and Microsoft Teams creation to a defined group helps prevent sprawl and encourages intentional, well-governed collaboration spaces. This reduces duplicate sites, improves oversight, and ensures that content stays discoverable and secure.

Reduce unique permissions
 Stick to SharePoint and Microsoft 365 groups. Break inheritance only when absolutely necessary and document why.

Monitor and clean up sprawl
 Whether through automation tools or periodic reviews, track inactive sites, libraries with massive item counts, and areas with complex permissions. Your Copilot license includes SharePoint Advanced Management for this purpose.

SharePoint Is Copilot’s Brain

Copilot doesn’t “just know things.” It relies on:

  • SharePoint’s metadata, labels, and structure

  • Microsoft Graph signals (who modified what, when, and how it connects to people)

  • Secure, governed access to files and lists

  • Context-aware search

When you hear "Copilot readiness," it’s largely about SharePoint readiness.

Want Copilot to give useful answers?

  • Tag your content

  • Clean up junk sites and content

  • Govern access

  • Avoid unique permissions

  • Use modern sites and libraries

  • Stop storing everything in one document library with 250,000 items nested in a complex folder structure

SharePoint Deserves Respect

SharePoint isn’t going anywhere; in fact, it’s becoming more important than ever.

🚫 Stop underestimating it.
🚫 Stop assigning it to someone without the time or skills to manage it.
🚫 Stop thinking of it as “just a place to store files.”

Instead, lean in:

💪 Learn it
💪 Govern it
💪 Champion it
💪 Modernize it
💪 Use it as a springboard for your Copilot and AI journey

You can’t optimize for Copilot if your SharePoint foundation is crumbling.
And you can’t modernize if your mindset is still stuck in 2003.

But if you take the time to do it right, it will pay off in dividends. Not just in Copilot results, but in better search, smoother collaboration, stronger user trust, and a platform people can actually rely on.

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