#Sharepoint Lists

[yonassk]

Mastering File Uploads: A Comprehensive Guide for Efficient Sharing and Collaboration

In the digital era, sharing files has become an integral part of both personal and professional endeavors. Whether you're collaborating on a project, submitting assignments, or simply sharing memories with friends and family, knowing how to upload files efficiently can save time and streamline your workflow. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore various methods and tools for uploading files, along with best practices to ensure smooth sharing and collaboration.

Understanding the Importance of Efficient File Uploads Before diving into the technical aspects of file uploads, it's crucial to understand why mastering this skill is essential. Efficient file uploads facilitate seamless communication, collaboration, and data management. Whether you're working remotely, collaborating with team members globally, or simply sharing files with friends, the ability to upload files quickly and securely can significantly enhance productivity and convenience.

Exploring Different Methods for File Uploads Cloud Storage Platforms: Platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive offer intuitive interfaces and seamless file uploading capabilities. These platforms allow you to upload files of various formats and sizes, organize them into folders, and share them with specific individuals or groups.

Email Attachments: While email attachments remain a popular method for sharing files, they are often limited by file size restrictions. However, many email providers now offer integration with cloud storage services, allowing you to upload files to the cloud and share them via email without worrying about attachment limits.

File Transfer Protocols: For more advanced users, protocols like FTP, SFTP, and SCP provide a secure means of uploading files to a remote server. These protocols are commonly used in web development, server administration, and other technical fields.

Online Collaboration Tools: Platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Trello offer built-in file uploading features, allowing team members to share documents, images, and other files within the context of their workflow. This streamlines collaboration and ensures that everyone has access to the latest version of shared files.

Best Practices for Efficient File Uploads Organize Your Files: Maintain a well-organized folder structure to make it easy to find and manage your files. Use Descriptive Filenames: Choose descriptive filenames that accurately reflect the content of the file, making it easier for others to understand and identify. Check File Size Limits: Be aware of any file size limits imposed by your chosen upload method or platform, and compress files if necessary. Secure Your Uploads: When uploading sensitive or confidential files, ensure that you're using secure protocols and encryption to protect your data from unauthorized access. Conclusion Mastering the art of file uploads is essential for anyone who regularly collaborates, communicates, or shares files online. By understanding the different methods and tools available, as well as following best practices for efficient file management, you can streamline your workflow, enhance productivity, and ensure seamless collaboration with others. Whether you're sharing files for work, school, or personal use, efficient file uploads are the key to success in the digital age.

[tchaikovskym]

Tumblr might be straight shooting itself into death with all the greedy copycat changes, but by far the biggest enemy on the world wide web for me is Microsoft SharePoint

[teawitch]

My Accidental AI Encounter

I see lots of debate on tumblr about using AI to "write" your novel or story. But I want to come at this from a different direction. What happens when I, an avid reader, encounter an AI generated mystery story in the wild.

Now to set my credentials. The current day job is communication technology and I just wrapped a 3 year project migrating SharePoint "on prem" to SPO. Look, if AI could really have helped with that, I would have used it.

I've been an avid mystery reader since my Bobbsey Twins days. I've written mystery and had 3 books out with Mundania Press before they folded. I've also edited mystery novels. So, I have a well-rounded knowledge of the mystery story. (One of the best new discoveries I've read is The Retired Assassins Guide to Country Gardening. It is not AI generated.)

So let's begin with my accidental AI encounter.

YouTube pops up a new Hercule Poirot story on my Recommended list. (Early Christie novels are in the public domain in the US, so using Poirot has some legal standing. But that's not today's debate.) I've read other new Poirot stories but nothings really seemed to capture the essence of Poirot yet. But, hey, this is free and being on YouTube means it will be read to me while I work on SharePoint.

My first thought - oh, this author is using a phrase book for descriptions. The beautiful woman has a "complexion like fine porcelain." The Indian prince a "noble profile." Now these would be appropriate for the time period, to the point of being cliche and yes, have racial undertones. But AI doesn't recognise any of that.

My next thought - hmm, these are short chapters and setting things up quickly. We're in front of the hotel while Poirot watches people arrive. Then we're in a ballroom while Poirot watches people dance. Then there is a scream and a dead body. Then Poirot is investigating a murder. Each of these scenes just skims by in record time. But, perhaps the author just wants to jump into the murder.

My final almost thoughts - nothing here is interconnecting. Every scene is Poirot interviewing a suspect who claims to have been in a specific room the whole time. Poirot says "a servant saw you leave" and every suspect says "yes, I stepped out for a minute." We don't see the interviews with the servants. We don't see the suspects interact with each other. There is no development of backstory or clues or motives. This is really bad. I'm done.

My final thought after giving up because I don't give a damn who killed who - oh, wait, that's AI generated, isn't it. Well, no need to engage with anything from this channel ever again.

The problem here for me is that AI can't really do the work of an author. Let me see if I can explain why. Let's go back to those cliche descriptions at the beginning. An author's job is to take something like"noble profile" and "porcelain complexion" and give the reader

She reminded Poirot of the porcelain figure on his mother's mantelpiece, beautiful but fragile. As he watched, her gaze lingered on the arriving prince just a moment longer than was safe.

Now you've got emotion, drama and foreshadowing.

AI can't do that. It can't understand the emotion behind those words. How evoking a mother sets up the reader's sympathy. How beautiful and fragile creates a different reaction than "coldly beautiful."

And mostly how mention of "safe" foreshadows an action that it needs to write in a future chapter. Because AI doesn't hold a memory from chapter to chapter. Each generation of text is a separate entity. It can't tie them together, give you the background or connecting chapters. It gives you the answer to the prompt in front of it. (It also can't do what an author might do, which is write the future chapter then go back and place the foreshadowing in the early chapter.)

Which was, in the end, what caused me to drop out of the story. There is no story. Just a random selection of words.

A bad writer can improve. But no matter how many books they feed into AI (about 5 of mine to date), it can't create something that hasn't already been written. It can't have a moment of original brilliance.

[lazeecomet]

The Story of KLogs: What happens when an Mechanical Engineer codes

Since i no longer work at Wearhouse Automation Startup (WAS for short) and havnt for many years i feel as though i should recount the tale of the most bonkers program i ever wrote, but we need to establish some background

WAS has its HQ very far away from the big customer site and i worked as a Field Service Engineer (FSE) on site. so i learned early on that if a problem needed to be solved fast, WE had to do it. we never got many updates on what was coming down the pipeline for us or what issues were being worked on. this made us very independent

As such, we got good at reading the robot logs ourselves. it took too much time to send the logs off to HQ for analysis and get back what the problem was. we can read. now GETTING the logs is another thing.

the early robots we cut our teeth on used 2.4 gHz wifi to communicate with FSE's so dumping the logs was as simple as pushing a button in a little application and it would spit out a txt file

later on our robots were upgraded to use a 2.4 mHz xbee radio to communicate with us. which was FUCKING SLOW. and log dumping became a much more tedious process. you had to connect, go to logging mode, and then the robot would vomit all the logs in the past 2 min OR the entirety of its memory bank (only 2 options) into a terminal window. you would then save the terminal window and open it in a text editor to read them. it could take up to 5 min to dump the entire log file and if you didnt dump fast enough, the ACK messages from the control server would fill up the logs and erase the error as the memory overwrote itself.

this missing logs problem was a Big Deal for software who now weren't getting every log from every error so a NEW method of saving logs was devised: the robot would just vomit the log data in real time over a DIFFERENT radio and we would save it to a KQL server. Thanks Daddy Microsoft.

now whats KQL you may be asking. why, its Microsofts very own SQL clone! its Kusto Query Language. never mind that the system uses a SQL database for daily operations. lets use this proprietary Microsoft thing because they are paying us

so yay, problem solved. we now never miss the logs. so how do we read them if they are split up line by line in a database? why with a query of course!

select * from tbLogs where RobotUID = [64CharLongString] and timestamp > [UnixTimeCode]

if this makes no sense to you, CONGRATULATIONS! you found the problem with this setup. Most FSE's were BAD at SQL which meant they didnt read logs anymore. If you do understand what the query is, CONGRATULATIONS! you see why this is Very Stupid.

