Think of SharePoint as a plot of land. It has incredible potential, but it’s up to you to build the house. You could hire architects and contractors to create a custom home, which is a long and expensive process. Or, you could choose a beautifully designed, move-in-ready home built on that same plot. SuiteFiles is that move-in-ready home. We’ve harnessed the power of the SharePoint suite and built a complete document management solution on top of it. It’s designed with all the features and finishes that professional firms need to work efficiently, without any of the construction headaches.

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In the world of document management, it’s hard to look past the giant that is SharePoint. It’s even harder differentiating your product from SharePoint when it was built on top of it. As a result, when prospective customers check us out, we’re met with the inevitable question: “What is SuiteFiles beyond SharePoint?”

In this post, we’ll answer this question in detail and describe the ways in which SuiteFiles extends beyond SharePoint.

Understanding the Different SharePoint Versions

To get started, it’s helpful to know that SharePoint isn’t a single, one-size-fits-all product. It comes in a couple of different forms, and the one you use depends on how your organization wants to manage its technology. Most businesses today use the cloud-based version, but it’s good to know the difference.

SharePoint in Microsoft 365

This is the most common version you’ll encounter. SharePoint in Microsoft 365 is a cloud service hosted and maintained by Microsoft. Businesses of all sizes can use it by subscribing to a Microsoft 365 plan. Because it’s online, your team can access it from anywhere with an internet connection. Microsoft handles all the updates, security, and server maintenance behind the scenes, so you don’t have to worry about the technical upkeep. This is the version SuiteFiles is built on, allowing us to add a layer of user-friendly features on top of its powerful foundation.

SharePoint Server

SharePoint Server is the on-premise version. This means an organization purchases the software and installs it on its own servers. The company’s internal IT team is responsible for managing everything, from updates and security patches to daily maintenance. This option offers a high degree of control and customization, which is sometimes required for businesses with strict regulatory or data sovereignty requirements. It gives you the latest features, but it also demands significant internal resources to manage effectively.

Supporting Tools: SharePoint Designer and OneDrive

Beyond the main platforms, a couple of other tools are part of the SharePoint ecosystem. SharePoint Designer 2013 is a free program used to build more complex, custom solutions and workflows. While still used by some, many of its functions have been integrated into newer tools like Power Automate. More familiar to most is OneDrive, which allows you to sync document libraries from a SharePoint site directly to your computer. This lets you work on files locally, with changes automatically syncing back to the cloud once you’re online.

Core SharePoint Features and Capabilities

Regardless of the version, SharePoint provides a powerful set of tools designed to help teams work together more effectively. At its heart, it’s a secure platform to store, organize, and share information across your organization. Think of it as a central hub for your team’s files, projects, and internal communications.

Team Sites vs. Communication Sites

SharePoint allows you to create different types of sites for different purposes. The two main types are Team Sites and Communication Sites. A Team Site is a private workspace where you and your colleagues can collaborate on projects. It’s where you store project files, manage tasks, and have team-specific discussions. A Communication Site, on the other hand, is designed to broadcast information to a wider audience. You’d use this to share company news, publish reports, or create a resource hub for the entire organization.

Content and Document Management

Document management is SharePoint’s core strength. It provides a structured and secure environment for all your business documents, moving them off of individual hard drives and into a centralized location. This makes it easier for everyone to find what they need, reduces duplicate files, and ensures that everyone is working from the most current version of a document. You can access everything through a web browser, so your files are available on any device.

Co-authoring and Version History

Two of the most valuable features for collaboration are co-authoring and version history. Co-authoring allows multiple people to work inside the same document simultaneously, seeing each other’s changes in real-time. This eliminates the headache of merging different versions of a file. SharePoint also automatically saves previous versions of your documents. If someone makes a mistake or you need to reference an older draft, you can easily view or restore a prior version.

Lists and Libraries

Content in SharePoint is organized using lists and libraries. A Document Library is a special type of folder for storing files. You can add custom columns to track metadata, like a document’s status, owner, or review date. A List is more like a simple spreadsheet or database built directly into your site. You can use lists to track things like project tasks, customer contacts, or office inventory, creating custom views to organize the information however you need.

