Recently we’ve had several customers ask us this question in one form or another: “Should my organization be using Microsoft Teams or SharePoint?”.
This question is at the center of a shift in Microsoft’s landscape of team collaboration tools. Here I will breakdown the useful differences of both tools and explain the best scenarios for using Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.
The Trusted Friend You’ve Known Forever: Microsoft SharePoint
SharePoint has been around since 2001 and has gone through some dynamic changes over the years. Recently, Microsoft has revamped the product with the introduction of “modern” features which have truly transformed how SharePoint can be used. When combined with other Microsoft 365 tools such as Power Automate and PowerApps, the new version of SharePoint is a force to be reckoned with.
But why do you need SharePoint now with so many other cloud collaboration options available? It still comes down to SharePoint’s original purpose and what it does best: The Intranet.
SharePoint can’t be replaced when it comes to building beautiful, powerful multi-paged organizational intranets. Whether it be building out a company portal landing page with key resources or creating amazing department sites complete with announcements, documents, and calendars. When it comes to intranets, SharePoint is still the King.
The New Kid in Town: Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams first arrived on the scene in 2017 and quickly became a strong competitor with other team chat/meeting applications such as Slack. However, Microsoft Teams is far more than just a chat application; its focus around collaboration and file management makes it an all-in-one resource for any team wanting to work closely together.
So where does Microsoft Teams excel in areas that SharePoint does not? Teams is the next evolution in collaboration for Microsoft. While groups of users can still use a SharePoint “Team Site” site with great success, Teams give you those extra little tools like channel discussions, application tabs, and easy access to all your teams in one application.
When it comes to team collaboration, especially while working remotely, Microsoft Teams is the new King in this area.Picking a SideThe battle between the best Microsoft 365 collaboration and communication tool is essentially a battle between Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. But you don’t have to pick just one.
As we’ve seen, each excels in their own areas: SharePoint excels at building large beautiful intranets where users can easily find resources, documents, links, and other organizational communication. On the other hand, Teams is a powerful collaboration tool that allows your groups to communicate in channels, share files, use powerful add-ins, and access all your team’s channels in one place.
This is why many of our clients have opted into using both with great success. One does not replace the other- each can be used in different ways to achieve a balanced and powerful cloud infrastructure.
