Microsoft 365 · SharePoint
SharePoint is the most important building block of the Microsoft 365 platform for intranet, document management, and knowledge portals — and at the same time the central knowledge source for Microsoft 365 Copilot. arades GmbH handles SharePoint setup, migration from file servers, custom web parts on the SharePoint Framework, and day-to-day adoption.
SharePoint at a glance
SharePoint is no longer the heavyweight intranet product of the late 2000s — it's a modern platform for collaboration, document management, and AI-powered knowledge work. Online as part of Microsoft 365, Server as an on-premises variant for special cases.
Cloud variant as part of Microsoft 365 — no own infrastructure, automatic updates, integrated with Teams, OneDrive, Copilot, and the Power Platform. The standard path for almost every mid-market project.
On-premises variant for special cases: regulatory data residency, air-gapped environments, hybrid scenarios. The current version is the Subscription Edition with rolling feature releases — anything older than 2019 shouldn't be in productive use anymore.
Many existing SharePoint environments still run on the classic look. We migrate to modern site architecture — communication sites, hub sites, modern web parts — and bring the platform into a state where Copilot, Lists, and Loop become usable.
Use cases
Four typical SharePoint use cases we've delivered repeatedly over the last 20 years — clearly delineated, without platform sprawl.
Communication sites as the company's home page — news, HR content, onboarding journeys, policies, employee directory. Structured with SharePoint hubs, surfaced via Viva Connections in the Teams client.
Structured libraries with metadata, versioning, co-authoring, sensitivity labels, and automated workflows. Replaces classic file servers and makes content discoverable — mobile and cleanly shared with external guests.
SharePoint lists and libraries as triggers for Power Automate flows: approval workflows, automatic notifications, data hand-off to third-party systems. Often the fastest path from Excel tool to documented business app.
SharePoint is the most important internal knowledge source for Microsoft 365 Copilot. A clean site hierarchy, curated metadata, and sensitivity labels are effectively prerequisites for Copilot to deliver contextual and secure answers.
Licensing models
SharePoint licensing looks complex, but it isn't — in most cases SharePoint Online is already part of a Microsoft 365 plan. Standalone licenses are the exception.
~€5 / user / month
Standard functions: sites, document libraries, lists, OneDrive 1 TB, search, sharing. Useful as a standalone license for users without another Microsoft 365 license.
~€10 / user / month
Plan 1 plus advanced functions: advanced data loss prevention, eDiscovery, in-place hold. Rarely needed if a Microsoft 365 E3/E5 license is already in use.
€0 extra
SharePoint Online is already included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard (~€11), Business Premium (~€23), E3 (~€35), and E5 (~€55) — the most common and most economical path.
~€0.20 / GB / month
Additional SharePoint storage beyond the standard quota (typically 1 TB + 10 GB per licensed user). For large libraries or archives often cheaper than Microsoft archive storage.
Server + CALs (on-premises)
Classic server licensing with a server license and user/device CALs. Only useful with regulatory requirements — for most mid-market companies, no longer economical.
Consumption-based
Storage API for custom apps and ISVs — billed per GB and transaction via an Azure subscription. Leverages Microsoft 365 storage, security, and compliance under your own UI.
Pricing notice: Microsoft adjusts list prices regularly (currency adjustments, NCE updates, plan restructurings). Figures here are indicative values from May 2026. For current prices including arades CSP conditions, see the License Cost Calculator (licenses.arades.de) ↗ daily.
Migration
Most of our SharePoint projects start with an old file server, an overflowing network drive, or a mixture of both. Migration is more than "copying data" — it's the chance to rethink structure and permissions.
Realistic timeline: 6–12 weeks for a mid-market company with 50–300 users and 1–10 TB of legacy data — depending on permission complexity and volume.
SharePoint & Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot is only as good as the content it accesses — and in mid-market companies, SharePoint is the central internal knowledge source. A tidy SharePoint architecture is the prerequisite for usable Copilot answers.
arades services around SharePoint
Six concrete deliverables around SharePoint — as a discovery spike, fixed-price project, or under an application-care contract.
Tenant configuration, site hierarchy, hub sites, naming conventions, sharing policies, external guest logic. The foundation on which all later steps build.
Structured migration from Windows file servers, NAS, and network drives to SharePoint Online and OneDrive — with permission mapping, Known Folder Move, and a defined cutover.
Communication sites, hub architecture, role-based personalization, Viva Connections — as a complete solution or co-implementation with your internal team.
Own SharePoint Framework web parts in TypeScript/React when standard web parts aren't enough. Cleanly documented, release-wave-proof, integrated with Microsoft Graph.
