Drupal vs SharePoint

May 17, 2023 | Author: Michael Stromann
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Drupal
Drupal is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) and content management framework (CMF) written in PHP and distributed under the GNU General Public License. Unlike alternatives it's often used for knowledge management and business collaboration. Because of this plug-in extensibility and modular design, Drupal is sometimes described as a content management framework.
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SharePoint
SharePoint's multi-purpose platform allows for managing and provisioning of intranet portals, extranets and websites, document management and file management, collaboration spaces, social networking tools, enterprise search, business intelligence tooling, process/information integration, and third-party developed solutions. SharePoint can also be used as a web application development platform.
Drupal and SharePoint are both powerful content management systems (CMS), but they have distinct differences in their features and focus. Drupal is an open-source CMS that offers a high level of flexibility and customization. It is known for its robust content management capabilities, extensibility through modules, and strong developer community. Drupal is widely used for building complex websites and applications, with features such as content creation and organization, user management, workflows, and multi-site management.

SharePoint, on the other hand, is a comprehensive platform developed by Microsoft that combines content management, collaboration, and document management functionalities. It offers features such as document storage and sharing, team collaboration tools, workflow automation, and enterprise search capabilities. SharePoint is often used in larger organizations for intranets, document management, and team collaboration, leveraging its integration with other Microsoft tools and services.

The key differences between Drupal and SharePoint lie in their focus and target audience. Drupal is well-suited for organizations or developers seeking a highly customizable CMS with a vibrant community, particularly for building content-rich websites or applications. SharePoint, on the other hand, caters to enterprises and focuses on providing a broader set of collaboration and document management features with deep integration into the Microsoft ecosystem.

See also: Top 10 Enterprise Portals
Drupal vs SharePoint in our news:

2020. Acquia launches Digital Experience Platform



Digital experience company Acquia has announced the launch of its new Acquia Open Digital Experience Platform (DXP). This powerful platform combines Acquia Marketing Cloud and Acquia Drupal Cloud, providing organizations with a unified solution to leverage data and content effectively, enabling the rapid creation of innovative digital experiences. With the Acquia Open DXP, marketers and developers now have access to a single, user-friendly platform for building, personalizing, and orchestrating multi-experience customer journeys across various customer touchpoints, including touchscreens, chat, voice, and more. The platform also offers valuable tools such as Developer Studio, an integrated development environment (IDE), and Site Factory, a robust solution for managing and scaling Drupal 9 sites and applications, making it easier for developers to build Drupal sites. Additionally, the inclusion of CMS Migrate simplifies the transition from older versions of Drupal and legacy CMS to the latest Drupal 9 release.


2018. SharePoint gets organization-wide news and content targeting



Microsoft has recently announced several enhancements for SharePoint and Office 365 sites, bringing new capabilities and functionalities. Among the notable updates is the introduction of a designated communication site that serves as the official news portal for the organization. This allows news posted on the portal to be easily identified with a special indicator, ensuring clear visibility on both mobile devices and the SharePoint home page. Additionally, a new feature enables the targeting of content to specific audiences based on their Active Directory (AD) Group membership, including dynamic groups. Moreover, SharePoint sites now have the ability to create mega-menus for navigation, facilitating improved user experiences and seamless site exploration. These advancements aim to enhance communication, personalization, and navigation within SharePoint and Office 365 sites.


2017. SharePoint 2016 finally added SharePoint Framework Support



Microsoft's objective in launching SharePoint Framework into general availability in February was to attract a wider pool of developers to the SharePoint ecosystem. Now, with the introduction of SharePoint Feature Pack 2 (FP2), the company extends Framework support to users of SharePoint 2016. Framework serves as a page and web part model, offering comprehensive assistance for client-side SharePoint development, seamless integration with SharePoint data, and compatibility with open source tools. This release simplifies the process for SharePoint 2016 users and third-party developers to construct solutions centered around SharePoint.


2017. SharePoint Framework is generally available



Microsoft has introduced the SharePoint Framework, empowering developers and administrators to construct and deploy components that are utilized by Office 365 users within their production environments. This advancement entails leveraging web technologies to create agile, responsive, and notably mobile-friendly applications on SharePoint. While SharePoint has served as an application and development platform for a considerable duration, the release of the Framework marks a significant stride in enhancing the developer experience. Historically described as unwieldy and challenging, the SharePoint Framework introduces improvements that address these concerns.


2016. Microsoft connects SharePoint Team Sites to Office 365 Groups



Microsoft is rolling out the integration of SharePoint and Office 365 team sites, introducing a new feature that enables the creation of interconnected SharePoint Online team sites within seconds. This integration simplifies the process as follows: Whenever an Office 365 Group is created, the service automatically generates a SharePoint team site. The appearance of the site can be customized by the team site administrator and includes various elements such as pages, lists, libraries, and team news. SharePoint team sites serve as collaborative spaces where teams can effectively communicate, share documents, and collaborate on projects. They are user-friendly and facilitate the creation of dedicated sites for each project undertaken by the team. Moreover, team sites are easily accessible across multiple devices, making them suitable for mobile workers as well.