You could not search by robot name. each robot had some arbitrarily assigned 64 character long string as an identifier and the timestamps were not set to local time. so you had run a lookup query to find the right name and do some time zone math to figure out what part of the logs to read. oh yeah and you had to download KQL to view them. so now we had both SQL and KQL on our computers

NOBODY in the field like this.

But Daddy Microsoft comes to the rescue

see we didnt JUST get KQL with part of that deal. we got the entire Microsoft cloud suite. and some people (like me) had been automating emails and stuff with Power Automate

This is Microsoft Power Automate. its Microsoft's version of Scratch but it has hooks into everything Microsoft. SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, Excel, it can integrate with all of it. i had been using it to send an email once a day with a list of all the robots in maintenance.

this gave me an idea

and i checked

and Power Automate had hooks for KQL

KLogs is actually short for Kusto Logs

I did not know how to program in Power Automate but damn it anything is better then writing KQL queries. so i got to work. and about 2 months later i had a BEHEMOTH of a Power Automate program. it lagged the webpage and many times when i tried to edit something my changes wouldn't take and i would have to click in very specific ways to ensure none of my variables were getting nuked. i dont think this was the intended purpose of Power Automate but this is what it did

the KLogger would watch a list of Teams chats and when someone typed "klogs" or pasted a copy of an ERROR mesage, it would spring into action.

it extracted the robot name from the message and timestamp from teams

it would lookup the name in the database to find the 64 long string UID and the location that robot was assigned too

it would reply to the message in teams saying it found a robot name and was getting logs

it would run a KQL query for the database and get the control system logs then export then into a CSV

it would save the CSV with the a .xls extension into a folder in ShairPoint (it would make a new folder for each day and location if it didnt have one already)

it would send ANOTHER message in teams with a LINK to the file in SharePoint

it would then enter a loop and scour the robot logs looking for the keyword ESTOP to find the error. (it did this because Kusto was SLOWER then the xbee radio and had up to a 10 min delay on syncing)

if it found the error, it would adjust its start and end timestamps to capture it and export the robot logs book-ended from the event by ~ 1 min. if it didnt, it would use the timestamp from when it was triggered +/- 5 min

it saved THOSE logs to SharePoint the same way as before

it would send ANOTHER message in teams with a link to the files

it would then check if the error was 1 of 3 very specific type of error with the camera. if it was it extracted the base64 jpg image saved in KQL as a byte array, do the math to convert it, and save that as a jpg in SharePoint (and link it of course)

and then it would terminate. and if it encountered an error anywhere in all of this, i had logic where it would spit back an error message in Teams as plaintext explaining what step failed and the program would close gracefully

I deployed it without asking anyone at one of the sites that was struggling. i just pointed it at their chat and turned it on. it had a bit of a rocky start (spammed chat) but man did the FSE's LOVE IT.

about 6 months later software deployed their answer to reading the logs: a webpage that acted as a nice GUI to the KQL database. much better then an CSV file

it still needed you to scroll though a big drop-down of robot names and enter a timestamp, but i noticed something. all that did was just change part of the URL and refresh the webpage

SO I MADE KLOGS 2 AND HAD IT GENERATE THE URL FOR YOU AND REPLY TO YOUR MESSAGE WITH IT. (it also still did the control server and jpg stuff). Theres a non-zero chance that klogs was still in use long after i left that job

now i dont recommend anyone use power automate like this. its clunky and weird. i had to make a variable called "Carrage Return" which was a blank text box that i pressed enter one time in because it was incapable of understanding /n or generating a new line in any capacity OTHER then this (thanks support forum).

im also sure this probably is giving the actual programmer people anxiety. imagine working at a company and then some rando you've never seen but only heard about as "the FSE whos really good at root causing stuff", in a department that does not do any coding, managed to, in their spare time, build and release and entire workflow piggybacking on your work without any oversight, code review, or permission.....and everyone liked it

[such-justice-wow]

Any time i have to use Microsoft products I have a flashback to the episode of Community with the VR file system

This is me trying to set up Sharepoint and having to click 20 things to add a to do list

[annerly-san]

Love and Deep Deadlines | A LaDS Corporate AU - Chapter 2

Summary:

Amidst the cut throat culture of Onyxion Enterprises where cutting-edge innovation is overshadowed by corporate chaos, no one talks about how hard it is to be an intern.

Alongside Caleb, the sales department smooth-talker; Zayne, the cold and unflappable CTO; Xavier, a director who might as well be an intern himself; and Rafayel, the overly dramatic Creative Director who brings his own flair to every meltdown, our intern is just trying to survive the workday. Oh, and don’t forget Onyxion’s very own CEO, Sylus, a walking HR violation who gets off on terrorizing his employees.

In this company, will love bloom before the deadlines run deep, or will the company go under first?

Chapter Navigation: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ?

Alternative AO3 link:

I settled into my desk, making the rounds to introduce myself to my peers.

The warm welcomes helped to calm my nerves as I was just asked to settle down for now and watch some training videos on the overarching strategy within our marketing department.

It was truly corporate when there were hundreds of acronyms thrown at you left and right with the expectations that you already knew them.

I let out a sigh of relief, seeing that there was a pdf of the list buried in the Sharepoint file manager under “New Employee Resources”.  We love a self-aware corporation.

The twenty page long document was intense, and my monitor and docking station had not yet arrived.  The task of watching the training videos whilst taking notes and trying to find the acronyms required the usage of multiple screens.  My small laptop screen wouldn’t cut it.

At least the documentation for most things was there for a new employee.  The printer had step-by-step instructions on how to set up the network printer and get your print from the queue with your protocore identification band.  It should work with any printer in the building.

I sent the acronym list to the printer; a printer should be around here somewhere.

I stood up and wandered through the rows of cubicles, searching for the nearest one.

The rows of cubicles stretched out like a field, divided on occasion by a floor-to-ceiling divider to separate specialized teams, and I wandered through the rows peering occasionally around to see if there was a hidden printer somewhere.

After wandering for a good while, it all looked the same to me.

I was lost.

Were all office buildings like this?  Everything looked the exact same, how would you know where to go?

I’m sure that Caleb had the same problem and probably painted his cubicle with extravagant stripes of orange and blue and filled his space with model planes and apples to find his spot better, but I wasn’t employed in any permanent position to be decorating my own cubicle like that.

I turned the corner, finding a printer was no longer the priority as there was a rising panic that I’ve lost my way back to my team’s room.

