{"id":1130,"date":"2012-04-09T20:52:02","date_gmt":"2012-04-10T03:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.brainlitter.com\/2012\/04\/09\/sharepoint-vs-the-file-server-13-reasons-why-sharepoint-kicks-your-file-servers-butt\/"},"modified":"2012-04-09T20:52:02","modified_gmt":"2012-04-10T03:52:02","slug":"sharepoint-vs-the-file-server-13-reasons-why-sharepoint-kicks-your-file-servers-butt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regroove.ca\/brainlitter\/2012\/04\/09\/sharepoint-vs-the-file-server-13-reasons-why-sharepoint-kicks-your-file-servers-butt\/","title":{"rendered":"SharePoint vs. The File Server – 13 Reasons why SharePoint Kicks your File Server’s butt!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Access your Business Data – Anytime, from Anywhere on Anything with SharePoint Document Libraries \u2013 contact www.itgroove.net<\/a> for help!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I wrote this about 5 or 6 years ago.\u00a0 But when I switched blog platforms, I lost the content and realized the content has fallen off the Google cache for the most part too.\u00a0 Tonight I found it (on my mother in laws computer of all places) so I figured I\u2019d just steal from myself and post it again\u2026 Apologies if you\u2019ve been here or done that.\u00a0 That said, I\u2019ll take a moment to update this information with some relevant 2010 information as well.<\/p>\n

13 Reasons why SharePoint Kicks your File Server’s butt!<\/h4>\n

My favourite number is 42.\u00a0 That would be a tall order (but I imagine I could come up with 42 reasons why SharePoint is better than a file server).\u00a0 So, I went with my second favourite number – Number 13<\/strong> – it’s a lonely number and also the digits on the back of the sweater of my favourite hockey player, Mats Sundin, the current<\/span> captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs – Go Leafs!! \u2013 Update<\/span>: wow it has<\/strong> been a long time since I wrote this\u2026 Sundin and any Leafs Playoff success is just so long ago now\u2026 <sad face><\/p>\n

Thus, I present to you, 13 reasons why SharePoint Document Libraries tear the pants off of your File Server (and dropbox, box.net, for that matter).<\/p>\n

SharePoint dethrones your file server because it provides…<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Web based access to your files from anywhere<\/b> (work, home, the airport) and from anything (PC, MAC, Tablet, mobile devices, whatever) – in a Web browser or familiar Explorer view<\/li>\n
  2. SharePoint offers a “Two Stage” recycle bin<\/b> – if you delete a file in SharePoint, you can restore it from the site’s recycle bin, if you delete it from the site, the administrator can still restore it for you, with the click of a button<\/li>\n
  3. SharePoint provides Check-In\/Check-Out<\/b> abilities – when a file is checked out, others that try to edit the file will be informed that you have it, and it will prevent them from overwriting your work<\/li>\n
  4. SharePoint provides Version History<\/b> (and backups).\u00a0 If you edit a document and don’t like the changes since the last time you saved, simply revert to a\u00a0 previously saved version.\u00a0 You can employ simple Major Versions or enjoy Major\/Minor Versioning (where you \u201cpublish a Major Version\u201d when you are satisfied)<\/li>\n
  5. SharePoint saves money (and storage space\/backups) <\/strong>by storing only one copy of your document.\u00a0 If you want others to edit or review a document, you simply send them a link to the document, instead of the document itself. This means you always know where the original document is (We call it \u201cone version of the truth\u201d), and this prevents the common scenario of the document being spread around and stored on PC’s and in users’ inboxes (and ultimately, backed up repeatedly as well)<\/li>\n
  6. SharePoint allows you to view and find your documents in whatever manner you wish<\/b> – RSS feeds, customized views, Metadata\/sorting filtering, whatever. And users can define their own individual preferences for finding their data<\/li>\n
  7. SharePoint provides Workflow<\/b> capabilities – your documents are the Payload and the workflow defines what happens next.\u00a0 SharePoint provides the following workflows *out of the box* (with more that can be programmed) to manage them; Three State, Approval, Collect Feedback, Collect Signatures and Records Management Disposition Approval.\u00a0 And of course you can roll your own using SharePoint Designer<\/a> or if you haven\u2019t explored Nintex<\/a> yet, you should\u2026<\/li>\n
  8. You can email directly to a SharePoint document library<\/strong> (just imagine, being able to ‘CC’ your file server to store copies of documents (or better yet scanned receipts that are searchable!)<\/li>\n
  9. SharePoint document libraries can be moderated<\/strong>.\u00a0 Designate someone to manage the documents in each library, to ensure only the documents that have been approved, are available for viewing<\/li>\n
  10. SharePoint libraries can be RSS enabled<\/strong> – Cool.\u00a0 Not sure what RSS is?\u00a0 Click here<\/a> to find out<\/li>\n
  11. SharePoint can notify you (by email) when a document has been added, modified or deleted<\/strong>.\u00a0 You can be alerted whenever you prefer; Immediately, or via a daily or weekly summary (digest)<\/li>\n
  12. When using Outlook<\/a> or SharePoint Workspace 2010<\/a>\u00a0you can take a SharePoint document *offline* <\/strong>(such as at 10,000 feet in Business Class) and it will synchronize it for you once you reconnect<\/li>\n
  13. Okay, this could have easily been #1.\u00a0 SharePoint Search – find your data whether it be the name of the document or the text inside the document, in less than a second<\/strong> – ‘Nuff Said!\u00a0 Word, Excel or even PDF’s (and many more) can be indexed by SharePoint<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Take that file server! Go back to 1986!\u00a0\u00a0 And tell Mr. T we said “We Pity the File Server”<\/h4>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Not enough? Well, I promised to stop at 13 but here\u2019s some more things to think about, many of which are new to 2010 (some are old classics that didn\u2019t make the short list last time):<\/p>\n