2016. Microsoft released SharePoint for Android



Despite Microsoft's withdrawal from actively competing in the mobile OS market for the past two years, the company has been notably sluggish in releasing Android apps. However, Microsoft has finally unveiled its SharePoint mobile client specifically designed for Android smartphones and tablets. This application offers users the ability to collaborate within team sites and access documents stored in SharePoint across various categories, including Sites, Links, and People. To utilize the SharePoint app, organizations must have an Office 365 subscription that includes SharePoint Online. Support for SharePoint Server 2013 and SharePoint 2016 will be incorporated at a later stage. Earlier this year, Microsoft released SharePoint mobile apps for iOS and Windows Phone, with the latter app still being in the preview stage.


2016. Microsoft brings SharePoint to iOS


Microsoft has introduced a new mobile application for SharePoint users, designed to provide access to a company's SharePoint-powered intranet portal and its content on smartphones and tablets. Initially available on iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads, the app will be extended to Android and Windows platforms by the end of the year, according to Microsoft. The app is compatible with both SharePoint Online in Office 365 and SharePoint Server 2013 or 2016 in on-premises or hybrid environments. It includes a Sites tab that enables users to visit their frequently accessed SharePoint sites, view recent activity, access files, lists, pages, and other content on those sites. Additionally, the app integrates with other Microsoft mobile applications, allowing seamless transitions between apps. For instance, clicking on an Office document in the SharePoint app will open the corresponding Office mobile app, while viewing a document library on a team site will redirect users to the OneDrive mobile app for iOS.


2016. SharePoint adds new document libraries


Now that SharePoint 2016 has arrived, Microsoft is gradually introducing SharePoint Document Libraries to its commercial Office 365 subscribers through SharePoint Online. These new document libraries represent a more user-friendly approach to SharePoint, allowing users to conveniently access documents, modify document metadata, and prioritize content within the document library. This development is significant as it addresses longstanding criticisms of earlier versions of SharePoint regarding usability challenges. Throughout the extensive lead-up to the release of SharePoint 2016, Microsoft pledged its commitment to enhancing the user experience.


2015. Drupal 8 is released



Drupal has finally released the highly anticipated Drupal 8.0 platform, which introduces a range of exciting features and improvements. These include in-context editing and previews, allowing users to see a real-time representation of their content as they edit it. The platform also provides comprehensive content modeling capabilities, incorporating entities, fields, and views right from the start. Users can easily customize content pages, forms, and administrative pages using the intuitive administrative interface. Additionally, Drupal 8.0 offers built-in support for multilingual content and localization, ensuring that websites can be easily translated and adapted to different languages and regions. The platform includes configuration management, enabling seamless deployment of changes between different environments. It adopts a mobile-first approach, ensuring that websites are responsive and optimized for mobile devices, while also delivering HTML5 output. Drupal 8.0 supports native web services, allowing easy integration with other applications and systems through REST. The platform prioritizes accessibility and compliance with WAI-ARIA standards, ensuring an enhanced experience for users with disabilities. It follows modern PHP standards and practices, incorporating popular libraries like Composer, Symfony2, Guzzle, and Twig. Drupal 8.0 focuses on front-end performance, offering improved caching and seamless integration with CDNs and reverse proxies. Furthermore, the platform is fully compatible with PHP7 and supports both PostgreSQL and SQLite databases. Overall, Drupal 8.0 represents a significant advancement in functionality, performance, and flexibility for web developers and content creators.


2013. IBM kills Lotus. Microsoft kills SharePoint



Perhaps the two most famous brands in the history of enterprise software, Lotus and SharePoint, will soon disappear. We mean brands, not specific products. Because by renaming their products, vendors try to erase the association with outdated technologies in customer brain. For example, Lotus appeared back in the 80-s years of last century. In 1995 IBM acquired Lotus Development and began selling their products Lotus Notes/Domino. In the following years most IBM collaboration systems moved under the Lotus umbrella. But last year the revolution occurred. The last child of the Lotus family - SaaS suite LotusLive was renamed to SmartCloud for Social Business. And then the name Lotus was removed from other products. The final nail was the recent launch of Notes/Domino 9.0 Social Edition (without Lotus). ***

Author: Michael Stromann
Michael is an expert in IT Service Management, IT Security and software development. With his extensive experience as a software developer and active involvement in multiple ERP implementation projects, Michael brings a wealth of practical knowledge to his writings. Having previously worked at SAP, he has honed his expertise and gained a deep understanding of software development and implementation processes. Currently, as a freelance developer, Michael continues to contribute to the IT community by sharing his insights through guest articles published on several IT portals. You can contact Michael by email stromann@liventerprise.com