One of the many important aspects in any organization is having an efficient document management system. Traditionally, businesses relied on on-premises file servers, often a common drive like an f-drive or an o-drive that is accessible from the connected desktops in the office, to store and share their data.
However, with the advent of new technologies, businesses are faced with new challenges and requirements which compel them to digitize their operations and find cloud solutions with more advanced features and options. For this reason, Microsoft SharePoint Online, a cloud-based document sharing and collaboration platform, is a better alternative to file servers.
Not only does SharePoint Online allow users to store, share, and manage data, but it also provides businesses with many capabilities including file versioning, advanced search, compliance features, and more. This article discusses the reasons why you should migrate your workloads to SharePoint Online by going over its advantages and how it differs from a traditional file server.
The Main Features and Benefits of SharePoint Online
1- Collaboration and Productivity tools
Moreover, in SharePoint Online, you can create team sites or groups where site members can have a space to work on projects and share information from anywhere, on any device and collaborate effortlessly. A team site includes a group of related web pages, a default document library for files, and lists for data management.
Another powerful feature your business can benefit from is the ability to create your own intranet in SharePoint Online where you can drive organizational efficiency by sharing common resources and applications on home sites and portals with new and existing employees.
2- Centralized Access
When using a file server, the first issue is that users cannot easily access documents if they are not in the office or connected to the company network via a VPN. Another problem is that a single document might have multiple copies in different locations, which creates confusion amongst users. SharePoint Online solves all these problems by providing users with centralized access to documents that allows users to store, share, and edit documents from anywhere and on any device.
3- Versioning
Unlike legacy on-premises file servers, SharePoint Online saves the version history of your documents which allows you to restore older versions (up to 50,000) of a document and track the changes that have been made. Versioning eliminates confusion, as end users can track, delete, and restore a version if they are given the right permissions to do so.
4- Advanced Search
5- Security and Compliance
One of the main advantages of SharePoint Online is that, unlike a file server, it does not require any third-party apps or products when it comes to security and compliance. Along with SharePoint Online’s built-in virus protection and data encryption, admins can implement additional security and compliance features to add more layers of security to their environment which include the following:
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
It requires users to provide additional information beyond a username and password to access SharePoint to prevent unauthorized access. This can include a code sent via SMS, a fingerprint scan, or an approval request sent by the Microsoft Authenticator mobile app.
- Information Rights Management (IRM)
Organizations can regulate the use of documents and other sensitive data, even after they have been downloaded from SharePoint Online by using the IRM feature. You can control who has access to documents, how they can be used, and how long they can be accessed for. Typical restrictions include making a document read-only, disabling the copying of text, preventing people from saving a local copy, and preventing people from printing the document.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
You can implement data loss prevention in SharePoint Online to protect your sensitive data from being lost, misused, or accessed by unauthorized users. By setting up rules and policies in your organization, you can prevent corporate data from being shared with unauthorized users whether internal or external.
6- Better Integration with Microsoft Products
SharePoint Online integrates with a wide variety of business solutions, especially Microsoft 365 products such as Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and more. By taking advantage of this integration, you can boost productivity and save money through reducing the need for third-party tools and leveraging your existing investment in Microsoft.
Comparing SharePoint Online & File Servers
| Features | SharePoint Online | File Server |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time collaboration | ✔ | x |
| Centralized access | ✔ | x |
| Access without VPNs | ✔ | x |
| Versioning | ✔ | x |
| Advanced search | ✔ | x |
| Built-in security | ✔ | x |
| Security and compliance | ✔ | x |
| Microsoft integration | ✔ | x |
| Setting document permissions | ✔ | x |
Conclusion
With the prevalence of the remote work culture, adopting SharePoint Online as your new-age cloud platform for collaboration and content management will empower your business with many capabilities that cannot be found in legacy on-premises file servers. By offering real-time collaboration, centralized access, versioning, powerful search, security and compliance, and Microsoft integration features, SharePoint Online will equip your environment with the right tools for success.
