May 2022 Snapshot

Make Your Intranet
Accessible to Everyone

This month’s Snapshot is filled to the brim with
exciting news and events.

SharePoint Webinar
April 2022

Dear ShortPoint Community,

We bring you an accessibility solution from the future, talk about why migration is risk-free with ShortPoint, and introduce to you our empathic Human Resource Manager in this month’s Snapshot.

Enjoy the read.

Yvette Tunguia
ShortPoint Content Unit Manager

What's New?

Updated App Catalog Set-Up Experience

Setting up a SharePoint App Catalog for the first time and managing apps moving forward has been streamlined by Microsoft beginning May 2022. This is particularly important when uploading custom applications, such as ShortPoint, to your Apps Site and making it available for your site designers to install on any site within your tenancy.

In the past, there were several steps you needed to follow in order to create an App Catalog and deploy ShortPoint across all sites. With the new set-up experience, Microsoft will automatically build the App Catalog for you as soon as you open your Apps site. Once created, all you have to do is upload the ShortPoint SPFx package and enable the app. Users can then install it on a specific site by browsing for Apps under the From Your Organization category.

You can access the updated installation support articles showing these changes by visiting our Knowledge Base. Now, first time installation of the ShortPoint app has gotten simpler.

Accessibility 4.0 is Here!

You no longer need to jump into the multiverse to experience an accessibility solution from the future. You can have it now with the newly released 4.0 upgrade of ShortPoint Accessibility powered by Userway.

In May we celebrated Accessibility Awareness and we are excited to offer more features that bring digital accessibility forward. The users are now able to customize their online experience depending on their accessibility needs with just one click of a button. Voice navigation is now possible including non-standard speech. Instant language translations are available and an on-page dictionary for better reading comprehension is within reach.

Accessibility managers have improved team management capabilities. You get increased security with Single Sign-On functionality and an improved administration platform from a powerful dashboard that is optimized for desktop. You also get advanced widget customization options.

Most important is that this new update helps your organization get ADA compliance and stay that way moving forward.

Enable ShortPoint Accessibility for your intranet now! For more information, visit https://www.shortpoint.com/accessibility or submit a ticket at support.shortpoint.com.

May Tech Tip

Risk-free Migration to New ShortPoint Page Builder

The new ShortPoint Page Builder with Live Mode is being released to existing customers with auto-upgrade in waves. It is a major upgrade to the editing interface that you have learned to love and it comes with features that will make designing intranet sites more enjoyable and intuitive.

As you explore the new features and design experience, we want to list down what measures we implemented and provided to ensure that migration is risk-free.

  • Migration is triggered one ShortPoint web part at a time. Only web parts you wish to edit will require migration. Web parts that do not need editing will remain as it is - design and functionality will not change.
  • Key updates to the layout requirements will be applied automatically upon migration. All changes required for your page to become compatible with the new editing interface will be detected and applied directly once you confirm migration. This will not cause any changes to the way your page is displayed unless it has an unsupported layout.
  • Migration resource materials are available to learn more about the process. You get access to migration tutorials and support articles that provide information, steps to take, and important reminders as you go through migration. You can also schedule a demo session with our support team.

Testing or temporary migration is also supported on a page or tenancy. Here are a few key features that will help you in whatever path you wish to take to onboard the new ShortPoint Page Builder.

  • Sandbox Mode in ShortPoint Dashboard Upgrade. You can get a full preview of the latest Live Mode version and test the interface on your own site pages in the Sandbox Mode.
  • Restore page to versions prior to migration at any time. When migration and edits are made without saving or publishing a page, you can easily discard the changes and get back the page version prior to migration. Version History for Modern pages or Page History for Classic pages are features that you can use seamlessly.
  • Rollback to legacy Page Builder. Performing a rollback to the last installed version of ShortPoint on your tenancy can be easily completed through the Upgrade window in ShortPoint Dashboard.

All these are in place to provide you ease and control over the implementation of the new ShortPoint Page Builder with Live Mode.

The Faces of ShortPoint

Meet Sidra, Our HR Manager

At ShortPoint, you will find a diverse group of individuals working remotely from different parts of the globe. Finding the best talent, welcoming them as they join the team, engaging each employee at all points of employment, administering benefits and other HR needs, maintaining the wonderful culture that gained us the Great Place to Work certification, and so much more is not an easy job. But for our Human Resource Manager, Sidra Afzal, this is all an opportunity to learn and it never gets boring.

Sidra manages the HR function at ShortPoint. Each working day is unique for her because of the diverse projects that she finds herself involved in. And the best part, she says, is interacting with humble and collaborative talent that truly believes in the saying that “Teamwork makes the dream work”. It is a culture that is genuine and authentic and allows for different perspectives to be heard which can bring out the most beautiful end result.

Dubai is a magical city with stunning skyscrapers, cityscapes, and seaside destinations. When not working, you will find Sidra exploring the city and if the weather permits it, she loves walking around like there is no tomorrow. The activity grounds and calms her. You may also find her participating in volunteer work in any capacity that she can. She enjoys being with people and volunteering broadens her perspective about different cultures and ways of thinking. She once worked as a teacher assistant at a special needs school. The memories she makes are precious and make her really happy.

Sidra is no stranger to pushing oneself to the limits. She once signed up for a Spartan race in Dubai without knowing the full extent of the challenges she was to face - this race included a variety of obstacles, uphill sandy paths, climbing 5-7 feet walls, and jumping from them, and more. She almost gave up but she, fortunately, had an incredible race partner who encouraged her all the way until they reached the end of the race. She wore a proud smile and felt a powerful sense of accomplishment as she was handed the much-deserved Finisher Medal. She certainly inspires everyone to hold their own, listen to others, and finish proudly when faced with any challenge

See you in June

More exciting news is planned for June. Stay tuned! And if you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback, please send us a note. We love to hear from you.

See you next month, ShortPoint hero!

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