For many enterprises and organizations, SharePoint has evolved into a necessary tool. It’s currently being used as a source for not only corporate data but procedures, intellectual property, and a host of other vital functions. Today, we’ll SharePoint news and examine what’s taking place and is of great importance to all SharePoint users.

SharePoint 2016

Microsoft seems to be on a constant trail of keeping pace with technological advancements. From the release in 2003, through to 2007 and thereafter 2010, SharePoint has continued to evolve.

As we speak, another new version of SharePoint is slated for 2016. On the summer of 2015, there’ll be a preview version of the said SharePoint. The Release of SharePoint 2016 has been slated for the second quarter of 2016.

Microsoft has stated that both versions( online version and on-premise) will continue to undergo changes and new developments even as the latest version is due to be unveiled.

SharePoint still lives on in Office 365. It acts as the powerhouse for the product. But despite the covert actions by Microsoft about another version of SharePoint, currently, things seem to have taken a different direction and as we speak, on-premise SharePoint is back and better than before.

What to expect

The future of SharePoint is quite clear. Much emphasis has been put on two aspects: on premise and in the cloud.

Microsoft has invested a lot on SharePoint in the cloud, something that’s been greeted with mixed reactions some wondering whether it’s the only option on SharePoint that’s been considered by Microsoft moving forward.

However, that might not necessarily be the case. During the Microsoft’s Ignite conference held in Chicago, it came out pretty clear that a lot was invested deeply in coming up with a hybrid so that many might have a plenty of options to choose from.

SharePoint seems focused on management, experiences and extensibility not only across office 365, but with server as well. Key features to expect include

• Expanded OneDrive
• Social- integration across Office 365 through Yammer
• Power Bi, which is basically an integrated analytical platform.
• Expanded management layer
• Office 365 APIs, which provides much deeper levels of extensibility and integration for SharePoint.
• Office Delve, an enhanced search application.
• NextGen Portals, a portal built to provide a great platform for mobile users.

In addition, here’s another event that’s due just soon, aiming at discussing a lot more about SharePoint.

SharePoint Fest

SharePoint Fest is basically a two-day training conference that boasts well over 70 sessions cutting across multiple tracks that tend to bring together enthusiasts and SharePoint practitioners. It’s usually attended by leading SharePoint experts, as well as solution providers.

The two-day event, beginning 18th August 2015, will take place in Seattle, Washington.

Among the things to expect during this conference include discussions about the evolution of SharePoint brought about by cloud, amongst many other SharePoint aspects.

Keynote speakers to expect include Microsoft’s Bill Baer and Michelle Caldwell, who is the Microsoft SharePoint MVP.

To learn more about SharePoint, don’t miss out on this great event.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is also unveiling new OneDrive specifically for business features. This is in a bid for enterprise cloud file sharing turf, while at the same time leaving more structured collaboration for SharePoint.

Overall, there has been a slew of developments taking place in regard to SharePoint and apart from the few SharePoint news we’ve shined a spotlight on, a lot more seems to be in progress. We can only wait with bated breath as we anticipate a host of changes designed to help individuals, teams, and business work more effectively with the tool.