Pros and Cons of Using SharePoint Online for Your Small Business

Using Office 365, which includes SharePoint Online, has become standard in many small businesses. The cloud-based suite contains tools that most of us have used for the longest time, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. The suite has almost the same usability and functionality of the desktop-based programs, which makes it a great choice for small businesses when it comes to creating documents. 

It may be a different matter when it comes to document management. Here we take a look at the pros and cons of the suitability of Office 365 and SharePoint Online when it comes to small business document management. 

PROS 

* Affordability 

Since their resources are limited, small businesses require more affordable solutions. This means that maintaining onsite infrastructure and IT personnel for maintain and supporting document management can be very costly for most small businesses. Making use of SharePoint Online and other cloud-based tools is a good and cheaper alternative. For a small monthly subscription fee, small businesses can afford document management with the convenience of using Microsoft tools that they are already familiar with. 

* Convenience 

Speaking of which, another benefit of using SharePoint Online is familiarity. Since most businesses are using Office 365 to create documents, there's no need to look for other solutions and just stick to using SharePoint online to manage their documents. All the Microsoft-based tools that they need are already accessible in SharePoint Online. 

* Accessibility 

Since everything is cloud-based, small businesses have access to their documents 24/7. They can work from anywhere, anytime. They can use any device, from PCs to smartphones. This is especially handy when it comes to customer service. Salespeople don't have to wait until the next working day to attend to customer concerns. This also enables employees to monitor their businesses while they are away on conferences and tradeshows. 

* Security 

There are concerns about the security of cloud-based data, but Microsoft solves this issue by providing a multi-layer security system. SharePoint Online makes use of permission levels, data encryption, strong user passwords, and multi-factor authentication to prevent security risks. 

CONS 

* Internet-dependent 

Since this is cloud-based, an internet connection is a must for people to work. Anything less than a reliable internet connection just would not do. Since Microsoft doesn't have control over your internet connectivity, they don't have accountability in case troubles arise from lack of connection. 

* Limiting payment model 

A recurring monthly fee is indeed convenient, but it can be restricting in some cases. You have to pay license each month to retain services, whether or not SharePoint Online releases updates or not. If your small business run into financial troubles and couldn't afford to keep track of payments, you may lose access to your documents. 

* Could be too much for some businesses 

Small businesses definitely need document management that involves storage and real-time collaboration. But not all of them need extensive workflow automation, especially if it includes just 2-3 people who are in the same office area. This means that you may not be able to maximise your SharePoint Online, which makes a continuous monthly fee costly.