My dread was interrupted by a loud banging in one of the corridors.  Curious, I traced the source.  Tucked against a partition, was my original objective for leaving my desk - a printer!

But along with finding my goal, I stumbled on the interesting sight of a man with short blonde hair fiddling with the control panel, occasionally hitting it with his hand in frustration and giving it a kick for good measure.  His aggravated assaults on the poor machine were the source of the banging sounds that I heard earlier.

“Why are you not working?” he groaned into his hand.

Did he not know how to use the printer?  Maybe he is an intern like me?  I’m sure that if I didn’t find the printer guide earlier, I would have been doing this exact same thing.  The thought of finding another co-worker in a similar position gave me the confidence to interrupt his frustrations.  “Is the printer not working?” I asked, approaching him with a friendly smile.

He turned to face me, blue eyes locking with mine as I saw  the annoyance behind them, but he was professional enough to not let it be directed at me.  “I don’t know how to work this stupid thing,” he muttered, hitting the printer again.  “Ah, sorry.”  He rubbed his head abashedly.

I jumped at the sound, but quickly got over it.  “That’s ok!” I said with some optimism in my voice.  “Can I try?”

Interns should help one another out.  I gave him my name as an introduction, extending my hand to shake his.  “I’m new here!  I’ve just started as an intern!”  He locked eyes with me and gave me a friendly smile, nodding at my words and grabbing my hand with a firm shake.  I beamed at the prospect of a new friendship.  “I read the printer guide, do you think I can try and see if I can help you out?”

 “Please do.  Go ahead.  My name’s Xavier, by the way.”

A sense of happiness coursed through me as I thought that I could make friends with a fellow intern this way.  We could help each other out.  If we’re on the same floor, he would be in marketing as well.

I tapped my wrist on the flat panel scanner, the printer humming and blinking green as it authenticated me.  My documents populated in the queue and I made sure that the right one was selected before entering in final specifications and hitting print.

My acronyms worksheet came out on warm paper, double-sided and stapled neatly in the corner.

“Hey!  I got it to work!”

Xavier looked stunned as he went back and forth staring between the stack of papers in my hand and the printer.  “...That’s amazing…!”  He looked at me dead in the eyes.  “You’re telling me you did that without black magic?  Or several tickets with the IT desk?  Hours on the line with them into the dead of night?  Are you sure you’re just an intern?”

I laughed and gestured to his hand for his protocore id band.  “What are you printing?  Want me to help you?”

Xavier let a small smile crawl up onto his lips as he nodded.  “Yes, please!”

He watched eagerly as I showed him how to use his protocore band to authenticate with the server and pull his documents off of the cloud.

I couldn’t suppress the laughter bubbling in me as he was so thrilled that the printer could also staple and hole punch the sheets.

He finally held up his stack of documents in awe.  He called my name.  “You’re amazing!  Thank you!”

“It’s no big deal!  I’m happy to help a fellow intern out!”

“Hm?  Intern?”  He looked confused at my words, but I was too excited to focus on that part and the words came out of my mouth before I could stop it.

“Let’s be friends!  I’m new, so I haven’t met anyone yet, but I was happy to run into you here, Xavier!”  There was a slight flush on his face, and I felt that perhaps this wasn’t how you made friends in the corporate world.  “O-oh, unless you don’t want to, or you work somewhere else-.  I didn’t mean-”

“N-no, we could be friends!”  Xavier placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.  “I…I would like that.”

I couldn’t resist the smile on my face from the excitement of my first work friend.

But I was probably gone from my desk for long enough, and now that I had my prints, I should really head back.  The issue was that I just didn’t know where to go.  Perhaps Xavier did.  “By chance do you know where the product marketing group sits?  I got lost trying to find the printer,” I admitted, rubbing my head in embarrassment.  “It kinda looks all the same here, huh?”

“Oh, product marketing?  Yea, they sit over in group D3, do you want me to walk you there?”

“That would be great!  Only if you don’t mind!”

Xavier smiled at me.  “Not at all.  Let’s go.”

I trailed happily behind him with a skip in my step.

“We’re here.  Is this your desk?”  He pointed at the desk right by the door.

“Yep!  I sit here!  Hey, if you ever need me or just want to hang out just let me-”

“Huh?  Director Xavier?”  My words were cut off by Tara’s surprise.  “What brings you here?”

My brain short-circuited. Director Xavier?

“Oh I was just showing her the way back to her desk,” Xavier pointed at me.  The smile dropped from my face and cold chills ran down my spine.  He wasn’t an intern?  He was a higher up?  I was just prancing around the cubicles with him a minute ago.  We high fived each other and made a work bestie vow.  But he was one of the bosses?

The world was collapsing before my very eyes.  My 20-page printout of the acronyms nearly fell out of my hands.

“Oh so you’ve met our new intern already!” Tara clasped her hands together happily.  “We were going to introduce you later during the all-hands, but this works better!”  Tara turned to me, pulling me by the shoulder to turn and look at Xavier.  “As you know, we all report to Jenna, and Jenna reports to Director Xavier.  He oversees product marketing, so we’re one of the few groups that he manages.  You could say that he’s one of the bosses that we do a lot of work for.”

It took all my willpower to not let my jaw drop to the floor.

He was a director and I called him a fucking intern.  I asked if we could be buddies.  What kind of intern has the audacity to ask the director to be besties with her?

This might be my first and last day on the job.

“I-It was really nice to meet you, D-director Xavier-” my voice trailed off and I struggled to maintain eye contact with him after the embarrassment of calling him an intern earlier.

Xavier was much more composed than I was.  It was no wonder he was a director.  He gave me a kind smile, reaching out his hand to me.  I took it and watched it flop awkwardly as he shook it.  Tara looked at me with concern.

At this point, it doesn’t matter anymore.

“It was really great meeting you too.  If I have printer problems again or if you also want to hang out, I’ll be sure to drop by now that I know where you sit,” he stated before clutching the bundle of papers he printed close to his chest.  “Thanks for your help again.  I’ll see you around.”

My cheeks flushed red as I watched him leave - my eyes were burning holes into the cubicle walls.

Tara patted me on the back.  “Well look at you!  We were going to set up intros next week, but you’re such a go-getter!  Nice work!”

I felt my soul leave my body.

I wanted to go home.

I wallowed in my despair in the corner of my desk. My monitor and docking station were set up in a daze as I stared blankly at my screen, training content passing in one ear and right out the other.

What kind of employee calls their director an intern, asks to be friends, and hang out with each other?  And on their first day?

I buried my head in my hands as the memory of our interaction resurfaced in my head.

A loud ping from my laptop woke me from my trance.

[Caleb]: hows ur first day so far?  u hungry?

[Caleb]: wanna get lunch w me?

The messages from Caleb reminded me of the time.  At least I could catch a break after all of this.  I messaged Caleb back.

[Me]: bruh im gonna die ;(

[Me]: leggo to lunch pls.. where food at

I waited a few seconds, seeing Caleb’s chat icon pop up to indicate that he was typing.

[Caleb]: hold tight pipsqueak

[Caleb]: im on my way to get u ;)

[Me]: pls rescue soon ;(

I rolled back in my seat. The tapping of my fingers against the desk didn’t do much to calm my nerves. My mind was still spinning from the morning’s catastrophe with Xavier. I slumped further into my chair, practically melting into my seat. Lunch couldn’t come fast enough.

