Key Points for IT Admins
Is SharePoint Simple?
Yes
Is SharePoint Complicated?
Yes
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​Microsoft is moving towards a cloud-first strategy, making SharePoint Online the future of document management. With deep integration into Teams, OneDrive, and Power Platform, SharePoint is no longer just a "file server replacement"—it’s a collaboration powerhouse.
WHO?WHAT?WHY?WHEN?HOW?
SharePoint Online is a multi-tenant, cloud-based platform built on Microsoft Azure. Unlike SharePoint Server (on-prem), which relies on manually managed SQL Server instances, SharePoint Online is fully managed by Microsoft, leveraging cloud-scale distributed computing. SPO runs on a highly distributed architecture that combines
Azure SQL Databases
Stores content, metadata, and configurations.
Azure Blob Storage
Handles large files outside of the SQL database for better scalability
​Azure Active Directory (AAD)
​Manages authentication and access controls
Azure Front Door & CDN
Provides global caching and load balancing for fast access worldwide
Microsoft Graph API
The backbone for connecting SharePoint with OneDrive, Teams, and third-party apps.