The pros and cons of SharePoint continue to divide users
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Article
What tradeoffs remain between SharePoint Online and on-premises?
An expert explains that SharePoint Online may become more of a standalone product -- but for now, companies may have to use a hybrid model to maintain the functionality they need. Read Now
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Article
A direct comparison of SharePoint Online and on-premises features
Is SharePoint Online right for your company? An expert provides advice and a chart comparing the features of the two versions -- and whether or not certain shortcomings may be deal-breakers for certain companies. Read Now
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Article
The two sides of SharePoint Online
Why do some users love SharePoint Online while others seem to hate it? Read Now
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Podcast
Why hasn't SharePoint Online lived up to its promise?
For some companies, SharePoint Online has been a disappointment, and Microsoft has work to do to start gaining users' trust again -- especially among companies that already had an on-premises SharePoint deployment. Listen Now
Editor's note
The pros and cons of SharePoint continue to pull users in different directions. Some companies have benefited from the new capabilities of SharePoint Online, while others languish in a mire of poor usability.
Despite maintaining a huge segment of the content and collaboration market, SharePoint has some major downsides. Organizations that have a well-established on-premises SharePoint deployment seem to have suffered the most, as their high hopes for the platform's evolving capabilities have been dashed. SharePoint has transformed in many ways since the 2010 version but it's clear that Microsoft has a long way to go in addressing usability issues and managing users' expectations.
This guide takes a comprehensive look at the pros and cons of SharePoint, from its promising cloud version, its new eDiscovery functionality and workflow capabilities, to the management gremlins that continue to afflict users. We also take a look at what users can hope for in SharePoint 2016.
1Can Microsoft resolve SharePoint's usability problems?
Despite the platform's widespread adoption, both the on-premises and online versions of SharePoint 2013 continue to have major usability problems. The articles in this section explain some of these functionality issues and explore how Microsoft may address them in the near future.
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Article
Companies wrestle with the SharePoint usability gap
SharePoint adoption continues to dominate as an enterprise content management system -- despite the fact that users often struggle to use it. Read Now
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Podcast
Weighing the pros and cons of SharePoint BPM
When looking at the pros and cons of SharePoint BPM, consider the tradeoff between Office integration and the versatility of broader BPM tools. Listen Now
2Advice for making the most of SharePoint
While SharePoint 2013 has its downsides, companies will continue to use the platform. Here are some tips for making SharePoint a more valuable part of business processes, including how to handle two of the largest challenges facing all ECM systems: information governance management and content accessibility.
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Article
How to configure co-authoring in SharePoint 2013
Document co-authoring in SharePoint 2013 is somewhat easier than in previous versions, but administrators need to configure the platform correctly. Read Now
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Podcast
How to benefit from SharePoint workflow management
SharePoint BPM may be overshadowed by other BPM platforms, but its workflow management can bring efficiencies at a lower cost than its rivals. Listen Now
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Article
How to build visual workflows in SharePoint
Editing workflows in SharePoint has become more intuitive, with Visio integration that makes it easier to alter the structure of business processes. Read Now
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Article
The dos and don'ts of SharePoint Online governance
A crowded, mismanaged SharePoint repository spawns sprawl, poor governance and usability issues. Governance is the only way out. Read Now
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Article
How to use eDiscovery Center across SharePoint and Exchange
When using SharePoint eDiscovery Center to perform e-discovery across SharePoint, Exchange and Lync data, keep a few considerations in mind to boost efficiency, improve search and reduce risks. Read Now
3What does the future hold for SharePoint?
In general, enterprises are moving their business applications to the cloud. What does this mean for SharePoint? And what does the next version of SharePoint have in store? The articles in this section provide some answers for companies that are trying to decipher the SharePoint roadmap.
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Article
Is the SharePoint Online vs. on-premises debate over?
Microsoft is staking its future in the cloud. But if you are weighing SharePoint Online vs. on-premises, here's how the two differ. Read Now
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Article
What about the alternatives to SharePoint?
Some users will opt for different enterprise content management and collaboration platforms. Here are a few options. Read Now
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Article
Will OneNote make SharePoint a better collaboration tool?
Using OneNote with SharePoint can enhance SharePoint capabilities like collaboration and data organization. Read Now
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Article
Microsoft announces SharePoint 2016 beta and details
Microsoft will release a beta version of SharePoint 2016, and claims it will feature better mobile, hybrid cloud and compliance tools. Read Now
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Article
What to expect in SharePoint 2016
How will SharePoint 2016 migrate users to hybrid clouds, and what's in store for integration with SQL Server, Power BI and Office 365? Read Now