A series of soft taps outside the team room caught my attention, and then I heard Caleb’s voice. “Hey hey! How’s my second favorite team in Onyxion?”

Heads turned immediately—Caleb had that effect on people. He exudes effortless cool, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder and his collared shirt had a few buttons open with his tie hanging loose, a casual, almost lazy smile on his face.  He definitely wasn’t the type of person to mistakenly call their director an intern on his first day of work.

“Caleb!” “Oh, hey, Caleb!” “What’s up, dude?”

The chorus of greetings followed, with a few of them getting up from their desks to greet him like some kind of office VIP.

“Came to drop by?” someone asked, clearly curious why he was here.

Caleb grinned, glancing around the room. “Actually, I’m here to grab lunch with a special someone~!”  A few people paused mid-greeting, confused.  “My sister~!”

“Sister?” one of them asked, eyes darting around the room. “Who?”

Caleb looked around the cubicle openings before landing on mine with a wide grin.  He nodded in my direction, grin never leaving his face. “Right there!  That’s my Pipsqueak!”

All eyes snapped to me. I froze, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze.  Had I not had the most mortifying experience of my life with Xavier, I would have been embarrassed by Caleb’s declaration of his nickname for me in front of all my peers.

“You guys didn’t know? She’s my baby sister,” Caleb clarified with a wink, clearly enjoying the reveal a little too much.

Tara blinked, processing the information before offering a warm laugh. “Well, that explains the VIP treatment!  It’s super hard to get Caleb out to lunch!  Why didn’t you say anything?”

I tried to smile and shrug, despite my burning cheeks.  Caleb chuckled and nudged me playfully. “Ready to go?”

I nodded quickly, eager to escape.

Once we hit the elevator, I let out a breath. “You couldn’t resist, could you?”  I punched him in the arm for ousting me as his sibling in front of all my coworkers.

Caleb grinned, completely unapologetic. “What? It’s more fun that way. Besides, now they know who’s watching out for you.”

I punched his arm, though there was no real force behind it. “You’re such a show-off.”

“Always,” he said, laughing as the elevator doors closed behind us.

We exited the elevator and made our way to the cafeteria. It was bustling with employees, the sound of chatter and clinking dishes filling the air. Caleb, of course, navigated through the crowd effortlessly, giving nods and smiles to people as we passed. It was like watching a politician on a campaign trail—everyone knew him, and more importantly, everyone liked him.

“Why do I feel like I’m walking next to a celebrity?” I muttered as we got in line for food.

Caleb smirked. “Because I am one.  Consider yourself lucky, pipsqueak.  You get to dine in the presence of an office celeb!”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “Of course you are.”

We grabbed our trays, and Caleb, true to form, picked up more food than anyone could possibly eat in one sitting. “You’re going to regret not grabbing a second sandwich,” he teased, nudging me with his elbow as we made our way to a table.

Just as we sat down, I spotted Xavier entering the cafeteria. I sank lower into my seat, hoping he wouldn’t see me. The embarrassment of earlier was still fresh in my mind.

“You okay?” Caleb asked, noticing my sudden change in posture.

I waved him off. “Yeah, just... avoiding someone.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow, leaning in with a grin. “Who? Someone I need to beat up for you?”

I snorted. “No, it’s just... Xavier.  Director Xavier…”

“The director?” Caleb’s eyes widened with mock surprise. “What did you do, pipsqueak? Spill it.”

I sighed. “I may or may not have called him an intern… and then asked him to be my friend… and to hang out with me…”

Caleb burst out laughing, causing a few heads to turn. “You... you called Xavier an intern?” he wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. “Oh, that’s priceless!  OH MY GOD, AHAHAHAHA!!!”

“Caleb, shhh!” I hissed, glancing around to make sure Xavier wasn’t within earshot. “I didn’t know he was the director!  My boss reports to him!  He’s like my big boss!!”

Caleb was still chuckling, clearly enjoying my misfortune far too much. “Well, at least you made an impression.”

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “He’s going to think I’m a complete idiot.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Caleb said, taking a big bite of his sandwich. “He’s a good guy. He won’t hold it against you. And besides, if he does, just let me know. I think I can take him in a fight.”

I shot him a look. “Don’t you dare.” Memories of Caleb getting into full-blown brawls all throughout school popped into my mind. He had a knack for turning a mild disagreement into a fistfight, and no one was ever quite sure what triggered him. A lot of people learned to steer clear of him after that, especially when they saw how quickly he could go from bright and happy to throwing punches in unbridled rage.

“Caleb...” I warned, but he just shrugged with that lazy grin.

“What? I’ve mellowed out. Mostly.” He winked.  “I wouldn’t punch a fellow co-worker unless they really deserved it ok?  And I’ll happily skip a paycheck to punch someone that made you mad at work.”

As Caleb and I sat there, still bantering back and forth, I saw Xavier heading our way with a tray of food. I froze for a second, but Caleb didn’t miss a beat.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Director Xavier!” Caleb called out, loud enough for nearby tables to turn and look.  “You got a dining buddy yet?  We got a seat open!”

Xavier raised an eyebrow but smiled as he approached. “I know that you get to know people fast, Caleb, but how do you know the new intern already?  I just met her today.”

Caleb chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “What can I say? You gotta network when you’re in sales.” He winked in my direction.

Xavier smiled at me as he sat down, setting his tray on the table. “Well, you’re a lucky intern. Caleb is a hard guy to get lunch with.  He told me the other day that I had to book a few weeks in advance.”

I had a feeling that it was sarcasm on Caleb’s end, but Xavier took it seriously.  I bit my lip to maintain a straight face.

Caleb grinned, not missing a beat.  “What can I say? I’m in high demand.” He took a sip of his drink, then leaned forward with a smirk. “But I can always make an exception for my sister.”

Xavier raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Sister? I didn’t know you had family.”

“Not by blood,” Caleb clarified, casting a glance at me. “But close enough. Grew up together, so she’s practically my pipsqueak now.”

I smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit exposed.  I let out an awkward chuckle.

Xavier gave me a kind smile and glanced at us. “You know, I’ve worked with Caleb on a few projects before, and I can tell you—if he’s got your back, you’re in good hands.” His tone had sincerity behind it.

“See?” Caleb chimed in, pointing a thumb at Xavier. “Even he gets it.”

My initial discomfort with Xavier’s presence at the table quickly dissipated as the conversation flowed between the three of us smoothly.  He had a very laid-back personality that was very approachable once you got to know him.  Had I not been in a line of direct reports to him, I’m sure we would have been good work friends already.

The lighthearted banter continued for a moment until Xavier’s smile faded, and he turned to Caleb. His voice dropped in volume as he didn’t want others to overhear.  “Have you heard about what happened in the finance department? Sylus wasn’t happy.”

Caleb’s expression darkened slightly. “Yeah, I heard.  He’s pissed.  Which isn’t good.”

Xavier nodded, his usual easygoing demeanor slipping as he glanced around the cafeteria, lowering his voice. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this means restructuring.  With what happened in that department, I’m not sure if there’s going to be something worse.”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, the playful mood from earlier now replaced with a sense of unease.

“You really think it’ll be that bad?” Caleb whispered to him, voice barely audible as he tried to keep the conversation discreet.

