SharePoint Reviews

I have been using SharePoint 2019 and SharePoint Online.

We use SharePoint Online for document management.

The most valuable features of SharePoint Online are content management, document management, and approval processes. Additionally, there are a number of features that provide integration with multiple Office services and external services.

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. 

In the next release of the solution, they need to fix the user interface. It is not user-friendly for a generic user. It should be easier because in some of the applications it's quite easy to assign the permission, you only need to use the right click of the mouse and select the permission that we need to assign. However, in SharePoint, it's a bit complex.

I have been using SharePoint Online for approximately six years.

SharePoint Online is stable. We are using the out-of-box options only, and it has been stable.

The scalability of SharePoint Online is good.

We have opened Microsoft support tickets. The learning materials are good for all the solutions from Microsoft, they have multiple videos and documentation available.

The initial setup of SharePoint Online was straightforward.

For a general user, the documentation could improve. The assigning of unique permissions can be difficult for a beginner.

We have joint support for the applications and the SharePoint Online version, Microsoft is managing everything from the cloud and we are supporting it at the application level. There are not many resources that are required for their support and maintenance.

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

There can be additional costs depending on the features that we are going to use. If we are using any third-party integration or third-party connector, then in this scenario we need premium licensing.

My advice is SharePoint Online is good, but Microsoft does not recommend doing a lot of customization management. It is a good document manager, and content management system if they are using the out-of-the-box approach only. The out-of-the-box options are very good, but if we try to customize it a lot, then it's not recommended.

I rate SharePoint Online seven out of ten.

We have created some applications in SharePoint using Power Apps. We have also done some workflow automation with Power Automate. The solution can be used for document management purposes.

The search feature is valuable. The solution is useful for document management and collaboration.

The limitations and boundaries must be extended. Often, the documents pile up and reach the limit provided, and we need to archive them. It would be good if the capacity were increased.

I have been using the solution since 2004.

The tool is very stable. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

The tool is scalable to any extent. We have to pay for it. We have around 20,000 users.

The technical support is good. There are different channels based on the priority. We have a premium subscription, so we get solutions within a day.

Positive

The initial setup is easy. We must go through some process if we need to utilize some features. For example, if we want to use co-authoring or set up a workflow on top of the document management system, we should be aware of some technical aspects. We must study and gain some technical knowledge.

SharePoint is a SaaS product. I rate the ease of initial setup a nine out of ten. It is easy to deploy. Sometimes, the deployment is done through the DevOps process via a CI/CD pipeline. Sometimes, it is done manually. It can be deployed within an hour.

The pricing is competitive. That's why almost all the companies are using SharePoint. I rate the pricing a ten out of ten. When we buy the license, the person buying must be well-educated on how the pricing model works.

We get some bundles for free. We can get Power Apps, Microsoft Exchange, and E1 and E2 licenses for free. We must know what our organization needs. It will cost us more if we want to increase the space or customize solutions. The standard features are free.

We provide solutions based on SharePoint for our clients. I'm managing a team that provides support. I am using SharePoint Online. Overall, I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

The collaboration features of SharePoint 2013 are probably the best I have seen in an enterprise product out of the box. Along with the integration of Office and other enterprise solutions, this product cannot be beat in the market currently for what it brings to the table.

There are times you may want to alter how SharePoint works using custom code. This is very important as I have seen developers who are here one day and gone the next with bad code that was based on .NET, recreating what SharePoint does naturally, no acceptable documentation left behind to work from and will not accept calls accept for a fee.

So think before implementing customizations using code, you leave room for error in the code and a gaps in business processes that may need to be updated later. If the code is not using best practices for development on the SharePoint platform Microsoft updates to the server could also effect the successful implementation of these updates as well. If you can bare with using out-of-the-box tools this gives you a stable environment, where Microsoft updates these features and the foundation of the product for you.

There are third party solutions that would be a better fit for the platform that are tested and vetted by Microsoft for a price and maintenance fee. These are better suited for a SharePoint platform than custom code because you know what you are getting and you have someone to call on when things go wrong. I am not saying these are going to fit your every need but most of the time they do help get you a lot closer then where you are out-of-the-box.

The use of the document management features such as versioning, check in and check out, search, managed metadata and other out-of-the-box features help you organize and manage documents easily. Finding documents and being able to track documents wherever they are in your site makes this tool easy to use and cuts down on an employee’s time looking for documents, using email to manage documents and knowing they have the right version of the document because it’s in a centralized location.

