IBM ECM vs SharePoint comparison

IBM and Microsoft are both solutions in the Enterprise Content Management category. IBM is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.1. IBM holds a 2.0% mindshare in ECM, compared to Microsoft’s 17.3% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 78% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IBM ECM

Read 16 IBM ECM reviews

645 Views
533 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

SharePoint

Read 158 SharePoint reviews

5,379 Views
4,509 Comparison Views

78% willing to recommend

IBM ECM

SharePoint

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

SharePoint and IBM ECM are competing in the enterprise content management category. SharePoint seems to have the edge with more favorable pricing and customer support.

Features: SharePoint includes integrated collaboration tools, scalability, and easy integration with Microsoft products, useful for team collaboration. IBM ECM offers advanced document management, robust compliance, and enhanced security, essential for industries with strict regulations.

Room for Improvement: SharePoint could improve customization options and mobile interface robustness. Documentation can also be improved for custom coding. IBM ECM may require simplification in its deployment process and user interface; more intuitive navigation would benefit users considerably. A focus on reducing initial setup complexity would enhance its appeal.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SharePoint utilizes a cloud-based deployment, simplifying installation, with excellent support services from Microsoft. IBM ECM, offering both on-premise and hybrid deployment options, requires more complex setup but provides dedicated support services, suitable for large-scale operations.

Pricing and ROI: SharePoint is a cost-effective solution with flexible pricing plans, providing high ROI through enhanced collaboration efficiency. IBM ECM, though demanding a higher initial investment, promises substantial long-term ROI due to its extensive feature set and scalability, particularly advantageous for handling large volumes of sensitive data.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM ECM vs. SharePoint Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM ECM vs. SharePoint

March 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM ECM

Ranking in Enterprise Content Management

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SharePoint

Ranking in Enterprise Content Management

1st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

158

Ranking in other categories

Web Content Management (2nd), Corporate Portals (Enterprise Information Portals) (1st), Enterprise Intranet (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Enterprise Content Management category, the mindshare of IBM ECM is 2.0%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SharePoint is 17.3%, down from 20.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Content Management

Featured Reviews

Omar_Ismail

ECM, Archives and Digital Preservation Consultant at DataServe

A stable solution for automation with high availability

Moving to the cloud with IBM ECM is not allowed. In Saudi Arabia, the cloud infrastructure is still non-operational, potentially for the next two to three months. Static clouds are prevalent among foundational enterprises such as IBM and Oracle. IBM offers its cloud insights, maintaining its cloud ecosystem. IBM's efforts to enhance the user experience within its ECM platform are lacking compared to competitors like OpenText. Progress in implementing new technologies and features seems sluggish. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

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Sanil Paul

IT Service Manager at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Streamlined collaboration through seamless integration and customization

I have been an administrator for SharePoint and have used it as an end-user for document storage. Predominantly, I've been involved in administration SharePoint helps a lot since we've moved from using it directly to using it as a backend for Teams, which makes collaboration easier. It supports…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The tool is a very stable solution with high availability and no information leakage. It has built-in API integration on-site. You can integrate with other components and applications like SAP, Microsoft, Oracle, etc."

"The scalability is a valuable feature, that we're able to display our documents to so many people."

"The vertical scalability, as we can use it across some of our applications."

"The content management is all about you as you can make the same content for minimal purpose solutions applications."

"The search feature is valuable."

"The most valuable feature of SharePoint is its user interface, which is very easy to use."

"The access control is definitely a good feature. We also appreciate the improvements they've made to the online applications, where multiple users can work on the same documents simultaneously. Everything syncs automatically."

"We can arrange all our documents on one platform and see the document's changes and edits."

"It has made us faster and more efficient."

"It facilitates collaboration and the ability to create custom workflows."

"It improved transparency around work products."

"For SharePoint, I believe the most valuable feature is the customization and allowing you to share and edit files and documents. Being able to share externally and the precise administration of the files in terms of giving permissions and controlling who has access to what is a very good feature."

More SharePoint pros

Cons

"I think it's already getting away from Java applets. A lot of our users struggle with keeping up to date with Java versioning, so a lot of the functions they're doing, like printing, emailing, and even some of the viewing, they're struggling with."

"The development platform is not local. For example, you need 100 days in IBM, whereas other platforms, like ServiceNow, need only 20 days."

"I would like to see seamless application integration."

"I would recommend not going with ECM 8 and going with FileNet instead. It seems like that is the future of the lower-volume repository. It seems like they are moving away from ECM 8.5 so I think we're going to have some challenges coming up, getting off of that technology."

"The limitations and boundaries must be extended."

"Replication needs improvement."

"SharePoint Online could improve the user interface and when modifying any of the user interfaces can be challenging. Additionally, there are challenges with the detail in the analytics user interface and the overall customization could improve."

"We do sell Hyland OnBase, which is probably a competitor to SharePoint and does a lot more. In our own organization, we haven't had a need for it, but certainly, for our customers, we are finding that to be a better fit. In terms of the technical reasons for that, I'm not involved much on that side, so I can't give specifics, but there is certainly room for them to improve or add on certain features that clearly are not available in SharePoint, but they are available in Hyland OnBase."

