SharePoint Development: SharePoint 2019 Features

John James
5 min readSep 3, 2021

SharePoint has benefited organizations enormously in the past by performing optimally in its responsibilities as a corporate intranet, collaboration platform, document management platform, and document storage platform.

While SharePoint 2013 and 2016 are still highly popular among organizations, Microsoft has demonstrated its dedication to its clients once again with the release of the all-new SharePoint 2019. With its recent release, the new version has generated substantial interest among on-premises and hybrid users alike. So, are you prepared to showcase SharePoint 2019’s brand-new features? Let us dig in!

Table of content:

SharePoint 2019

SharePoint 2019 Focus Areas

SharePoint 2019 Features

Conclusion

SharePoint 2019

It’s natural to believe that the majority of organizations have migrated to the cloud. However, many firms continue to operate on-premises environments in some manner. Indeed, a recent survey found that 65 % of enterprise workloads continue to run in company-owned data centers.

Microsoft demonstrates its continued commitment to clients who operate in on-premises and hybrid environments with the release of SharePoint 2019.

SharePoint 2019 features a fresh, modern look that is intended for use on any device, including tablets, smartphones, laptops, and desktops. The latest iteration seeks to save customers time by reducing their time spent searching for material and customizing settings and increasing their time spent on productive tasks.

SharePoint 2019 Focus Areas

According to Microsoft’s Baer, the SharePoint Server 2019 Preview delivers an early look at a small number of new investments that will help define the breadth, scale, and dependability of SharePoint Server 2019. Despite the promise of additional functionality, the core aspects and enhancements are already apparent. They are divided into three distinct themes:

  • SharePoint Online-based user experiences.
  • Engagement with content across all browsers and devices
  • Scalable security and compliance capabilities on a large scale.

“SharePoint Server 2019 allows all users with an upgraded hybrid experience. Additionally, all of SharePoint On line’s positive attributes are now available to on-premises customers, including modern sites, communication sites, and hub sites,” stated Dux Raymond-Sy, CMO of SharePoint migration expert AvePoint. “Most crucially, the new rock-solid sync functionality for OneDrive makes it more tempting for organizations to abandon competing file, sync, and share solutions like Box or Dropbox in favor of SharePoint as their all-in-one solution for all of these needs.”

Jesse Shiah, CEO of Mountain View, Calif.-based business process management software provider AgilePoint, added that the release of SharePoint 2019 failed to address a lingering issue for many organizations that have deployed SharePoint on-premises for years, namely being locked down by custom development in business apps such as workflows and forms that cannot easily migrate to Office 365. “One of the most significant announcements with SharePoint 2019 is the addition of yet another ‘new’ workflow manager. This ever-increasingly disconnected workflow strategy will exacerbate the ongoing compatibility issue, which will not only exacerbate the aforementioned ‘lock down’ dilemma, but may also cause market confusion “‘He stated.

Features in SharePoint 2019

1. Communication Sites

SharePoint 2019 enables on-premises users to access communication sites. This long-awaited modern feature provides teams with a responsive, intelligent approach to share news, documents, and other critical information. From the SharePoint home page, users can rapidly and independently create new communication sites using one of three pre-configured templates:

  • Topic, which comprises four pre-installed web components to keep everyone informed (Hero, News, Events, and Documents)
  • Showcase is an image-centric design that highlights people, products, and events by utilising the default Hero and Image gallery web elements.
  • Blank, a blank canvas ready to be filled with your choice of modern web components

2. Infrastructure Improvements

  • Numerous enhancements in SharePoint 2019 are focused on enhancing administration and infrastructure, including the following:
  • Direct links to SharePoint documentation: You won’t have to hunt for documents in vain. You can now access Central Administration via direct links.
  • SMTP authentication for email sending: You’ll be able to send emails using authenticated SMTP (including Office 365).
  • Workflow Manager 2019: Workflows are here to stay. This new version supersedes Workflow Manager 1.0 and includes a number of new and enhanced capabilities.
  • Integration with PowerApps and Flow: SharePoint 2019 will have some more robust integrations with Flow and PowerApps. The new features offer increased performance and fewer limitations than previous versions.

3. OneDrive

Businesses with large on-premise libraries will be pleased to learn that SharePoint 2019 includes significant upgrades to the OneDrive Sync Client support that was previously only available in the cloud. This functionality enables the OneDrive Sync Client to be used on both team and personal sites. Additionally? Users can activate push alerts, which contribute to a more dependable and rapid synchronization experience.

4. Modern Search Experience

SharePoint 2019 introduces a completely redesigned search experience with modern lists and libraries. Users view results before they begin typing, and the results update as they enter. The search results page provides an enticing overview of search results, which are organized by kind.

5. Hybrid-first features

Since the release of SharePoint 2013, Microsoft has been working to improve support for hybrid setups, but this latest version goes above and beyond. Here are a few ways SharePoint Server 2019 — often referred to as the “cloud-powered server” — assists both administrators and end-users in leveraging the cloud’s power:

  • The Hybrid Configuration Wizard (accessible straight from the Central Administration Center) and the extensible hybrid app launcher make it easier than ever to set up and manage a hybrid environment.
  • Administrators can establish shared sets of managed metadata that seamlessly sync between SharePoint Server and SharePoint Online using hybrid taxonomies and hybrid content types.
  • The new OneDrive Sync Client (which replaces the outdated Groove Sync Client) enables users to view files saved locally or in the cloud on-demand — no download required — and supports push alerts for improved real-time document collaboration.

6. Awesome UX features

SharePoint 2019 features various modern User Experience enhancements that align with SharePoint Online, such as improved collaboration and communication capabilities. The collaborative platform’s latest features make it more user-friendly. SharePoint 2019’s Home Screen now features a centralized dashboard for all the news and sites you care about. The SharePoint Start Page has been redesigned to make it easier for users to discover and access sites within their business.

Conclusion

SharePoint Server 2019 bridges the gap between on-premises and cloud users and simplifies hybrid implementation. It’s a totally modern version of SharePoint designed for enterprises looking to accelerate their digital transition while maintaining some components of their system on-premises.

Previous releases, including SharePoint Server 2016, just cannot compete with the new version in terms of collaboration, user experience, and overall functionality.

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John James

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