Xavier sighed. “The repercussions are company-wide.  You know how Sylus is.  He’ll trim the fat and parts of the actual cut.  He’s find with those losses as long as he can made a point.”

“I-Is something happening in the company?”  Xavier and Caleb looked over at me in surprise, not realizing that I was able to sense that something was awry and was a cause for concern.  Caleb’s gaze softened, noticing the worry growing on my face, and he gave me a reassuring smile. “We’ll be fine, Pipsqueak. Don’t worry, this is more of the director and above level stuff.  You got nothing to worry about.”

Xavier nodded, though his expression remained serious. “Caleb’s right.  This kind of thing doesn’t affect you or your role.”

The lunch wrapped up shortly after, but the unspoken tension of what Caleb and Xavier spoke of hung heavy in the air.

As we wrapped up lunch, Caleb nudged me playfully. “Back to work, Pipsqueak. Don’t want to keep your fancy new team waiting.” He shot a glance at Xavier. “And don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Xavier chuckled, standing up with his tray. “I have no doubt about that. Good luck with the rest of your day, and don’t be afraid to swing by if you need anything.” He gave me a reassuring nod before heading off, leaving Caleb and me alone at the table.

As we walked back toward the elevators, I couldn’t shake the weight of the conversation between Caleb and Xavier.

Once we reached the elevator, Caleb pressed the button and leaned against the wall, studying my expression. “You okay?”

I took a deep breath, “Sylus…is the CEO, right?  Why’s he upset?  What happened with the finance department?”

Caleb ruffled my hair like he used to when we were kids. “Hey, hey, I told you that it’s just the big boss stuff.  You know CEOs and the boss people, finance guys always make them mad.  The usual stuff.  It’s really nothing that an intern needs to worry about.”  He locked eyes with me, and I knew he was hiding something.  But the smile on his face betrayed the slightest bit of tension that I was able to tell from years of growing up with him.  Yet I knew not to press him further on it.  He was more stubborn than me when it came to these things.

I swatted his hand away with a laugh. “Ok, ok.  Anyways, thanks, Caleb.”

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside, glancing back at him. “See you later?”

“Of course. Don’t get too comfortable. I’m picking you up at the end of the day,” Caleb replied with a wink.

The doors slid shut, leaving me alone in the quiet elevator. As the floor numbers ticked by, I recalled my first day so far.  How eventful.

As I settled back into my desk, a soft ping from my laptop caught my attention. An email notification from the company’s internal communications system appeared in the corner of my screen: Onyxion Announces New Acquisition of EverTech Biomedical Solutions .

Curiosity piqued, I clicked on the link, which led to a sleek press release page with an embedded video at the top. There he was—Sylus. He stood tall and confident, answering questions from a group of reporters with ease, every word meticulously measured yet effortlessly charismatic.

I leaned in, watching as Sylus spoke about the strategic acquisition, how EverTech would integrate seamlessly into Onyxion’s existing infrastructure, boosting their innovation pipeline and expanding their product portfolio. His tone was smooth and authoritative, but it was more than that. He had a way of speaking that made everything seem possible, like every challenge was just another stepping stone.. The way he fielded tough questions with calm precision was impressive, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration. This was the kind of CEO that made waves in the industry—someone who commanded respect and attention without even trying.

Whatever the finance department did to make him upset, must have messed up majorly.  The conversation that worried me before disappeared from my mind completely as I continued to watch Sylus on my screen.

Watching him, it was hard not to feel a mix of awe and... maybe a little envy. He seemed to have everything figured out—the vision, the confidence, the power to turn ideas into reality. Everything I wasn’t sure I had. The kind of person who could get things done, while I still felt stuck, unsure of how to make my own ideas matter.

He’s the kind of person I’ve always wanted to be.

I shifted in my chair, a flicker of self-doubt creeping in. Sure, I had ideas. Sometimes I’d think about what I could do if I had the chance, if I had the kind of authority someone like Sylus did. But that was just it—I didn’t have any of those things. I was just an intern, watching from the sidelines, wondering if I’d ever be capable of contributing on that level.

Still, as the video played on, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about Onyxion—about Sylus—that resonated with me. He wasn’t just another CEO. He was shaping the future, and part of me, deep down, wanted to be part of that. Even if I wasn’t sure how, or if I was good enough.

The video ended, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. There was something undeniably magnetic about Sylus, and I couldn’t help but feel a spark of admiration. Not that I’d ever have the chance to interact with him directly. People like him existed in a different world, one I wasn’t sure I could ever step into.

Another chime from my laptop reminded me to get back to work. I sighed, turning back to my training videos, but my mind was still lingering on the thought of what it would be like to be part of something bigger. He has the kind of vision I want to support... if I could even figure out how.

[amunyan]

Today is the day... FemReader has to present her work in front of her department and her boss... what could go wrong? (Maybe everthing an she should have read the notification yesterday more carefully...)

"So much from my side. And now I would like to hand over to my colleague. She can tell you more about the exact course of events in the second semester. (Y/N),  please." Marx gives you the floor and you continue your presentation to your department and your boss. There are only a hand full of people in the small meeting room, sitting at a few desks arranged to form a large table. In the middle is a beamer, projecting your PowerPoint presentation onto a white wall at the front of the room. 

You are proud and relieved that you have done everything so well in such a short amount of time. You and Marx made a good team. When you finally finish, you both get your well-deserved applause, Dorothy winks meaningfully at you and seems almost more relieved than you both are.

But not everyone seems to be satisfied. A new colleague, who has only been with you for a few weeks, raises his hand. "But that's not all the numbers, is it?"

"What? No, of course not. Only the Highlights of events," you say quickly, and Marx adds that you've only taken an extract from the tables. "But if you're interested, we can just throw the whole spreadsheet up on the wall. Hold on..." Marx, who has sat down at the desk next to the screen after his contribution, searches for the relevant file on the sharepoint and opens it for everyone to see.

But something is wrong.

"What is that?!!!" Kira-Clover lets out a shrill scream. Dorothy looks at you in surprise and mumbles something about having guessed it. But you have already noticed what is now clearly visible to everyone on the white wall. You feel hot and cold and wonder why the hell your half-completed bucket list is flickering on the wall. But then you remember.

"No?!? I haven't seriously overwritten all the work I've done in the last few weeks with my unhappy bucket list?" you ask yourself in disbelief.  "That strange Pop-up yesterday... Damn it! I should have read it properly...", you remember, boiling hot. "Damn it! Now I've really screwed up..."

Biting your lower lip, you begin to tremble and feel tears welling up in your eyes. That goddamn list! All the things you wanted to do to have a perfect Christmas. But pretty much everything on that wicked list had turned into a negative version of it.

Marx looks at you in disbelief, you look at him in despair and shake your head, while your boss throws a tantrum in the background.

Just as Dorothy is about to save you by simply unplugging the beamer, Marx closes the file.

Then he pulls a USB stick out of his business bag. "You're lucky I always make independent copies on my stick for cases like this..."

A few moments later, the correct and complete file is on the wall and your colleague pulls you over to the chair where he was sitting. "Sit down - I'll take it from here."

As confident as ever, Marx answers the newcomer's question and a few others. But he also knows the answer to the boss's question as to what the hell that was all about.