"Make it more intuitive."

"We would like more security features, like automating."

"The navigation is confusing."

"Workflow is something that can become more intelligent."

More SharePoint cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Reach out to local IBM partners."

"For this type of solution, it is not wise to buy it without Software Assurance."

"The product is reasonably priced."

"The licensing model for SharePoint Online is based on per user, and it is monthly. The price of the solution overall is good."

"Licensing can be by server or by seat."

"The platform has medium pricing."

"It comes bundled with the Microsoft 365 pricing plans."

"As usual, Microsoft’s licensing structures don’t really seem to fit the needs of their products. This leads to always paying for a project you will never use fully or always be adding to."

"The pricing is competitive."

More SharePoint pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user8925

Developer with 51-200 employees

Aug 23, 2013

Jive vs Sharepoint vs Drupal Commons

At Mediacurrent we often get requests to compare Drupal to other platforms used for intranet sites and social business platforms (like https://dev.twitter.com/ for example). This is often referred to as “Social Business Software”, which has grown in popularity in recent years. I decided to do a…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

34%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

12%

Real Estate/Law Firm

Government

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM ECM?

The tool is a very stable solution with high availability and no information leakage. It has built-in API integration on-site. You can integrate with other components and applications like SAP, Mic...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM ECM?

The product is expensive and has a perpetual license.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM ECM?

The development platform is not local. For example, you need 100 days in IBM, whereas other platforms, like ServiceNow, need only 20 days.

See all answers

Would Alfresco give an organization more benefits in terms of cost, features & security as compared to Sharepoint?

Alfresco scores are high on all features of an ECM solution and tools. Back office processing, rated as 3.36 good. Business Process Application 3.55 Good to excellent. Document Management 4.12...

See all answers

What do you like most about SharePoint?

The search feature is valuable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SharePoint?

With SharePoint, we save by not needing multiple external licenses. Unlike Drupal ( /products/drupal-reviews ), all necessary applications are included in the Microsoft license, making it cost-effe...

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Comparisons

IBM FileNet vs IBM ECM

Compared 40% of the time

Alfresco vs IBM ECM

Compared 12% of the time

SAP Extended Enterprise Content Management vs IBM ECM

Compared 12% of the time

Hyland OnBase vs IBM ECM

Compared 11% of the time

OpenText Content Manager vs IBM ECM

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM ECM Competitors

OpenText Documentum vs SharePoint

Compared 9% of the time

Amazon WorkDocs vs SharePoint

Compared 9% of the time

WordPress vs SharePoint

Compared 8% of the time

ShareFile vs SharePoint

Compared 8% of the time

OpenText Extended ECM vs SharePoint

Compared 7% of the time

More SharePoint Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM ECM

March 2025

Download IBM ECM product report

Buyer's Guide

SharePoint

March 2025

Download SharePoint product report

Also Known As

No data available

SharePoint 2007, SharePoint 2010

Overview

IBM Content Foundation on Cloud

IBM Content Foundation on Cloud allows organizations to deliver extensive enterprise content management capabilities to their users very quickly. IBM Content Foundation is powered by the FileNet content and process platform and IBM Content Navigator user experience. This cloud offering can be leveraged for a variety of use cases including collaborative document management, imaging solutions, social content management, archiving, and more. It also offers a platform for developing Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions in the cloud.

IBM Case Manager on Cloud

IBM Case Manager on Cloud is a solution platform that engages people with business content, provides contextual insight through real-time analytics, and enhances teamwork through collaboration tools and flexible workflow. Enables Business and IT to work together to create solutions across the enterprise that enables an organization to make smarter decisions for better business outcomes, while balancing the need for security and compliance in a world of heightened risk.

IBM

SharePoint is a Microsoft-based platform for building web applications. It covers a widerange of capabilities and while it is appropriate for experienced webdevelopers, even non-technical minded users can easily navigate through thesystem and execute functions such as collaborating data, managing documents andfiles, creating websites, managing social networking solutions, and automatingworkflow.

Major areas that SharePoint deals with are websites,communities, content, search, insights, and composites. The purpose is to give usersthe ability to create or develop these key business components on their owneven without technical knowledge of, for example, how to build a website or howto integrate coding. Configuring SharePoint into a business's system is meantto cut out all of the complicated steps, and pave the way for easierimplementation all around.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

KeyBank, Standard Chartered Bank, Union Bank, Sistema Tecnol‹gico de Monterrey, Illinois Department of Human Services, UnitedHealth Group

Toyota, Aeroports de Paris, ASBBank Ltd., Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals, CambridgeshireConstabulary, D&M Group, NPL Construction Company, and The Regional Municipality of Niagara.

Buyer's Guide

IBM ECM vs. SharePoint

March 2025

Free Report: IBM ECM vs. SharePoint

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM ECM vs. SharePoint and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.

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