According to Microsoft, more than 200,000 organisations and 190 million people have SharePoint for intranets, team sites and content management.
With SharePoint, you can create a central information hub for your business, so everyone can tap into the same documents and resources.
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
Today, we’re going to be comparing two setup variations of SharePoint:
SharePoint Online vs On Premises
So, how do you choose the right platform for your business?
First, let’s find out what they are:
Contents
- What is SharePoint?
- Why should I use SharePoint?
- What are the main differences between SharePoint Online and On Premises?
- What is a SharePoint hybrid?
- When should I choose SharePoint Online?
- When should I choose SharePoint On Premises?
- Final thoughts
- Did you know?
What are the main differences between SharePoint Online and On Premise?
Dedicated Hardware
- SharePoint Online:Uses Microsoft Cloud data centres. Does not need dedicated onsite hardware.
- SharePoint On Premise:Requires purchase of onsite dedicated hardware.
Updates & Infrastructure
- SharePoint Online:Automatic updates and patches are carried out by Microsoft.
- SharePoint On Premise:Maintained by your internal IT team and kept up to date with patches and other updates.
Data Backups
- SharePoint Online: Backups are managed by Microsoft, with limitations. Read about Microsoft’s Shared Responsibility Model when backing up Office/Microsoft 365.
- SharePoint On Premise: Backups will need to be created, tested, and managed by your IT support team within your local environment.
Data Storage
- SharePoint Online:Data is cloud based.
- SharePoint On Premise:Data is stored on your local network.
Data Security
- SharePoint Online:Data is maintained according to industry-specific security standards.
- SharePoint On Premise:You will be responsible for the security of your data.
Costs
- SharePoint Online:Part of your Microsoft 365 plan. Billed monthly per user.
- SharePoint On Premise:You’re looking at the purchase and upkeep of hardware, along with the cost of licenses, etc.
Customisations
- SharePoint Online:Limited customisations.
- SharePoint On Premise:Unlimited customisations.
External Users
- SharePoint Online:Can be easily expanded with a variety of Azure services, to connect external users.
- SharePoint On Premise:Infrastructure for connecting external users must be built and adjusted manually.
Scalability
- SharePoint Online:Microsoft takes care of scalability.
- SharePoint On Premise:Scalability is your responsibility.
New Tools
- SharePoint Online:Tools and functions are continuously introduced and updated by Microsoft.
- SharePoint On Premise:Tools and functions are made available by your IT support team when available.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, your decision will depend on your business requirements for business continuity, compliance standards, information security, and digital transformation.
Online and On Premises are similar in terms of basic functional coverage.
SharePoint On Premise is dependent on your internal capabilities and regulatory requirements.
It allows more direct control over your information and compliance standards.
However, it brings with itgreater complexity.
SharePoint Online issimplerto setup and manage.
We really hope you enjoyed our comparison to SharePoint Online vs On Premise.
Now we’d like to hear from you:
Do you have any further questions about SharePoint?
Perhaps you are considering it at the moment?
Either way, let us know your thoughts.
Did you know?💡
As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we specialise in SharePoint development.
We can help with SharePoint advice, installations, migrations, support, backup solutions and anything else in between.
Get in touch today or give us a call on +44 (0)1603 431200.
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![SharePoint Online 🆚 SharePoint On Premise - What's the difference [2024] (2024)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mP8/h8AAvMB+NzmkbcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)