Microsoft SharePoint versus Lotus Quickr

Choosing the right collaboration software for your company is a tricky and difficult task. Determining required hardware, operating system, licensing costs and the necessary bandwidth can make the whole idea seem more complicated than it needs to be. The followig is information that will explain the differences between the leading software products in this category: Microsoft SharePoint and Lotus Quickr.

Microsoft SharePoint Benefits

Familiar Interfaces

Tools are only as good as your staff is at using them. SharePoint uses comprehensible Microsoft tools and interfaces that make learning easy for you and your staff.

Fits into the computing infrastructure for most businesses

Organizations operating within a Microsoft environment, using such programs as Windows XP, Vista, and Office 2003/2007 to rely on business, SharePoint fits right into their current computing model with less hindrance in communication between your business critical applications. SharePoint can integrate with their favorite Microsoft programs and extends functionality.

Seamless Upgrading

Growing businesses want a long–term solution that scales as they do. With SharePoint, companies can start small with Windows SharePoint Services (WSS). Then, as collaboration needs grow, they can easily upgrade and migrate to a dedicated Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS). When upgrading to MOSS, companies get enhanced security for Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and features such as email and IM connections with your applications.

Huge array of functional application templates and Web Parts

SharePoint can be extended to fit business processes with customizable SharePoint templates and Web Parts – all within a Microsoft supported framework.

Microsoft SharePoint Editions

Windows SharePoint Services

This edition, which is free with Windows Server 2003, has functionality not found in Quickr such as:

• Lookup fields to other lists. This can be done  through Lotus Designer or other way, but not inside Quickr itself
• Connect to business data. Select your customer name in document's metadata. You aren't able to setup this functionality in WSS itself and have to use other tools for data definition, but after that it works and as user you can use this definition where you want
• Metadata editing in Microsoft Office. It is really handy for users
• Integration with Windows as network place. There is no need to install any connector
  Outlook integration with calendars and tasks or for offline use
  

Microsoft Office SharePoint Services

The full version of MOSS, which is paid, offers some additional functionalities:

• Ability to index filesystem or MS Exchange for search or you can use the Microsoft Search Server Express for free if you want to have the same functionality in WSS.
• People's profiles where they can create their own places and store information
• It is possible to separate tasks to different machines
• Enterprise solution focused while WSS is more a team solution. It is not important to think about this from beginning probably, because it offers some better management functionalities

Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise

The Enterprise edition, where organizations have to licence just the client part, has some really interesting functionalities:

• Business inteligence
• Excel services - you can use Excel file as your calculation service, just provide some fields for users to fill in and calculation is done by Excel, it can be easily changed  in Excel by just uploading the file back with different formulas
• PowerPoint slides sharing and their automatic updation in presentations
• Complex forms integration, created by InfoPath - looks like forms designed by Lotus Designer integrated into Quickr.

Microsoft SharePoint and Lotus Quickr have similar features when it comes to collaborative features. Lotus Quickr provides connectivity with Lotus programs and includes a connector for Microsoft Office files.

• Microsoft SharePoint technologies are an extension of that familiar software landscape of Microsoft Office products.
• With a recognizable interface your team will be able to adopt its features quickly and easily.

About MCCs SharePoint Consultants

Miles Consulting Corp is a leading company in Microsoft SharePoint technologies. Our expert SharePoint Professionals will help maximize your SharePoint Investment. 

As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, our MCC SharePoint Consultants have demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customers’ needs. They receive excellent benefits such as access to training and support from Microsoft. Feel free to contact us so we can give you a no-strings-attached demo.