"Just a little reminder of what you should have experienced before Christmas. That's all, just a little relaxation. Don't take it too seriously if you don't like it."

"But these are private documents on our SharePoint! That's not acceptable. The woman is attracting negative attention again. I can't let her get away with it."

"(Y/N) has a lot of personal problems at the moment. She lost her flat due to structural problems and is now living on a friend's couch.  As a close colleague and friend, I know about her problems. If you were a responsible boss, you would have understood and taken her off the extra work. If you were an even better boss," Marx's face darkens within seconds, "you would have done your own damn work, or not sent your Secretaries, who have screwed up the whole work in first place, on holiday. Or not approved their time off at all. You would have kept an eye on their work. And most of all, you wouldn't have let bystanders take the rap for a year's worth of crap for two weeks. Since Julius hasn't been here due to illness, the department has gone down the drain".

You hurry after him.

A murmur goes through the rows of colleagues. But most of them have to agree with Marx. After all, they hadn't known the usually quiet chief secretary could get this angry. Even the current boss, Mr Kira - Clover - looks at him with an open mouth. He really can't think of anything to say in his defence.

"I don't want to be part of that atmosphere anymore. The team is great, but the boss is rubbish. And since Julius won't be back for a while, I've asked for a transfer". The colleague rummages in his bag once more, slips an envelope into the boss's hand and leaves the meeting room, wishing everyone else a Merry Christmas.

"Marx, wait! Thanks for saving me. Even though it was really cool how you handed in your notice, I still can't believe it. Are you really leaving?"

He nods: "Thank you for the flowers, but I would have preferred not to. Both..."

You purse your lips in dismay and nod guiltily. But then your colleague pats you on the shoulder. "But I had to do it. I mean the dismissal. The last few weeks have been too much for me. And for you too, as I can see. Thank you for all the hours we have spent together in the office. But now take care of your private problems and get your love life back on track, yeah?"

After a slightly confused look, you smile at him. "Yes," you say loudly.

[bellshazes]

people think i hung the moon for putting a simple sharepoint page together and i really don't know how to explain graphically to them that compared to a) sp to power query m excel bullshit with linked list tables across multiple sites and b) the time i had to construct an entire training plan out of a 300+ page bid by manually scrubbing it and then compiling that into three different training plans and accompanying database infastructure for monitoring and compliance (all built by me, the secretary) this is kid stuff. this is nothing. why does [redacted] at the same org run like a fucking scrappy nonprof when i'm doing this for our [REDACTED WITH PREJUDICE] now.

[possumsinpeoplesuits]

Job Listing: Are you experienced with SharePoint?

Me with like three tabs open to figure out what that is: Ye

[blornbo-man]

Why does my manager randomly decide to assign a bunch of tasks all over some random cells an unrelated spreadsheet like??? Sorry we already had the tasks assigned through the tags on SharePoint, the tasks assigned in emails, the tasks assigned on calls and on teams chat and verbally do we really need yet another category and like 40 minutes later when I've forgotten all of this because my coworker The Struggler is like "Hi 🙂🙂🙂 do you know why all the data is hidden I clicked some stuff now it's gone thank you 🙂🙂🙂" I'll have absolutely no recall of the dark, winding path that leads to this stream of consciousness task list you've added CAN ALL OF YOU JUST PLEASE GO TO YOUTUBE AND TYPE IN THE SEARCH FUNCTION "HOW TO FUCKING USE COMPUTER" PLEASE AND THANK YOU

[whentherewerebicycles]

goooood morning! it’s a WFH friday everybody cheer!!!! I have one meeting with a former student from 11-12 to work on grad applications but the rest of the day is project work which will be very fun. I am planning to do a long brainstorming + synthesizing + AY23-24 goal-setting session this weekend (maybe tomorrow?) so I think I can keep focused on discrete projects today. that way I will have some nice concrete ~deliverables~ to show for the week.

here’s what I’d like to do:

FINISH STUDENT LEADERS PROPOSAL. write opening context paragraph. make list of concrete asks for summer/fall at the end with short explanations. draft questions for the working group to discuss next week. move doc into sharepoint (my beloathèd). attach new link to meeting agenda.

FINISH DIGITAL STRATEGY PROPOSAL. I made a long list detailing the limitations of our current strategy earlier this week bc I was so exasperated about it lol but I think that’s way too negative and I don’t want to hurt feelings or bulldoze!! SO I'd like to rewrite the list in the language of opportunities (ie look at all these exciting areas for growth!). I want to limit this proposal to 2 pages and while I can tinker with the order/framing of content I’d like to convey the following: specific aspects of current strategy we need to change (bc not achieving desired results), a new purpose statement, a list of short-term concrete asks (redesign of launch page and search results page, pruning of entries, streamlining of submission process, proposed delegation of new work, etc), and a skeleton sketch of our fall promotion strategy.

ONBOARDING PREP. add a few items to the running list of potential projects for the new hire... maybe fill in some of that onboarding plan if i need a sort of mindless task to work on...

this is a big chunk of work and I’d be satisfied if I got through all that today in addition to this student meeting. however if I am on a roll (or if I get frustrated with the above projects and need to take a break) I can also think about winter course planning (look at sample syllabi, think about learning outcomes, brainstorm possible assignments).

rough timing of the day:

8-10:30 worked on onboarding stuff and work emails

10:30-11 comments on AU's draft

11-12 AU mtg

12-1:30 pick your poison... whichever proposal you feel least like procrastinating on. prob student leaders?

1:30-2:15ish make lunch & do a burst of pod editing

2:15-3:30 work on the other proposal

pod editing

[iverveinc]

What is the Best Microsoft Development Tool for Your Project?

Introduction

It is crucial to choose the right development tools for any project. It can be overwhelming to figure out which tools are most suitable for your project based on the vast array of options available. We will provide you with insight and criteria in this blog post to help you make informed decisions and select the best Microsoft development tools for your projects.

1) An overview of Microsoft's development tools

Several tools are industry favourites when it comes to Microsoft development. Listed below are a few popular Microsoft development tools:

A. Microsoft Visual Studio

It provides comprehensive tools, debugging capabilities, and integration with a variety of languages and frameworks, making it the leading integrated development environment (IDE) for Windows platform development.

B. Visual Studio Code

It's particularly well-suited to web development because it's lightweight and versatile. Customization options are extensive, extensions are numerous, and debugging capabilities are powerful.

C. Windows Forms

Windows Forms is a powerful framework for building applications with graphical user interfaces (GUI). In addition to providing a rich set of design options and controls, it simplifies the creation of desktop applications.

D. ASP.NET

Building dynamic and scalable web applications is easy with ASP.NET. A variety of development models are available, including Web Forms and MVC (Model-View-Controller), and it integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools. For more information on why choose .Net framework for your next project, please refer to our detailed article.

E. Microsoft SharePoint

Designed to facilitate collaboration, document management, and content publishing, SharePoint facilitates enterprise development. A wide variety of tools and services are available for building intranets, websites, and business solutions with it.

F. Azure

In addition to infrastructure as a service (IaaS), Microsoft Azure also offers platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) services. An application development, deployment, and management environment that is scalable and flexible.

Help Using Microsoft Tools with Expertise

Would you like expert assistance in maximizing the potential of Microsoft tools for your development project? For more information, please visit our comprehensive development services page.

