Search across multiple SharePoint sites, get AI-powered, sourced answers, and retain your existing permissions.
SharePoint centralizes a large portion of Microsoft 365 documents, but searching quickly becomes complex when an organization has multiple sites, libraries, Teams spaces, and years of archives. Users know the information exists but may not know the correct site, the exact file name, or the words used by the author.
Outmind connects your SharePoint environments to a single search experience. Employees can find a file, explore its content, or ask a question using natural language. Responses remain linked to the source documents, and SharePoint permissions continue to determine what each user can view.
In a mature organization, SharePoint is not a single space. Each department, team, project, or subsidiary may have its own sites and libraries. A search limited to the current site forces the user to guess where to start and then repeat the same query in multiple locations.
Outmind allows you to include selected SharePoint sites within a single search scope. A search query can thus return a report stored on an old project site, a procedure published by a business unit, or a presentation saved in a team library. Users search based on their needs, not on the technical architecture of Microsoft 365.
This approach is particularly useful during an audit, when taking over a project, during a request for proposals, or when a new employee joins the company who is not yet familiar with the organization of the sites.
Full-text search remains essential when a user knows a specific reference, contract number, client, or phrase. Outmind allows you to search the title, content, and available metadata, and then refine your search using filters such as file type, date, source, or author.
Semantic search complements this logic when the words in the query differ from those in the document. A user can describe an idea, a problem, or a business context without having to guess the exact terminology used in the file. The search engine then matches the user’s intent with relevant content and reduces reliance on naming conventions.
These two approaches are complementary: the precision of an exact reference for targeted searches, and an understanding of meaning for exploring a broader body of documentation.
A list of results isn't always enough. When an employee is preparing a summary, comparing several reports, or looking for the answer to a specific question, they still have to open each file and piece the information together.
Outmind’s AI assistant allows users to search accessible documents using natural language. It can generate a response based on multiple sources and provide links to the sources used. This allows users to review the text, the document, and the context before reusing the information.
Citing sources is essential in a professional setting. It distinguishes a verifiable response from a mere generated text and makes it easier to review the information when a decision, a technical analysis, or a contractual commitment needs to be justified.
Connecting multiple sites should not artificially expand access to documents. Outmind takes the source's permissions into account so that each user sees only the content that their account already grants them access to.
Microsoft 365 teams continue to manage groups, sites, libraries, and documents in SharePoint. The connection project must validate the permissions of the account being used, the indexed scope, and the expected behavior when permissions are modified. In a restrictive environment, initial validation by an administrator may be required.
This model eliminates the need to build a second, independent security policy and allows SharePoint to remain the primary system.
Information about a project is almost never stored exclusively in SharePoint. A deliverable might be published in a library, while the approval discussions take place via email and historical archives are stored on a file server. Searching each tool separately fragments the context.
Outmind can integrate SharePoint with other authorized sources, including file servers and email. A single search then allows you to find relevant documents, conversations, and attachments without moving them to a central repository.
For organizations that still store a significant portion of their data on network shares, be sure to check out the page dedicated to AI search in file servers.
Migrating all data to a new platform may require an inventory, metadata migration, rights reconstruction, and significant user support. When SharePoint already meets the needs for storage, collaboration, and document management, this migration isn’t necessarily the best place to start.
Outmind adds a layer of access on top of existing sites. Documents remain in SharePoint, existing upload habits can be maintained, and users continue to open files in their usual environment. The company thus improves the discoverability of information without having to wait for a complete reorganization of Microsoft 365.
This approach does not preclude governance efforts. On the contrary, it makes it possible to identify content that is difficult to find, duplicates, or areas of the documentation that need to be clarified.
The rollout begins with the use cases that create the most value: finding procedures, building on past projects, speeding up responses to requests for proposals, or reducing the time spent navigating multiple websites.
The team then identifies the sites and libraries to be covered, the relevant user groups, the security requirements, and other sources to be connected. A pilot project conducted on a representative scope allows the team to test real-world searches and verify the results with the business teams.
Success criteria may include the time required to locate a source, the relevance of the initial results, the ability to answer a cross-cutting question, and respect for rights. The scope can then be gradually expanded.
Engineering firms often manage multiple SharePoint sites per project, in addition to archives on file servers. Engineers need to locate a technical note, a drawing, a report, a hypothesis, or feedback on a product developed several years ago.
A multi-source search allows you to explore these projects based on their content rather than their folder structure. The assistant can also help you compare multiple documents and identify the sources of a response. Learn about howOutmind is usedin design and engineering firms, as well as the Setec case study.
No. SharePoint remains the storage and collaboration platform. Outmind adds a search and query experience on top of existing content.
Yes, the selected sites can be included within the same scope to avoid repeating the search site by site.
The visibility of the results must comply with the source’s permissions. The terms and conditions are finalized during the scoping and deployment of the connector.
Yes. The benefit of a corporate search is precisely that it allows for a unified search across multiple sources without requiring them to be migrated to a single repository.
Yes, the goal is to link the answers to the documents used so that the user can verify the information in context.
To assess relevance, use questions and documents that are representative of your environment: a recent procedure, a past deliverable, information distributed across multiple sites, or a project that combines SharePoint and a file server.
Request a demo of Outmind to define an initial scope and test AI search in SharePoint with your specific use cases.
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