There are training aspects in using the tool effectively, but do not take long to grasp and understand. Workflow is also improved in this version of SharePoint. Workflow lets you create a business solution using the combination of functionality within lists and workflow actions to create a business process that flows through an easy or more complex process. SharePoint Designer 2013 allows you to create these flows within the tool once the SharePoint farm is configured to host the integration of the tool.

From my experience, it’s not the product needing improvement, but the way organizations deploy the enterprise solution. When 2007 SharePoint came around, there was no documentation and information given by Microsoft on their website. You were on your own, basically, looking at blogs and relying on others' failures. Now, there is no excuse to have a badly configured SharePoint farm and or using best practices to make sure your configuration is solid.

There are organizations who deploy this solution enterprise-wide with no training for users or administrative IT support, which is also a big area that needs improvement. Although SharePoint is fairly easy to use, you still want to get total buy-in on the product, so training helps bridge the gap to get that buy-in to use the product going forward. It also helps to show how users can make the most of the solutions and services SharePoint has to offer. Coming up with a couple of how-to demonstrations and even a site with some bells and whistles the users can play with always helps with getting support of the new solutions and services.

Organizations are also not providing governance as to how the user community will use the solution within the organization. Governance is the most important aspect of getting the solution configured for your organizations use. Providing rules for everyone who plans to use the services of SharePoint 2013 is the key to success. Also, bringing representatives from all departments as stakeholders into a working group to meet, vote and share information about what they would like to do with the new tools is also key. You can avoid duplicate efforts for development and other pitfalls that may fall outside of your governance plan by including other departments. This way, your new SharePoint farm does not get the wild, wild west treatment where everyone is doing their own thing.

After working and supporting over 100 companies, I can honestly say only two companies had governance documents in place at their organization, with working stakeholder groups to support the solutions and services. Remember, governance helps with looking at restricted and accepted practices within the solutions and services provided by, in this case, SharePoint 2013. It's just like going to the Office 365 site and looking at exactly what I can and cannot do within the cloud offering, which could be based on data sizing and other parameters I might be looking for to support my organization.

The governance document is used for on-premise implementations, so you can design, install and configure your internal farm based on those configuration parameters laid out in your governance documentation. After you get the governance rules in place, you then create a design document that will capture all configurations within the farm. This will layout how the SharePoint farm should be configured based on SQL, SharePoint, backup, restore, DR and any other third-party tools and configurations.

The next document would then be your installation guide, which is based off of the design document. This shows how all the components mentioned in the design document will be installed and configured based on the design document's configuration parameters. This is just a quick summary of what needs to be done before you do anything with installation of software. Following best practices and other Microsoft documentation for all these documents and the installation of the software is the key to success with this enterprise solution.

I have used this version for 3 1/2 years (15 years overall with SharePoint).

In some very rare cases, you might see that Windows updates can interrupt your service, but Microsoft is very quick to fix the issue. Other than that, it’s the users’ empowerment that is in play in this environment overall. You are providing a platform that empowers the users of the product to manage themselves. For example, instead of a call to the help desk, you have what are known as site collection administrators and owners. These power users manage the security of the site. So, instead of having a call to the help desk, the group’s power user can manage these calls themselves, which takes a load off of the help desk. This is one of many examples.

SharePoint 2013 is very scalable. The problem is IT departments that don't understand the solution start in the wrong direction, which can lead to reinstalls and other interruptions because of the initial configuration. Again, following best practices and building a good solid foundation is how you avoid complications later with growth and other scalability issues.

Microsoft has great support for this product, as well as the SharePoint user community, where there are sites with information you can search from any search engine. Microsoft also has technical support pages that give you insights to installation, configuration and troubleshooting the product. You can also call 24/7 and get support from technicians from all aspects the product uses, such as SQL Server, Visual Studio, SharePoint Designer, PowerPivot and other integrations. There are also many third-party solutions out there to help with all aspects of the product from functionality, usability, 508 compliance, BLOB storage, backup and recovery, and a host of other areas in this version of the software.

I was a FileNet administrator but switched to SharePoint because of the integration of the Office products. I know that FileNet is a great product as well, but Microsoft has done a great job of integrating SharePoint with the Office suite. This drove my decision to move to SharePoint as a support engineer.

The initial setup as explained is complex. You need to understand what you’re doing as an IT engineer and also where this product will be in five years, as far as it being part of your enterprise. If you set up the wrong version of the product or the wrong version of SQL Server, you will not get the features you might be looking for. It’s best to see how the product will be used by your organization, and the bells and whistles your management is looking for to solve issues within your company.

