Tell me more ×
SharePoint Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for SharePoint enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 0 down vote favorite

I realize this might be kind of a weird question to ask here, but maybe someone can give me some insight into whether SharePoint is the right thing for our needs, or suggest a (possibly free) alternative. I did some research on SharePoint, but I'm still not sure what exactly it is/can do. From the looks of it, it can do tons of stuff, but it kind of looks like overkill to me. I was going to test the trial version to get a feel for it, but it has insane system requirements (4 cores??) and won't install on my test system. I don't feel I can make a decision based on what I read about it.

So here is the thing: what we are looking for is just a simple way to organize files, mainly images and documents like DOC, PDF and so on. There should be a way to tag them and search for them later. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? I don't think we need all the social stuff and what not. Currently, we are not using any computer-based content management. The impression I got is that SharePoint is for larger needs/companies.

It would be nice if someone with SharePoint experience could share his/her opinion and maybe suggest an alternative for our "minimal" needs. We could also create a new platform from scratch just using PHP and an SQL database. I don't know if it makes sense to "reinvent the wheel". But it might be less costly.

Thanks for your input in advance.

share|improve this question
Sorry.. I think your question is not a good fit here since there isn't a definitive answer and will likely result in a lot of discussion. You might also try /r/sharepoint or the msdn forums. – Kit Menke♦ Mar 1 '12 at 15:02
I will say that SharePoint is really good for document management especially if you use primarily Microsoft Office apps. You could look at SharePoint Online as well. You mentioned PHP so you might look at using Wordpress as a CMS.. there are tons of other CMS solutions. – Kit Menke♦ Mar 1 '12 at 15:05

closed as not constructive by PirateEric, Kit Menke♦ Mar 1 '12 at 15:02

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

1 Answer

up vote 0 down vote

You may want to consider Search Server Express 2010. It has the same capabilities as SharePoint Foundation with a richer search experience for up to 10 million items. It is also free and allows you to reap many of the benefits of SharePoint without the extra things you may not need. Don't forget there are lots of versions of SharePoint as well. SharePoint Foundation, SharePoint Server Standard and Enterprise are the other versions that you might want to investigate. You are not locked in to a particular one to get the same benefits and ease of collaboration and search.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.