Company Intranet and Collaboration

Many organizations use SharePoint to build their company intranet. It serves as a central portal where employees can find company news, access HR documents, and connect with different departments. By creating a single source of truth for internal information, SharePoint helps streamline communication and ensures everyone has access to the same resources. It’s a powerful tool for reinforcing company culture and standardizing business processes.

Permissions and Security

Controlling who can access sensitive information is critical, and SharePoint offers robust permission settings. You can manage access at multiple levels—from the entire site down to a single file. This granular control allows you to create secure areas for executive teams, confidential client folders, or project-specific documents. Understanding how to manage permissions is key to ensuring your data stays protected and is only seen by the intended audience.

Mobile Apps for On-the-Go Access

In a world where work happens everywhere, mobile access is essential. Microsoft provides SharePoint mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. These apps allow you to access your sites, files, and lists from your phone or tablet. You can view documents, catch up on team news, and collaborate with colleagues whether you’re traveling, working from home, or away from your desk. This keeps you connected and productive no matter where you are.

Clearing Up a Common Myth: Is SharePoint Discontinued?

You may have come across articles or discussions online suggesting that SharePoint is being discontinued. The short answer is no, SharePoint is not going away. In fact, it remains a core component of the Microsoft 365 suite. The confusion stems from Microsoft’s decision to retire one specific, non-core feature a few years ago.

The Truth About SharePoint Online Public Websites

The feature that was discontinued was SharePoint Online Public Websites. This allowed users to create simple, public-facing websites hosted on SharePoint. In 2015, Microsoft announced it would be phasing out this feature, believing that third-party providers specializing in website hosting offered better solutions for that purpose. The core functionality of SharePoint—internal collaboration, document management, and building company intranets—was unaffected. The platform continues to be actively developed and is more integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem than ever before.

Is SharePoint a True Document Management System?

SharePoint is a web-based application designed to enhance collaboration and the accessing of files online. This is a broad definition, but one which reflects the freedom firms have to shape SharePoint around their needs. If you’re wondering why you couldn’t just use SharePoint as your system of document management, the answer is you can. The only hang-up is that SharePoint requires expertise to configure or, failing that, time and money. But why go to the trouble of investing these resources for a bespoke document management system with the same functionality as existing, less costly alternatives?

How SuiteFiles Takes SharePoint to the Next Level

What do we mean when we say SuiteFiles is built on top of SharePoint? Just how admins configure SharePoint for their clients, we’ve configured SharePoint to fit the needs of medium sized professional services firms like accounting practices. The result is a document management system with an easy-to-navigate interface crafted by some of the best visual designers around. As you create and store files, you can be assured that they’re safe under Microsoft’s renowned security. This includes access to multi factor authentication and data loss prevention as well as auditing and logging security measures. Not to mention, you’ll be able to enjoy seamless integration between SuiteFiles and Microsoft applications like Office and Outlook. For example, creating email templates and auto-saving your emails in a shared folder.

The SuiteFiles Difference: Features You’ll Actually Use

We have a lightning bolt in our logo. Also, we’ve built features in-house in accordance with the needs of professional services firms.

Securely Sign Documents from Anywhere

SuiteFiles has set itself apart with features like document signing which replaces the laborious manual process of printing -> signing yourself -> scanning -> posting to your client -> then physically filing the client signed version.

SuiteFiles also improves on the inefficient digital process of creating a PDF -> digitally signing -> emailing to your client -> then saving the client signed version in the correct folder.

Our signing process all happens within SuiteFiles from creating and signing the PDF, setting automated reminders to sign for your client, and having the client signed version be automatically filed into the right folder.

Edit and Manage PDFs with Ease

Let’s get into our PDF features! Within SuiteFiles (i.e. without having to open yet another app), you can use all of our PDF tools. Want to call attention to particular areas of your PDF so readers don’t miss them? You can add ‘sticky notes’ and ‘stick’ them anywhere you like. You can also add stamps, highlight, draw, and overlay shapes. SuiteFiles also allows you to merge PDF files, reorder pages within a PDF, and rotate pages.

Streamline Team and Client Collaboration

Tired of enormous email threads? We’ve created a task feature which allows you to set tasks with clients and colleagues and chat back and forth without the formality of email. We’ve even created a connect feature which allows you to send and receive sensitive documents from your clients without an external portal.

