Microsoft SharePoint is the most recognizable and “owned” Business Process Management and Collaboration platform on the planet but has the highest fail rate at implementation. When you search the internet for resources on SharePoint, you seem to find more alternative articles than quality use cases. There are 4 major reasons SharePoint Implementations fall short of delivery or fail to roll out altogether.
1. “We already have SharePoint”
The easiest reason to defer to SharePoint from the IT perspective is the name recognition of Microsoft, and the ability to earmark sizable budget dollars for a product with Microsoft’s backing. There is an old adage, no IT guy has ever been fired by choosing IBM. The same applies to SharePoint. Defaulting to SharePoint as a solution however is one out of convenience, not out of practicality. SharePoint’s potential to solve specific business processes is possible, however, companies rarely consider the ongoing management of the platform over time. Complex workflow configuration, Security and Active Directory maintenance, and the frequent updates from Microsoft take manpower to facilitate over and beyond most mid-sized IT Staffs. This leaves many SharePoint implementations left half-baked and far short of the original intention.
2. No Code vs. Low Code
This sounds like a small distinction but can end up being the difference between a successful or failed implementation. Low code still requires Coding, just less of it. This means you still need the development resource, and still require the translation from high-level concepts driven by departments, and then translated into programmatic logic. When processes are not clearly understood it can result in blown budgets due to mis-engineered application development. No Code platforms like OMNIDEK allow for “citizen-developing” meaning the existing department managers can create their own process improvements inside a secure and code-free playground. Simple Drag and Drop process creation and a singular inbox and reporting creator allow for an efficient assembly line of the work process.
3. File Based vs. Database Content Management
The future data-first Content Management model is at odds with SharePoint and the idea of a file sitting in a folder. There seems to be a built-in Microsoft chokepoint of all business processes ending in the storage of the file on a server/cloud, and then that file is attached and sent via email or published/shared on SharePoint. Nearly every application today follows the same chokepoints. In the coming data-driven work sphere, the limitation of the scanned image and arcane file-sharing will be rendered non-necessary and replaced by granular data sharing. This future is seen in Financial and Medical portal collaboration where data is shared granularly without the constraints of an 8 ½ x 11 image. The advantage of granular data sharing can create powerful opportunities for businesses and their contacts to begin doing work together and pave the way for a secure and connected network of business traffic. Due to Sharepoint’s file-based storage structure, many companies are starting to look for other apps and portal platforms to aid in creating granular data sharing protocols which can create additional data silos. This serves as a counter to the overarching goal of SharePoint serving as the centralized hub for content and creates difficult management of multiple sharing platforms.
The windows folder structure gave us 50 years of shelf life, but as it reaches its sunset one must ask the question, should the future IT budgets be spent on legacy file-driven platforms like SharePoint or a potential change agent?
How Omnidek Compares with SharePoint.
Omnidek’s business platform is designed to offer an immediate solution for clients looking to automate all their business workflows and forms through a singular portal built for internal and external collaboration. Long-term, the act of consolidating a business’s workflow from document/file-based content management to “smart data” successfully positions a business’s data to take advantage of complex computing (ML and AI) as well as practical integrations and hooks into the blockchain. Omnidek offers a multi-million-dollar intranet and extranet implementation for $25/user/month and implements in a few hours. OMnidek believes the future of business is portal collaboration for all, and with their new business platform, it is finally affordable for every business.
Omnidek offers a lighter and simpler platform to create both internal and external portaling for businesses. Although SharePoint offers highly robust rules engines and enterprise-level sophistication, most companies have much simpler Departmental workflows, and under 50 impacted employees per workflow. We believe Omnidek’s platform provides the perfect balance of dynamics with usability. Companies can build out their own form’s portal in hours with the Omnidek “no-code” form designer and continuously roll out additional workflows over the life of the application with no training required. Omnidek provides a highly visible and collaborative “group chat” style interface for work process management and allows for these processes to be extended outside of the company to engage with customers, vendors or any individual that interacts with your business while allowing them to communicate and effect workflow within the platform.
