This year we are celebrating SharePoint’s 25^th birthday. Microsoft are running events to celebrate the milestone and a hackathon where you can show off your SharePoint skills!

My first experience with SharePoint was working with WSS around 2005, with it become a more important part of my work around 2008/9 when I became involved in a SharePoint 2007 implementation with complex multi-server requirements. I loved the challenge of implementing a complex platform while many of my workmates were focused on Windows Servers and networking. SharePoint demanded you had expertise in all areas!

SharePoint is not only a platform for us to build on, but also a platform for community and what a community it is. The community that SharePoint built, shares knowledge, builds open-source tools, creates best practice resources, and most importantly connects people.

Here’s a quick summary of the evolution of SharePoint over the last 25 years. I have great admiration for the people involved in developing SharePoint from the very beginning. I am sure today; they are very proud ‘parents’ of the platform that supports collaboration and innovation for everyone! Well done Jeff Teper and team!

🎉 25 Years of SharePoint: A Milestone‑Per‑Year Celebration

1. 2001: SharePoint Portal Server 2001 launches, introducing a new era of enterprise document management and collaboration.
2. 2002: Rapid adoption across enterprises validates Microsoft’s bet on portal‑driven knowledge management.
3. 2003: SharePoint Team Services evolves into Windows SharePoint Services (WSS), bringing team sites to the masses.
4. 2004: Integration with Office 2003 boosts productivity and cements SharePoint as a core collaboration platform.
5. 2005: SharePoint usage crosses major enterprise adoption thresholds, becoming a standard for intranets.
6. 2006: SharePoint 2007 (MOSS) launches with publishing sites, workflows, and search — a transformational release.
7. 2007: SharePoint becomes one of Microsoft’s fastest‑growing server products ever.
8. 2008: The SharePoint ecosystem explodes with third‑party solutions, partners, and a thriving community.
9. 2009: SharePoint Online debuts as part of BPOS, marking the beginning of SharePoint’s cloud journey.
10. 2010: SharePoint 2010 introduces the ribbon, sandbox solutions, and a modernized UI — a major usability leap.
11. 2011: SharePoint Online adoption accelerates as organizations begin shifting collaboration to the cloud.
12. 2012: SharePoint 2013 launches with search improvements, cross‑site publishing, and the app model.
13. 2013: SkyDrive Pro (later OneDrive for Business) integrates tightly with SharePoint, modernizing file sync.
14. 2014: Office 365 momentum pushes SharePoint Online into hyper‑growth across industries.
15. 2015: Delve and the Office Graph introduce intelligence‑driven discovery across SharePoint content.
16. 2016: SharePoint 2016 arrives with hybrid search and improved cloud connectivity — bridging on‑prem and cloud.
17. 2017: The modern SharePoint experience launches, transforming lists, libraries, and pages with a fresh, responsive design.
18. 2018: SharePoint spaces introduces mixed‑reality collaboration scenarios, expanding what’s possible.
19. 2019: SharePoint Home Sites redefine the intelligent intranet with personalized, company‑wide experiences.
20. 2020: SharePoint becomes the backbone of remote work during the global shift to hybrid collaboration.
21. 2021: Microsoft Viva launches, powered heavily by SharePoint content services and integration.
22. 2022: Syntex brings AI‑powered content understanding and automation to mainstream SharePoint users.
23. 2023: SharePoint Premium is announced, elevating content governance, security, and AI‑driven processing.
24. 2024: Copilot for M365 integrates deeply with SharePoint, transforming content creation and site building.
25. 2025: SharePoint celebrates 25 years as the world’s most widely used enterprise content platform powering intranets, collaboration, and content intelligence for hundreds of millions.

SharePoint started on-prem, was a foundational part of Microsoft 365, allowed us to collaborate and build, and now provides a solid foundation for AI-driven innovation. Over the years, it has evolved significantly, adapting to the changing technological landscape and the needs of its users. When I was aged 25, I was just getting started in my career, navigating the complexities of the professional world, and it feels like SharePoint is too, as it continues to grow and expand its capabilities. As we embrace more advanced tools and features, such as enhanced collaboration and AI features, I can’t help but feel that both my personal development and SharePoint’s journey are intertwined, each representing a commitment to progress and the future of collaborative work.

I have a lot to thank SharePoint for as it has been a big part of my career for the best part of 20 years. A huge thank you to everyone who has been with me on the journey whether it was for a day or a decade.

I’d love to hear your favourite SharePoint memories! Please post in the comments.