Connect Your Apps: Xero Integration and More

In addition to our in-house features, SuiteFiles has built integrations with some game-changing apps like Xero Practice Manager and Karbon. Our partnerships with AccountKit, ATO Smart Docs, ATOmate, CAS 360, FuseWorks and more allow you to shed inefficiencies by automating time-consuming tasks. But this is only scratching the surface, hear more about SuiteFiles’ integrations.

On top of providing simple document management, the SuiteFiles team is always looking for ways to make our clients’ lives easier and their firms more productive.

What is SuiteFiles Beyond SharePoint?

SuiteFiles builds on SharePoint to provide professional services firms with a fully integrated document management system supported by a bevy of time-saving features. Basically, we’ve taken SharePoint’s standard document storage then pulled in your client data via our integrations, built up document generation and approval workflows, and optimized client experience.

Hear from one of our customers Resource Accounting.

See SuiteFiles in action. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Frequently Asked Questions

If SuiteFiles is built on SharePoint, why can’t I just use SharePoint for my document management? You absolutely can use SharePoint on its own. Think of SharePoint as a powerful set of building materials. You could use those materials to construct your own document management system, but it would require significant time, technical expertise, and ongoing maintenance to get it right for a professional services firm.

We’ve done that construction work for you. SuiteFiles is a complete, ready-to-use system built with those same materials. We’ve designed an intuitive interface and added critical features on top of SharePoint’s foundation, so you can start working more efficiently from day one without needing to be a tech expert.

Where are my files actually stored, and are they secure with SuiteFiles? Your files are stored in your own Microsoft 365 environment, which means they are protected by Microsoft’s world-class security infrastructure. SuiteFiles acts as a smart, user-friendly layer that sits on top of your existing SharePoint structure.

This setup gives you the best of both worlds. You get all the security benefits of the Microsoft ecosystem, including features like multi-factor authentication, while also getting the streamlined workflows and specialized tools that SuiteFiles provides. Your data stays within your control.

We already use Microsoft 365. How does SuiteFiles work with apps like Outlook and Word? SuiteFiles is designed to integrate seamlessly with the Microsoft tools your team uses every day. For example, our Outlook add-in lets you file important emails and their attachments directly into the correct client folder with just a couple of clicks, creating a single source of truth for all communications.

You can also open, edit, and co-author documents like Word files or Excel spreadsheets directly from the SuiteFiles interface. All changes are saved automatically back to the cloud, which helps ensure everyone is always working on the most current version of a file.

What are some specific things I can do in SuiteFiles that are difficult in a standard SharePoint setup? While SharePoint is great for storage, SuiteFiles adds features designed to speed up common business processes. Our integrated document signing tool is a great example. You can prepare a document, send it for signing, set up automatic reminders for your client, and have the final signed copy filed back into the right folder without ever leaving the platform.

Another key feature is our client portal, which allows you to securely request and receive sensitive files from clients. We also have built-in task management and PDF editing tools that simplify collaboration and reduce the need to switch between multiple applications.

If we’re currently using a basic SharePoint site, what does moving over to SuiteFiles look like? Making the switch is a structured process that our team helps you with. Since your files may already be in the Microsoft ecosystem, the transition can be quite smooth. The main focus is on organizing your existing data into the client-centric folder structure that makes SuiteFiles so efficient.

We work with you to ensure your files are mapped correctly and that your team is comfortable with the new system. The goal is to get you set up in a way that immediately improves how you find, share, and manage your documents.

Key Takeaways

  • Leverage SharePoint’s power without the complex setup: SuiteFiles is built on SharePoint’s secure foundation, giving you a complete, intuitive document management system from day one. You get the enterprise-level security without the need for custom development.
  • SharePoint is a toolkit, not a finished solution: While powerful, SharePoint on its own is a blank slate. Turning it into a system tailored for a professional firm requires significant time, technical expertise, and investment to build the features you need.
  • Get features designed for your specific workflow: SuiteFiles adds essential tools that SharePoint lacks, including unlimited digital signing, a secure client portal, PDF editing, and direct integrations with apps like Xero to streamline your daily tasks.

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