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Why SharePoint is not the solution to your enterprise content management needs

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If you’re looking for a content management system with enterprise-level features and functionality, you may have considered SharePoint as a potential solution.

Launched in 2001, Microsoft SharePoint is a web-based collaboration and document management system. Organizations can install, deploy and manage SharePoint Server on-premises or with an Office 365 Enterprise subscription. Businesses may also use SharePoint within Microsoft 365. With this Microsoft-hosted, cloud-based service, you can subscribe to a Microsoft 365 plan or the standalone SharePoint Online service.

SharePoint is often called the “Swiss Army knife” of IT teams because it can be used to create websites, store information and much more.

However, when it comes to enterprise content management, SharePoint is not an ideal solution. Here are five reasons why.

Explore why SharePoint may not be the best choice for enterprise content management needs and discover why a flexible, user-friendly and integration-ready solution is a better alternative to drive speed to market and growth for your enterprise.

SharePoint is high-maintenance

SharePoint is notoriously complex, and the customization needed to make it a viable solution for enterprise needs is practically impossible without IT assistance. That's why businesses typically hire a dedicated developer or IT consultant to configure, customize, and maintain the system. But even for skilled IT professionals, there are so many different tools to navigate that custom development is cumbersome. All of this translates to more time to launch—it can take at least a year to complete the necessary SharePoint customization.

That's not the case with Brightspot. As the best SharePoint alternative, Brightspot is easy to configure and maintain without a dedicated IT team or specialist-level expertise. Brightspot offers fast set-up from start to finish, with pre-configured templates and components and powerful migration tools.

SharePoint is not user-friendly

If SharePoint is difficult for developers, imagine how overwhelming it can be for non-technical users. Its interfaces and navigation are neither intuitive nor straightforward, requiring a great deal of training to ensure proper employee adoption and use. And with few solutions included in the technology, end users must customize SharePoint's lists and repositories to suit their needs, which can be an overly complex task.

As a SharePoint alternative, Brightspot offers the ultimate user experience. Your content creators will love the intuitive interface, with ready-to-use features and templates to help them quickly create the content they want. With Brightspot, your teams can create custom workflows that streamline the way they manage, edit, and publish content.

SharePoint inhibits integration

As a Microsoft product, SharePoint's integrations are tightly coupled to other Microsoft products. With SharePoint Online, for example, you can only install Microsoft-approved add-ons, and vendors are often slow or unwilling to get their add-ons approved. If you have custom code or other add-ons on your site, or you want the freedom to add capabilities in the future, SharePoint is not a viable solution for your enterprise.

Instead, you need an enterprise content management system that seamlessly integrates with your systems and applications. As the best SharePoint alternative, Brightspot offers an integration-ready framework, connecting proprietary sources and a suite of over 70 out-of-the-box integrations without back-end challenges. With Brightspot's best-in-class platform, ensure interoperability with your existing third-party tools and ever-evolving tech stack.

SharePoint silos data

SharePoint operates more as a standalone document repository rather than a dynamic content management system, resulting in compartmentalization instead of fostering collaboration. For instance, when teams use SharePoint for specific projects, they often neglect consolidating content with records management requirements, leading to data silos and difficulties in locating information across the organization.

In contrast, Brightspot enables seamless collaboration with its powerful and user-friendly collaboration tools, enhancing project and task management while solving business challenges. Additionally, Brightspot's robust search capabilities, including global, contextual, and federated search, provide users with comprehensive visibility, insight, and content control.

SharePoint is expensive

SharePoint products come at a significant cost, with SharePoint Server requiring thousands of dollars for a single license and SharePoint Online offering various subscription fees per user per month. Moreover, there are additional expenses related to development, user training, ongoing maintenance, and hiring dedicated SharePoint developers or consultants.

In contrast, Brightspot is designed to bring down your overall technology cost of ownership by providing over 70 out-of-the-box integrations for most of the essential third-party products to manage a thriving digital enterprise, as well a suite of pre-built templates and content types that mitigate the need for expensive developer interventions. Further, Brightspot managed services include all the necessary third-party integration updates, 24/7 monitoring and security and hosting support and terabytes of bandwidth to let your business scale. Ultimately, Brightspot as your SharePoint alternative saves valuable time and money, redirecting resources towards improving your bottom line.

If you’re looking for a user-friendly, accessible SharePoint alternative that can easily integrate with your other mission-critical applications, Brightspot’s ready-to-launch, extensible publishing platform offers the ideal solution to your enterprise content management needs.

Contact us today to learn more.

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Manage your online library of information in a system that's built to support varied and unique content types and specific permissions. Learn more here how Brightspot is built to support a range of internal and external documentation needs

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Robyn Tellefsen
About the Author
Robyn Tellefsen
Robyn Tellefsen is a writer for Brightspot. She has 20+ years of experience creating and editing fresh, original content to help brands achieve their business goals. Robyn is a skilled communicator, with expertise across multiple verticals and media. When she’s not writing, you can find her absorbed in the pages of a novel.

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