When choosing a platform, just be aware there are choices. The choice you make in the beginning can make or break your installation and your goals for your organization. Think clearly and meet with other departments. Don't let IT do it alone. You want the buy-in and input from all parts of your organization.

In choosing options for services we looked at eRoom. eRoom’s interface was primitive and did not provide the functionality we were looking for and integration with Office. It also was not easy to use and it was not easy to empower users to create sites and manage their own security easily. I also believe that the training would have been more in depth with this product, as with Microsoft they have a way of making interfaces similar so you know where to look to find information and menus.

Find a certified person or company that can help you get started. This might cost a little up front, but your return on investment will be great. Do not go it alone. Again, the initial implementation is everything to the foundation of the product working for you. The version of software you choose can also determine what services you can make use of and can save you money.

We use the product for creating department-specific sites within our organization. Each department has its dedicated site, named accordingly, with a designated owner responsible for managing the specific department's site.

SharePoint's most valuable feature is the permission. It allows users to add and edit the data but can't delete anything. Some users prefer deleting the files when they leave an organization. Here, the product helps us save the data.

There are challenges related to permissions and file visibility within SharePoint, particularly when less experienced users are managing sites. One issue is that when users mistakenly hide files or set permissions incorrectly, it can lead to files becoming inaccessible, requiring intervention from Microsoft support to resolve. It takes a long time, sometimes around two months, to resolve the query. Instead, they could provide enough background information on how to use the product for beginners to improve this area.

We have been using SharePoint for two to three years. It is 100% a cloud service.

Compared to OneDrive, SharePoint has been a more stable product. Many times, the systems crash due to accidental sign-ups. Managing these crashes involved unlinking the files, sometimes causing them to be associated with personal accounts instead of the organization's email, leading to numerous challenges.

We have 100 SharePoint users in our organization. We encountered challenges with the default storage limitations, which initially provided one terabyte. However, we have found a solution by learning how to extract additional storage, expanding it up to five terabytes for certain customers. This enhancement is facilitated through an add-on extra storage feature, allowing users to surpass the initial limitations and manage storage more effectively. Users must understand that each line typically grants ten gigabytes, and when deleted, this allocated storage decreases. Adding extra storage ensures scalability and enables users to accommodate increased data requirements efficiently.

The technical support team takes a long time to reply. However, I don't have any problem with it, as I can understand the complexities of the work.

Positive

The initial setup is easy. You can download it on the desktop by clicking the synchronization command and ensuring appropriate licensing.

SharePoint generates a return on investment in streamlining control across various departments. From HR to design to IT policies, it allows the creation of dedicated sites for policies, incident reports, and general announcements. This centralized platform facilitates easy sharing and access, ensuring that every new employee receives access to essential files.

The platform has medium pricing.

SharePoint is much easier to use than OneDrive. We encountered challenges with OneDrive due to permissions and accidental sign-ins, leading to crashes. It connects through email, preventing such issues.

I advise others to learn about the product through simple videos on Microsoft's website. They might take two months to discover the files if they are accidentally hidden. Thus, it is crucial to access these resources before creating sites as they help in understanding the three types of sites available within SharePoint: communication, team, and hub.

I recommend SharePoint to others and rate it an eight out of ten.

We use SharePoint for intranet purposes.

The most valuable feature is the ability to easily build intranet sites for communicating within teams, storing documentation, product information, pricing policies, updates on product infrastructure, and other related news.

Perhaps it would be possible to add more design tools to improve the platform. While the current design is good, other similar platforms, such as Wix.com, offer better design tools. Wix.com is a website-building site that specializes in this area. Microsoft could take inspiration from them and incorporate similar tools.

The initial setup is complex and has room for improvement.

The documentation is poor and has room for improvement.

I have been using SharePoint for a few years.

I give SharePoint's stability an eight out of ten because of the mobile app integration issues.

I give SharePoint's scalability a ten out of ten.

The technical support is inadequate, and this appears to be a common experience shared by many online.

The initial setup process is complicated, and unfortunately, the available documentation and guidance are inadequate. As a result, we have to resort to watching online tutorials, reading forums, and even asking friends for help. The most challenging aspect of the setup is integrating the website with the mobile app.

I give the initial setup a six out of ten.

My team took two weeks to complete the deployment. We began by collecting the necessary documentation to include on the intranet site. Then, we created four design templates for the pages and utilized them to develop product information, pricing policies, news postings, and the most effective communication menu for our team.

The implementation was completed in-house.

SharePoint is included with our Microsoft license.

SharePoint is more complex and less intuitive than Wix.com, making it harder to design and create templates.

