However, if you are not using a document management system (like SharePoint or OneDrive) , you aren’t storing and sharing these documents effectively. How many times have you wished you could quickly search the large file share at your company? Accidentally edited an older version of a document you thought was current? Had to remove old emails from your Inbox because you are running out of space with emails containing attachments?
Let’s compare some of the advantages of storing documents on a file share vs. SharePoint (most of this applies to OneDrive as well).
Traditional Method - File Shares / Local Storage:
- Files are emailed and/or stored on local or shared drives – Users must be also typically by on the network to access them
- No version control and files can be overridden on shared drives with no auditing or history
- No “single source” of the truth
- Multiple people have multiple copies
- No way to search shared drives efficiently
- No metadata tied to the document (beyond basic Office information, like Title and Description) – i.e. no information about the content other than what’s in the document
- No alerts when content is changed
SharePoint/OneDrive Method - Using a collaborative, document management system:
- Files are stored in smart, collaborative location with check-in/check-out, version history and auditing – “one version” of the truth
- All content can be accessed anywhere you have access to a web browser
- Metadata can be specified and tied to the document
- All content can be found via Search, including document contents and metadata Users simply email a link to the document – no “multiple copies” problem
- Users can be alerted when content changes
- Files can be opened and saved directly from Microsoft Office (2007 and newer)
As you can see, keeping documents in SharePoint provides a clear advantage over the traditional use of file shares. Plus, SharePoint can be used for lots of other content, business intelligence, application development, business process automation, etc.
A few tips:
Careful planning is essential - mapping out the kinds of documents and the properties of those documents, and how SharePoint features like dynamic metadata driven navigation, document routing and document sets will impact and enhance the user experience
- Carefully planning your site architecture
- Understanding your desktop infrastructure - current versions of Windows, Office and web browsers are critical for a smooth user experience
- The companies that fail are the ones that treat SharePoint just as if it is another file share - no planning, just build it and go.
Originally posted on the Project Leadership blog at http://www.projectleadership.net/blogs_details.php?id=2302 - the original post is no longer available.
NOTE: This was the most popular post I created when I was at PLA. I have since used this content in many presentations. I have updated a bit since the original post, mostly version tweaks since this applies to all versions of SharePoint and referencing OneDrive.
