Customization options, pricing structures, and other features vary between SharePoint 2019 and SharePoint Online. Before making a decision, businesses should think about these differences. Businesses need to understand their choices as they move toward the increasing digitization of processes like content management.

SharePoint, an enterprise content management system developed by Microsoft, acts as a centralized database for digital assets that can be accessed and managed via a web browser. On top of that, Microsoft offers SharePoint in a few distinct versions SharePoint 2016 is rapidly nearing the end of its support lifecycle, so organizations are worrying about how content management looks into SharePoint 2019 or SharePoint Online as alternatives.

SharePoint Online is a cloud platform included in Microsoft 365 subscriptions, whereas SharePoint 2019 is on-premises software. System requirements, security, and payment models are just some of how the two platforms diverge. Before making a purchase, content managers should start educating themselves on the differences between these SharePoint releases.

To Begin, What Is SharePoint?

Microsoft released SharePoint in 2001 as a platform for managing and sharing company-wide content and automating business processes. It can save a wide range of data, including text documents, lists, pictures, and even videos. It facilitates group work, content discovery, and dissemination. Information from users can be gathered using either InfoPath or HTML forms.

SharePoint was first made available to customers exclusively as an on-premises download from Microsoft. However, SharePoint Online for Microsoft 365 was released in the cloud by Microsoft in 2013. Because of SharePoint’s development, Microsoft has gradually phased out some of its original components in favor of more specialized web services. Microsoft Power Apps, Power BI, and Power Automate have all taken the place of earlier Microsoft products such as InfoPath and SharePoint Workflows, respectively.

Even though Microsoft replaced some SharePoint components, it still offers SharePoint 2019 and SharePoint Online for Microsoft 365.

SharePoint 2019 vs SharePoint Online: Key Differences

SharePoint Online and SharePoint 2019 are two very different things. Understanding these distinctions will help businesses select the version of SharePoint that is most suitable for their requirements.

Prerequisites & Supporting Systems

When upgrading to SharePoint 2019, businesses will need to set up and maintain a SharePoint farm. The package incorporates a web front end, database, and application server. If a company needs higher levels of availability for SQL and other SharePoint services, it may need to invest in more servers.

In contrast, SharePoint Online can run entirely in the browser thanks to Microsoft’s data center hosting. The primary software prerequisite for SharePoint Online is an HTML5-compatible web browser.

Read also → How Does SharePoint Development Play a Role in Business Growth?

Upgrades, Maintenance & Support

SharePoint 2019 may be too complicated for IT departments to manage if hosted on owned infrastructure like on-premises servers or a co-location database network infrastructure. For instance, patches and upgrades are frequently required for application and database servers. IT staff may be able to apply some patches without much trouble, but they should still have regular backups and good accessibility to Microsoft support in case of emergency.

SharePoint Online also receives new features before the on-premises edition, which can make on-premises users feel left out. Its users can rest easy knowing that the vendor is responsible for all updates and patches. Customers’ modifications may break if Microsoft decides to manage and schedule updates whenever it pleases.

Protecting Sensitive Information

Whether an organization chooses to host SharePoint internally or outsources the service to Microsoft, data security remains a top priority. Users of SharePoint 2019 can set permissions to prevent unauthorized access to the platform. To fulfill security requirements, businesses using on-premises systems have more flexibility in how they implement protection measures (both software and hardware).

Because SharePoint Online is a virtual server, Microsoft requires authentication before granting access to any data stored there. A lot of the security features available in Microsoft’s cloud, like Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) and Azure Active Directory (AD) Premium, are more robust than their on-premises equivalents. ATP’s geolocation sign-in anomaly detection works hand in hand with Azure AD Premium’s report generation to help uncover malicious activity.

Mode of Payment

One key difference between SharePoint 2019 and SharePoint Online is the pricing structure. When upgrading to SharePoint 2019, businesses must make a one-time, up-front, Capex investment for a server license.

To access SharePoint Online, Microsoft uses a subscription model. Users may incur greater up-front expenses with SharePoint 2019 as compared to SharePoint Online due to the monthly subscription fee based on license type and the number of users.

Tips For Deciding Which SharePoint Version Is Best For Your Organization

Businesses should think carefully about several factors before committing to a particular SharePoint edition. Needs for customization and regulatory compliance, available funds, and the quality of any existing infrastructure are all important considerations.

  • Companies that meet the following criteria can benefit from SharePoint 2019 and later:
  • Enable customers’ non-cloud-compatible software.
  • Have to keep their databases on private networks as a result of regulations and controls governing access to the data.
  • Needs to buy licenses for their servers.
  • Intend to make use of existing investments in IT infrastructure.
  • Need advanced settings and configuration options.

Businesses that meet the following criteria may benefit from using SharePoint Online:

  • Need to stay away from handling on-premises infrastructure.
  • Comply with rules that compel them to switch to a subscription-based business model.
  • Strategy to offer SharePoint as part of a Microsoft 365 bundle.
  • Need SharePoint to work with power apps and other third-party services.
  • A deficiency in SharePoint and SQL management skills.
  • Need immediate access to new Microsoft features as soon as they become available.
  • Make use of cloud-based file storage and synchronization services.