 I came across an interesting article on CMS Watch titled "Be wary of self claimed SharePoint killers". According to the author, Shawn Shell, many of the so called "SharePoint killers" bring only a small part of its functionality, and are not worthy of the title. As an example, Shawn has discussed HyperOffice, who he says have not labelled themselves as a "Sharepoint killer" but a "Sharepoint alternative". Even as a SharePoint alternative, according to him, a solution like HyperOffice does not size up, even for its target market - small businesses. The reason for this is that HyperOffice brings a "functional" emphasis - it beings a combination of functionalities - document management, email, project management, forums, workspaces, calendars, contacts etc. - but isnt really a malleable platform like SharePoint, on which solutions can be custom built for every situation. As expected, HyperOffice responded to the allegations (check the comments section). They pesented what I felt were very sound arguments. According to them, they had specifically positioned themselves as a "SharePoint alternative for SMBs" and the differance of opinion with the author is grounded in how each sees as the core needs of a growing business. Small businesses according to them "do not need intricately customized applications, multiple levels of policy controls, the ability to integrate with a complex technological environment or an application development platform. SMBs want a way to quickly organize and manage information, streamline day to day working, facilitate sharing and collaboration on information amongst distributed teams (often involving external parties such as customers, vendors, partners), and have instant access to information when necessary." They further justified this claim with the following arguments:- 1) Customers specifically looking for SharePoint often convert and opt for HyperOffice as they decided SharePoint is too costly and complex for their context. 2) Companies currently using SharePoint often decide to shift to HyperOffice. 3) Other "function" oriented web based solutions like Google Apps have experienced massive popularity (2 million companies use Google Apps) and are seen by experts as a "Sharepoint alternative". What do you think?
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