When one takes a look back by about 20 years, it’s almost impossible to imagine that we’d ever be able to harness technological power that could literally change the world by the time we got to 2013. Back then, we were simply wondering whether or not the bag phones in our cars would ever get better reception. The Age of the Internet has opened up new possibilities that never before would have even been fathomable, and it’s done so in many different ways. One of those ways is by harnessing talent and providing opportunities for collaboration.
What used to take days or even weeks to accomplish when teams in the United States were collaborating with teams from different parts of the world now happens instantaneously. One of the main drivers of this heightened collaboration is Microsoft SharePoint. The latest version of this collaborative tool, Microsoft SharePoint 2013, is already penetrating even further into the daily lives of business professionals on nearly every continent than it had with previous versions. New uses are seemingly being found constantly.
When a tool this powerful is at your disposal, the inclination tends to arise to try to do some good with it. That’s what the people at Microsoft are doing with a program that is designed to lower the amount of energy consumption in large buildings. There’s no more a logical place to begin than in Seattle, where Microsoft is located. The company has partnered with Accenture to try to reduce the energy consumption by a factor of 10 percent in 2 million square feet of commercial space in the area. This effort is being made after Microsoft was able to accomplish this task with 13 buildings at its headquarters.
A description of this entire effort appeared recently on GreenBiz.com, and the full text of the article can be found here. Microsoft SharePoint 2013 comes into play by using it to create the portals and dashboards where managers of the project can monitor the general energy metrics at these properties. This data can be accessed at any time by anyone involved in the project anywhere in the world, and it will provide users with a real-time update of that energy output. This will allow adjustments to be made if necessary without having to access other data.
If this plan works, it’s going to fit into larger ideas. One of those ideas is to expand this type of effort into other cities across the world. The fact of the matter is that just about every large metropolitan area could use some help with reducing their energy consumption for obvious reasons, and Microsoft SharePoint 2013 will provide anyone who wants to aid in this effort with the tools to measure the project’s progress.
This is just one example of the power of this collaborative tool. This type of story should alert anyone to just how much help it can be to any business. If you are ready to learn more about this collaborative environment, contact the Microsoft SharePoint consultants at CaldiaTech today to learn more.