Centralpoint vs. SharePoint: Uncovering the Key Differences

Why Centralpoint might be your better choice for knowledge management and collaboration.

SharePoint, with its long history and widespread adoption, has been a staple in many organizations. Nevertheless, as technology evolves, so do the challenges associated with this platform. In this article, we'll explore why Centralpoint is emerging as a strong alternative to SharePoint by examining the limitations of the latter and the advantages of the former. Don't take our word for it, see how Gartner makes the comparison yourself by clicking here



Benefits of Centralpoint:

1. Simplicity and Customization:

SharePoint has often required extensive customization and developer resources to meet specific business needs. In contrast, Centralpoint offers a more intuitive user experience out of the box. With its user-friendly interface and extensive customization options, organizations can tailor Centralpoint to their requirements without the need for costly developer intervention.

2. Cost-Effectiveness:

SharePoint has historically been associated with high setup and maintenance costs. Centralpoint, on the other hand, offers a cost-effective solution with pricing models that cater to various budgets. This affordability makes Centralpoint an attractive choice for organizations of all sizes.

3. Efficient Knowledge Management:

Centralpoint excels in knowledge management, providing a central repository for information and insights. With advanced search capabilities and the ability to follow posts, authors, tags, and more, Centralpoint streamlines information retrieval and promotes efficient collaboration.

4. Modern User Interface:

One of SharePoint's limitations is its dated user interface. Centralpoint offers a modern and visually appealing design, making it more engaging for users. This contemporary interface enhances user experience and encourages active participation.

Drawbacks of SharePoint:

1. Complexity in Setup and Maintenance:

SharePoint's customizability often requires external developers, resulting in complex setup and ongoing maintenance. Many organizations lack in-house SharePoint administrators, leading to additional costs and complexities.

2. High Costs:

SharePoint's licensing system and subscription levels can be confusing, leading to unexpected expenses. Subscription costs can quickly add up, making SharePoint a costly choice, especially for larger organizations.

3. Employee Training:

The customization of SharePoint necessitates employee training, both in terms of cost and time. Microsoft recommends weeks or months of training, which can be a significant investment for organizations.

4. Poor Search Capabilities:

SharePoint's search capabilities have been a common pain point, leading to time-consuming searches and productivity loss. Limited search functionality can hinder information retrieval. This is predominately due to the fact that records are not fully text indexed, or enriched, as they are in Oxcyon's Centralpoint. Furthermore, the records stored in sharepoint, due to the use of multiple SQL databases, vs. only one (more intelligently designed) database in Centralpoint.; not everyone can access all documents, even if they are intended to.

5. Slow Adaptation to Technological Advances:

SharePoint's massive platform size makes updates infrequent and substantial. This lack of agility can leave organizations with tools they don't need while missing out on more nimble alternatives.

Conclusion:

Choosing the right platform for knowledge management and collaboration is crucial for organizational success. While SharePoint has its merits, Centralpoint stands out as a more user-friendly, cost-effective, and modern alternative. Organizations should carefully assess their needs and resources before committing to a platform, keeping in mind the evolving landscape of technology and user expectations. In a world where simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and efficient knowledge management are paramount, Centralpoint shines as a compelling choice for forward-thinking organizations.

Sharepoint depends on multiple instances of SQL databases (note: plural) to seemlessly organize your information. In reality it is merely storing your information in many different databases, and is not being stored within a singular, centralized database. Centralpoint Digital Experience Platform is built upon a singular database, but is designed to consider much more. Centralpoint can manage all of your records within a singular database, but due to our superior database design, it consider much more. Centralpoint considers the many Audiences, taxonomies and Roles which that one singular record relates to. This means everyone may be searching the same database, but the filter of which records meet their Audiences or role(s) are considered with each page view. This empowers you to manage your information as a source of truth. One update to a singular record (or element) could cascade through and to only some users or all....from a central point. 

Centralpoint's more intelligent database design allows us to do more with less, rendering dynamic DITA documents or webpages uniquely for each user.  Centralpoint provides you with greater functionality which you can see in our Module Gallery. Centralpoint is easier to manage and is far more flexible than Sharepoint. Centralpoint, like Sharepoint, authenticates with Active Directory to securely welcome and serve each user, but it also integrates with others; like SAML, oAuth, OpenID or custom sources. This means that you have a more agnostic way to deal with all users, regardless of where they may authenticate from. 

Centralpoint also does more when it comes to tracking the activity of each user. Centralpoint's support of Deep Links allow that Authentication to do more for each user once logged in, like provide them single click access to other applications without having to sign in again. Centralpoint also tracks all user activity, considerate of Gamification, allowing you to see each user's usage, but also to quantify and incentivize those to interact more. If considering an alternative to Sharepoint is political, Centralpoint can be used to enhance your existing Sharepoint installation. We get it, moving something like Sharepoint is herculean and difficult. In this example, Centralpoint can live on top or aside Sharepoint, providing the robust log in, UI/UX, Design, but most all records submitted can be deposited directly into Sharepoint.  

Should you be interested in sunsetting Sharepoint, Centralpoint offers tools built specifically for this purpose. Centralpoint's Export from Sharepoint, allow us to restore all records and files from Sharepoint to next ingest into Centralpoint, mapping all relevant fields. This can save you a fortune in license fee reductions, and perhaps make all files from Sharepoint better searched, as Centralpoint not only searches the records (by title or author) but can even search the contents of files previously stored within Sharepoint (like MS/Word, PDF, PPT, and XLS)