I give SharePoint an eight out of ten.

We have 30 technical people that use SharePoint within our organization.

I recommend that prospective users watch the instructional videos before searching extensively, as this will save them time. While the accompanying documentation may be lacking, many helpful videos can be found on YouTube and other platforms. I believe that investing time in these videos will ultimately result in time saved.

We are a company that provides Microsoft cloud services and data sourcing. Our business involves reselling licenses and equipment.

It offers an easy way to store unstructured content (.pdf, .doc, .xls, images) and to tag them with metadata. More complex solutions may involve workflow up receipt of the content.

Replace paper file cabinets with electronic images which can be duplicated for disaster recovery purposes. Workflow can be used to notify or obtain approval covering the document.

Too many versions being released in a short time period. Too much time being devoted to migration planning.

Over 10 years, working with different versions up through 2013.

Stability issues are usually related to poor architecture planning, or solutions developed without a knowledge of how the tool works.

If properly deployed, the solution is very scalable. It’s really easy to have many servers in a farm solution, and many farms in an enterprise solution.

Trying to get technical support from Microsoft is always challenging. It seems large Fortune 1000 companies can get support.

You can deploy a web/database solution but it will take a lot of development time. SharePoint is a Rapid Application Development platform where a simple library, indexed, can be deployed in minutes.

The setup is straightforward, however many of the architecture issues should be discussed prior to deployment. Matching the setup to the organization’s needscan make the installation complex.

It’s not cheap. Through version 2010, there was a "free" version called Foundation. All of the good features are in the Standard and Enterprise versions. Starting with 2013, the Foundation version was discontinued.
Licensing can be by server or by seat.

There are similar solutions, like Lotus Notes/Domino and open source versions.

Open source rarely offers support, and I wouldn’t want to have a systems issue with all of my content locked up.

As long as you work within the constraints of the software, working with out-of-the-box tools, the product is great. If you start to customize the solution too much or install code on the servers, migrations and upgrades become a problem.

Spend some time and money up front discussing your wants and needs with someone who is knowledgeable. For content management, think about the whole lifecycle, from receipt to purging the content from your system.

SharePoint is a backend for Microsoft Teams. We predominantly use Teams and OneDrive. We use them to manage all our systems integration and documents. We collaborate with documents and design. The product is the central repository for our business. We also use it for document control.

The product provides flexibility in collaboration. It is a simple tool. We use it across the board for scheduling and resource management. I use a lot of the add-ons. It is a very valuable product.

The solution doesn’t support PDF signatures on Android. My staff has tablets and phones. We couldn’t sign the documents on Android. It was quite problematic.

I have been using the solution for five to six years.

We haven't had any issues with the tool’s stability.

I never had an issue with the tool’s scalability. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten. We have 120 users.

I have deployed the tool for two businesses. It is not easy to navigate. The initial setup process is not intuitive. Other platforms are intuitive with the setup. Once it's set up, it's good. It is a cloud-based solution.

The pricing is competitive.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Among the most useful features I like are: the site permissions (distributed governance model), the social enterprise features (micro blogs, activity feeds, community sites, Following, Likes and Reputations), app store, search and query, external data access, security, site management and site customizations.

It's been a process-improvement catalyst in the sense that it enabled and empowered real-time collaboration and dashboard tracking of business intelligence reports and performance analytics. It's certainly reduced the number of hours needed to create, update and maintain worksheets and forms hosted on legacy systems, databases and it also reduced overhead on obsolete file repositories.

Well, for SharePoint Online, the add-on features which are free tend to expire within a month or earlier. It would be great if these free add-on features would last longer or last permanently.

I have been using SharePoint since 2012.

We have not encountered any deployment issues, fortunately.

We have not encountered any stability issues.

We have not encountered any scalability issues.

The customer service I would rate a 3.5 out of 5 (5 being highest); responsive, timely, proactive.

The tech support I would rate a 3.5 out of 5 (5 being highest); responsive, strategic, proactive and precise.

We used an open-source CMS (Joomla-based) and due to the limitations, we switched to SharePoint.

Very straightforward setup and not that complex.

We used our in-house support team to deliver the implementation.

Not sure about ROI.

Do your due diligence first and conduct an in-depth discovery session with stakeholders prior to designing your solution that uses SharePoint as a platform

We evaluated Alfresco and Confluence, and then decided on SharePoint.

Ease of use, ease of setup, ease of administration, ease of configuration, ease of customization... what's not to like? SharePoint's got exactly what you need. Just don't expect too many frills, bells, whistles in terms of UI, but even then, it gets the job done.