2) When choosing development tools, consider the following factors

You should consider the following factors when selecting Microsoft development tools:

A) Purpose and Technology Stack

Understand your project's purpose and the technology stack needed. Different tools are optimized for different purposes, such as web development, desktop applications, and cloud computing.

B) Ease of Use and Learnability

Make sure the tools are easy to use and easy to learn. Your development team's familiarity and learning curve with the tools should be considered. An intuitive interface and extensive documentation can significantly improve productivity.

C) Desired Features and Performance Goals

Determine what features and performance goals your project requires. Make sure your selected tools provide the necessary functionality and are capable of meeting your project's scalability and performance needs.

D) Specialized Tools and Services

Microsoft offers specialized tools and services tailored to specific requirements. Office 365 development services provide integration with the productivity suite, while Power BI and Power Apps development services enable low-code and advanced data analytics.

E) Security and Regular Updates

Protect against vulnerabilities by prioritizing tools that emphasize security and offer regular updates.

F) Cost-Effectiveness

Take into account the cost-effectiveness of the tools based on the needs and budget of your project. Each tool should be evaluated based on its licensing model, support options, and long-term expenses.

3) Considerations and additional Microsoft development tools

As well as the core development tools, Microsoft Office 365 is also worth mentioning. Microsoft Office 365 offers a range of productivity and collaboration tools, including Word, Excel, Teams, and SharePoint, that seamlessly integrate with development workflows.

Considering the use of development tools requires consideration of costs and prioritizing regular updates. The use of the latest tools ensures data protection, improves overall performance, and mitigates the risk of security breaches.

Using Microsoft development tools like Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Windows Forms, ASP.NET, SharePoint Development, and Azure, you have access to a comprehensive ecosystem that supports various development requirements. Power BI development services , Power Apps development services , and Office 365 development services can help you improve your development process and deliver high-quality solutions.

In addition to improving productivity, choosing the right tools can ensure streamlined development and the development of robust, scalable, and efficient solutions. Choosing the right Microsoft development tool for your project requires evaluating your project needs, exploring the available tools, and making an informed choice.

Office 365 Development Services

Get the most out of Microsoft's productivity suite with our Office 365 development services. You can find more information on our website.

4) Conclusion

You can significantly impact the success of your project by choosing the right Microsoft development tools.The factors such as purpose, ease of use, desired features, security, and cost-effectiveness can help you make an informed decision and choose the tools that are most appropriate for your project.

In addition to handling web development and MVP development projects, i-Verve has extensive experience with multiple technology stacks.

[ailelie]

I'll have to consider a Google break-up. But this reminds me how I did just go through separation with Microsoft 365.

My very first step was listing out all the places where I use Microsoft and thinking through what my requirements were for replacing them. OneDrive, for the longest time, was my sticking point. This program has saved me twice now when I've had computer issues. I needed something that would keep copies of my files in the cloud, connect with multiple folders, sync instantly, and connect with my phone. I also wanted to pay no more than I was already paying for Microsoft 365. Finally, it had to be easy to use.

For the Office Suite, I just needed something that could open and edit my Microsoft files and have similar features. I rarely use Word/Excel/etc outside of work, though that may change if I do breakup with Google (I use Google Sheets for myriad things).

OneDrive

To replace the online drive and sync, I've switched to pCloud. It isn't free, though. It costs $50-60/year for 500GB (and about a $100 for 2T).

Steps for switching:

Make sure you have downloaded everything from OneDrive to your computer. Most of your files actually live in the cloud and you'll lose access to them when you uninstall OneDrive (note: they'll still be online).

Move all of your files into your User directory or somewhere else on your computer that isn't your OneDrive folder. (Learn from my mistakes...)

Uninstall OneDrive.

Go through your files and delete all of your OneDrive folders.

Download and install pCloud and follow their directions.

(Note: pCloud does have a OneDrive import feature, but I did not use that and I do not know how well it supports uninstalling OneDrive afterward.)

I also have pCloud on my phone now. I don't know if I just have rosy glasses on, but it feels nicer than the OneDrive app.

(Note: I do not rec NextCloud. I tried it and was met with nothing but pure frustration. Plus, for basic sync, I learned I had to download another program/extension, but then it was super unclear on how to install that extra bit and etc etc etc.)

ETA: OneDrive will still exist in some pretty critical default filepaths (e.g., your desktop folder). I followed this to fix it in my registry.

Office Suite

I've downloaded LibreOffice (free!)for this. If your Calc is an utter glacier when you open it, look up how to check the "Force Skia software rendering" box. That fixed the issue for me.

If you prefer ribbons over menus, there is a view option for that, too.

I am also currently trialing Typora, which costs $15 and is beautiful. It is a Markdown editor in which your Markdown is instantly rendered.

Other Microsoft Apps

I don't tend to use other Microsoft apps much outside of work. If I used a desktop email client, I'd probably go back to Thunderbird, which I used back in college.

As for OneNote, I'm not sure. Obsidian, which I use for my worldbook for my current story, is fantastic, but I've not tried to have different projects on it at once.

For teams, there's Slack and Discord. For the Sharepoint side of teams, maybe Box, Basecamp, or Confluence? I've not really looked into this because I don't use Teams in my non-work life and there is a 0% chance my workplace transitions away from Teams and Sharepoint anytime soon.

For Notepad, Notepad++ has always been one of the first programs I download to new computers. It is stellar.

For other apps, I'm already using alternatives (e.g., VLC Media Player, Firefox, WonderShare) or they aren't programs I even knew existed (e.g., Journal?, Family?). A few, though, just feel like system tools (e.g., Snipping Tool, Calculator).

Of course, there is the Linux of it all.

I have considered linux before. I have even tried linux (Ubuntu) before.

Most of what I use these days will work with Linux, with one major and rather important-to-me exception: Scrivener.

I am yet to find a single other application I like half as well as Scrivener.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day... 💔 

Ready to break up with Google?

So are we!

We’ve rounded up a bunch of privacy-centric alternatives for everything Google.

Check out the full list over on the blog!

- The Ellipsus Team xo

[teawitch]

Copies content into SharePoint.

SharePoint- do you want Copilot to rewrite your text?

Me - it is a list of names. I am worried that you think copilot should rewrite this.

SharePoint- use copilot to design your page.

Me - no.

SharePoint- use copilot! Use copilot! Use copilot

[amunyan]

"Um... Mereoleona?! Can we finally start?"

"Have you warmed up yet?" Is the absent answer.

Mina nods: "We've been stretching, doing jumping jacks, squats and push-ups, and fighting... Now we'd like to start with the real training..."

"Just a moment. Not everyone is here yet," Mereoleona reassures her. For the fifth time.

"I don't think anyone else is coming. The training started over half an hour ago. If you're not here now, you're not coming..."

The trainer bites her lower lip as she gazes longingly out into the foyer of the martial arts school. Even though she can't really hold the training like this - her hands are still in bandages - she wanted to come anyway. Especially after all training sessions up to yesterday had been cancelled. She feels fit enough to shout and give instructions. Still... "(Y/N)... Where are you...?" she asks quietly.

"Hatschi," you sneeze loudly.

"'Gesundheit...'"

"Thanks, Marx. Oh dear, the overtime isn't good for me in the long run. I hope I haven't caught a cold..." you mutter.