Metadata concept, library templates, sensitivity labels, retention policies, co-authoring setup — structured replacement of "everything lives in the inbox or file server."
End-user training, power-user office hours, cheat sheets — so SharePoint doesn't fall into oblivion after three months while the old file server keeps running quietly.
Frequently asked questions
SharePoint Online is the cloud variant as part of Microsoft 365 — no own infrastructure, automatic updates, integration with Teams, OneDrive, Copilot, and the Power Platform. SharePoint Server (Subscription Edition, 2019, 2016) runs on-premises on your own hardware and needs classic patching, backups, and maintenance. In most mid-market projects, SharePoint Online is the more economical path — server licenses make sense for specific cases such as regulatory data residency.
SharePoint Online Plan 1 is around €5 per user per month, Plan 2 around €10. SharePoint Online is already included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, and all enterprise plans (E3, E5) — most mid-market companies don't need a standalone license if they already use Microsoft 365. SharePoint storage add-ons cost around €0.20 per GB per month beyond the standard quota.
A typical file-server-to-SharePoint migration starts with an analysis of data structure, permission concepts, and usage patterns. Using tools like Microsoft Migration Manager, the SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT), or ShareGate, the data is transferred into a fit-for-purpose SharePoint site and library structure. Path lengths, special characters, permission mapping to Microsoft 365 groups, and Known Folder Move for personal data into OneDrive matter. Realistic timeline: 6–12 weeks depending on data volume.
SharePoint Online is the most important internal knowledge source for Microsoft 365 Copilot. Copilot indexes SharePoint sites, document libraries, and lists along existing permissions and uses this content as a RAG source for contextual answers. Those with a cleanly structured SharePoint (sensitivity labels, clear site hierarchy, metadata) get noticeably better Copilot answers — a tidy SharePoint architecture is effectively a prerequisite for meaningful Copilot use.
Yes — SharePoint is extensible via the SharePoint Framework (SPFx): own web parts, extensions (application customizer, field customizer, command sets), and adaptive card extensions. For simpler scenarios, Power Apps or Power Automate often suffice, working directly with SharePoint lists and libraries. We build SPFx solutions in TypeScript/React when the standard isn't enough — cleanly supportable and release-wave-proof.
SharePoint Embedded is a relatively new platform variant that lets custom applications use the SharePoint storage stack without end users seeing SharePoint sites. Useful for ISVs and custom software that want to leverage Microsoft 365 storage, security, and compliance under their own UI — billed consumption-based per GB and transaction.
Yes — as a Microsoft Licensing Partner and CSP, we provision SharePoint Online licenses as well as all Microsoft 365 plans in which SharePoint is included. You see list price and arades price transparently in the License Cost Calculator and receive a monthly aggregated invoice in euros.
Free Microsoft 365 trial guidance
arades sets up a test tenant for 3 users, trains your key users, runs weekly office hours — and tells you honestly at the end whether Microsoft 365 is the right fit. Free of charge.
SharePoint — initial conversation
30-minute initial conversation — we clarify whether it's about a file-server migration, an intranet build-out, custom web parts, or preparing your SharePoint landscape for Copilot. Concrete recommendation usually within one business day.
Accompanying services
Engineering projects rarely stand alone — license logic, architecture clarification, quality gates, knowledge transfer, and follow-on operations usually run in parallel. The most common accompanying services we book into discovery spikes, sprint fixed-price, or application-care contracts.
Upfront · Architecture
Before implementation: tenant structure, data model, security concept, integration mapping. The result is an architecture document any engineering team can pick up — including one other than us.
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Upfront · CSP
Which license bundles for which users, which add-on SKUs are necessary, where you're over- or under-licensed. Sourced as a Microsoft Licensing Partner — with the option to use CSP as a control without margin maximization.
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During · Quality gate
Independent second opinion during an ongoing implementation project — whether we run it ourselves or another partner does. CMMI-based quality gates, risk reviews, fixed price per gate.
During · Adoption
Not the classic two-day workshop forgotten a week later — but a dynamic learning program over 4–6 weeks with initial training, application phases, and follow-up sessions. Training matrix by role and topic.
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After · Operations
Post-go-live: a predictable application-care contract with a monthly flat rate, SLA-based. Includes releases, hotfixes, extensions, tenant hardening — and continuous accompaniment rather than mere ticket reaction.
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After · Knowledge
When the original developers are gone, the previous partner is no longer reachable, or the documentation is outdated — reverse engineering of the existing solution with a documented result: code map, data model, customization inventory.
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