SharePoint vs. OnBase – The Right Tool for the Job

The thing about a grandparent’s lesson is how it resonates beyond the topic at hand. Why? It could be because we receive the lessons when we ourselves are young. It could be that as children our grandparents seem exceedingly wise: stories of life during the depression, life before electricity, or how they could scold us in another language.

I was blessed with two grandfathers that had a hand in raising me. My mother’s dad still runs a farm in central Wisconsin. I spent many summer days trying to help on that farm when I was young. Usually it led to me causing a problem for Grandpa. Predictably, my grandfather would spit out a few words in German, offer me advice, and then let me solve my own problem. I would get advice such as… “Pounding a nail with a wrench doesn’t make it a hammer, go get the right tool or you will end up with bad work.”

Having the right tool for the job is a timeless concept. It applies to all industries and all departments. Choosing a hammer from the toolbox is simple. Identifying the proper Enterprise Content Management software is not as straightforward. Nevertheless, every tool in this space has a strength. Just as a hammer and a wrench have different strengths, so does OnBase and SharePoint. There are things they each do extremely well. Simply put, SharePoint is for File-Sync and collaboration; OnBase is for Enterprise Content Management and Workflow. Just as it would be unfair to judge a wrench on its ability to pound a nail, it would be unfair to judge SharePoint on its ability to be an ECM repository or Case Management tool.

SharePoint

SharePoint is a great collaboration tool. SharePoint was not designed to be an ECM tool. It requires 3^rd party applications to push it into the ECM conversation. If imaging, workflow, case management, or records management come into play, there are multiple add-ons needed to make SharePoint workable as an ECM solution. Imagine upgrading an ECM system that was supplied by multiple manufacturers with various different upgrade schedules and supply service packs. And, who knows if those applications will still cooperate after those updates. The backend work must be stressful and time-consuming.

OnBase

On the other hand, OnBase was built to manage content and be a complete Enterprise Information Platform. OneDataBase, or OnBase, is ready for the future because it was built for it. OnBase has the ability to scale. OnBase handles upgrades in stride. OnBase integrates with core business programs. OnBase works seamlessly with line-of-business programs that keep employees supplied with data and applicable content. Hyland’s modular approach to OnBase is dependable, durable, predictable, and flexible through the rapid changes business users demand from today’s bi-modal IT professionals.

If SharePoint is free, how can OnBase be the better value? Simple: it’s the right tool for the job. At Naviant, our consultants are not 85-year-old farmers from central Wisconsin, but they know a thing or two about giving the right advice. When we advise our clients, our only concern is the best possible result for that specific client. When it comes to ECM solutions, there is a reason we frequently recommend Hyland, the creator of OnBase. OnBase is the right tool for the ECM job.