"I wouldn't be surprised. It's quite chilly here in the office..." Marx remarks and you hug your cardigan tighter.

"But it'll be over soon," he adds with a smile. "The presentation should fit in with tomorrow's conference, don't you think?"*

"Then we're finally finished here. It's not that late. Only half past nine," says Marx and stretches. "Shall we go for a bite somewhere, (Y/N)?"

You nod, glad that the extra work seems to be over at last. "The lists are neatly saved on the Sharepoint and the PowerPoint for tomorrow's presentation is ready."

"I'd love to. I'm really hungry."

"Well then - let's pack and meet at the lift."

With these words, Marx gets up, collects his laptop and his cup of cold coffee and leaves your office.

You stretch too and start to pack your things and close all open programs.

"Oh, I still have those," you mutter, noticing the open file of your bucket list with its own 'gift ideas' section. "Well, that list hasn't really paid off this year. I have no idea why I touched it again this afternoon? Oh yes... It's because..."

When you click on the view with the gifts, you remember. You have deleted Mereoleona's gift idea. You don't know what got into you, what kind of frustration and sadness, but you actually went back and edited the list. Probably you just wanted the list to be tidy in a fit of mental weakness. But the blank space after her name bothers you. "Mereo..." you mutter softly and sigh, "I can't help but miss you..."

You hadn't heard from her in days. How could you, without a mobile phone? But she hadn't even come to CC. She was supposed to know that you were with Charmy by now. You sigh deeply. But you can not only blame her. You are also this worse.

"It's stupid, but I can't let it go like this... "

You start typing. "Reconciliation and a kiss under the mistletoe..."

A hesitant smile flickers across your lips. "Maybe I should go talk to her. Using the excuse of getting my mobile. Maybe tomorrow after work..."

Relieved that all the work is finally done, and with a growling stomach, you and your colleague head for the nearest fast food restaurant.

With these words, you start to close the other open programs on your PC, but are briefly annoyed by a message that your list hasn't been saved and that you should choose a save location and try again. "Strange. I thought I had saved the documents on the sharepoint. Well, let's just save them again... With a loud yawn and no further attention to the screen, you click on "Save as" and select the file Lists_complete to overwrite it with the latest version for tomorrow. Then you shut down a laptop and pack everything up.

[lorindisuga]

Why Businesses Are Turning to Custom Microsoft SharePoint and Power Platform Solutions

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses face increasing pressure to operate efficiently, make informed decisions, and empower employees with intuitive tools. While off-the-shelf software can offer some relief, many organizations quickly find that their unique needs call for something more flexible and robust. That’s why more companies are turning to Custom Microsoft SharePoint and Power Platform Solutions to solve their complex business challenges.

These platforms go far beyond traditional collaboration tools. When customized properly, SharePoint and the Power Platform—comprising Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Pages—can revolutionize how a business functions internally and externally. If you're considering a scalable, integrated system tailored to your workflows, this article will explain why a custom solution may be your best investment.

Understanding the Power of Custom SharePoint and Power Platform Solutions

Microsoft SharePoint and the Power Platform offer businesses the ability to digitize, automate, and optimize processes across departments. But what happens when the out-of-the-box functionality just doesn’t cut it? That’s where custom development steps in.

A customized solution enables:

Tailored interfaces that match your branding and processes

Integrated workflows that reflect real-world operations

Dashboards and analytics that display meaningful, real-time insights

Secure collaboration portals designed for internal or external users

Process automation that reduces manual effort and error

Whether it's a custom document management system, HR onboarding workflow, client portal, or inventory tracking dashboard, SharePoint and Power Platform can be molded to fit your exact needs.

Why Go Custom? The Key Benefits

1. Built Around Your Business, Not the Other Way Around

One of the biggest drawbacks of off-the-shelf software is the need to adapt your processes to fit the tool. This can lead to inefficiencies, confusion, and user resistance. A custom solution, on the other hand, is built around how your business already operates—streamlining adoption and boosting productivity from day one.

2. Seamless Integration with Existing Systems

Most organizations already use a variety of tools—CRM systems, accounting software, ERP platforms, and more. Custom SharePoint and Power Platform solutions can be designed to integrate with these systems, enabling data to flow freely across departments. This reduces duplication, ensures consistency, and enhances decision-making.

3. Enhanced Automation and Efficiency

With Power Automate, repetitive tasks like approvals, notifications, and data entry can be automated. When customized correctly, these automations align precisely with your internal rules and conditions, saving significant time and reducing errors.

4. Real-Time Reporting and Insights

Power BI enables businesses to build custom dashboards that offer real-time visibility into performance metrics. Whether you want to monitor sales, track employee productivity, or analyze customer feedback, custom dashboards ensure you're looking at the data that matters most.

Real-World Applications

Let’s take a look at how businesses are leveraging custom Microsoft SharePoint and Power Platform solutions across industries:

Healthcare: Hospitals use custom SharePoint portals to manage patient records, staff training materials, and regulatory documentation in a secure and HIPAA-compliant environment.

Manufacturing: Companies track inventory, monitor equipment maintenance schedules, and manage quality control through integrated Power Apps connected to SharePoint lists.

Legal Services: Law firms develop case management systems, document repositories, and client portals, reducing time spent on administrative tasks.

Education: Schools and universities build faculty portals, student application workflows, and custom dashboards to track academic performance.

No matter the industry, the flexibility of these Microsoft tools means there’s almost always a way to craft a solution that aligns perfectly with business objectives.

Cost Efficiency: A Long-Term Investment

While building a custom solution might seem like a larger upfront investment compared to out-of-the-box tools, the long-term savings are significant. Here's how:

Reduced Licensing Costs: Since many organizations already have Microsoft 365 licenses, using SharePoint and Power Platform means fewer additional software purchases.

Less Manual Work: Automation saves thousands of hours annually.

Better Decision-Making: Real-time data minimizes the cost of poor choices.

Lower IT Support Needs: A system that truly works reduces the burden on support teams.

When you consider these long-term benefits, custom solutions often pay for themselves much quicker than expected.

What to Look for in a Development Partner

To get the most from your investment, it’s critical to work with a team that understands not only the technology but also your business goals. Look for a partner who can:

Translate business processes into technical requirements

Offer user-friendly, mobile-responsive designs

Provide strong post-launch support and training

Build scalable, secure solutions aligned with Microsoft best practices

You should also ensure your partner has real-world experience delivering custom Microsoft SharePoint and Power Platform solutions to businesses like yours.

Getting Started: Steps Toward a Custom Solution

If you’re ready to explore a custom solution for your business, here’s a step-by-step overview of what to expect:

Discovery & Consultation Understand your business goals, current systems, and pain points.

Solution Design Map out how SharePoint and Power Platform components will work together.

Development Build custom apps, flows, portals, and dashboards.

Testing & Feedback Ensure functionality meets expectations and adjust based on user feedback.

Deployment Roll out the solution organization-wide with minimal disruption.

Training & Support Provide users with the tools and knowledge to succeed.

This process ensures that the final product is not only technically sound but also usable and aligned with your objectives.

Final Thoughts: The Smart Move for Smart Businesses

In an age where agility and digital efficiency define success, businesses need more than just software—they need solutions. With Microsoft’s robust platforms and the right customization, you can build systems that are intuitive, integrated, and built to grow with you.