IBM ECM vs SharePoint comparison

IBM and Microsoft are both solutions in the Enterprise Content Management category. IBM is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.1. IBM holds a 2.5% mindshare in ECM, compared to Microsoft’s 15.9% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IBM ECM

Read 16 IBM ECM reviews

712 Views
684 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

SharePoint

Read 162 SharePoint reviews

9,649 Views
4,535 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

IBM ECM

SharePoint

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

SharePoint and IBM ECM are competing in the enterprise content management category. SharePoint seems to have the edge with more favorable pricing and customer support.

Features: SharePoint includes integrated collaboration tools, scalability, and easy integration with Microsoft products, useful for team collaboration. IBM ECM offers advanced document management, robust compliance, and enhanced security, essential for industries with strict regulations.

Room for Improvement: SharePoint could improve customization options and mobile interface robustness. Documentation can also be improved for custom coding. IBM ECM may require simplification in its deployment process and user interface; more intuitive navigation would benefit users considerably. A focus on reducing initial setup complexity would enhance its appeal.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SharePoint utilizes a cloud-based deployment, simplifying installation, with excellent support services from Microsoft. IBM ECM, offering both on-premise and hybrid deployment options, requires more complex setup but provides dedicated support services, suitable for large-scale operations.

Pricing and ROI: SharePoint is a cost-effective solution with flexible pricing plans, providing high ROI through enhanced collaboration efficiency. IBM ECM, though demanding a higher initial investment, promises substantial long-term ROI due to its extensive feature set and scalability, particularly advantageous for handling large volumes of sensitive data.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM ECM vs. SharePoint Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM ECM vs. SharePoint

July 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM ECM

Ranking in Enterprise Content Management

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SharePoint

Ranking in Enterprise Content Management

1st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

162

Ranking in other categories

Web Content Management (1st), Corporate Portals (Enterprise Information Portals) (1st), Enterprise Intranet (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Enterprise Content Management category, the mindshare of IBM ECM is 2.5%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SharePoint is 15.9%, down from 20.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Content Management

Featured Reviews

Omar_Ismail

ECM, Archives and Digital Preservation Consultant at DataServe

A stable solution for automation with high availability

Moving to the cloud with IBM ECM is not allowed. In Saudi Arabia, the cloud infrastructure is still non-operational, potentially for the next two to three months. Static clouds are prevalent among foundational enterprises such as IBM and Oracle. IBM offers its cloud insights, maintaining its cloud ecosystem. IBM's efforts to enhance the user experience within its ECM platform are lacking compared to competitors like OpenText. Progress in implementing new technologies and features seems sluggish. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

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Madhur D'silva

Lead Consultant at Eviden

Collaborative work benefits while user-friendliness challenges persist

The most valuable feature of SharePoint is its user interface, which is very easy to use. I do not have to be very technical to use it. Its rights management capabilities and ability to restrict access to certain people are also very useful. Furthermore, I can access SharePoint from any device, whether it is a phone or laptop, which is very convenient.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The content management is all about you as you can make the same content for minimal purpose solutions applications."

"The scalability is a valuable feature, that we're able to display our documents to so many people."

"The vertical scalability, as we can use it across some of our applications."

"The tool is a very stable solution with high availability and no information leakage. It has built-in API integration on-site. You can integrate with other components and applications like SAP, Microsoft, Oracle, etc."

"There is not just one valuable feature; it is all of them working together."

"We can arrange all our documents on one platform and see the document's changes and edits."

"The most valuable features are the collaboration and sharing."

"It has made us faster and more efficient."

"The ability to take Excel files and make them dynamic SharePoint lists with instant reporting capabilities has been a major benefit."

"Quantity and variety of partners with solution development ability on the platform."

"It offers ease of use, which is crucial."

"The access control is definitely a good feature. We also appreciate the improvements they've made to the online applications, where multiple users can work on the same documents simultaneously. Everything syncs automatically."

More SharePoint pros

Cons

"I would like to see seamless application integration."

"I think it's already getting away from Java applets. A lot of our users struggle with keeping up to date with Java versioning, so a lot of the functions they're doing, like printing, emailing, and even some of the viewing, they're struggling with."

"The development platform is not local. For example, you need 100 days in IBM, whereas other platforms, like ServiceNow, need only 20 days."

"I would recommend not going with ECM 8 and going with FileNet instead. It seems like that is the future of the lower-volume repository. It seems like they are moving away from ECM 8.5 so I think we're going to have some challenges coming up, getting off of that technology."

"We would like more security features, like automating."

"One issue is that when users mistakenly hide files or set permissions incorrectly, it can lead to files becoming inaccessible, requiring intervention from Microsoft support to resolve."

"It is too heavy. MS should not have paid foreign coders dollars per each row of code. They wasted the stability and reliability in the end."

"The search functionality could be improved, especially when dealing with 'lift' lists, where there are performance issues."

"When you are trying to migrate from a different platform to SharePoint for file storage, the upload utility should be more flexible, taking more files and then updating you on the upload status of the files you are trying to transfer into SharePoint."

"I have been facing some challenges when using SharePoint, as the workflows freeze at times, so there is a maintenance activity which needs to be done periodically."

"I understand that some functions are lost when you store the information in a file system, so maybe that's a way SharePoint can improve."

"I would like it to be more compliant with global regulations. There are certain features which could be included that currently are not there, such as compliance and record management capabilities."

More SharePoint cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Reach out to local IBM partners."

"It comes bundled with the Microsoft 365 pricing plans."

"The product is reasonably priced."

"Any extended support from Microsoft is expensive."

"SharePoint is included with our Microsoft license."

"For this type of solution, it is not wise to buy it without Software Assurance."

"Licensing can be by server or by seat."

"The replacement costs for it are cheaper if you use only SharePoint."

"It is pretty reasonable. It is $5 per month per user. We have 12 users now, so it is about $60 per month."

More SharePoint pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user8925

Developer with 51-200 employees

Aug 23, 2013

Jive vs Sharepoint vs Drupal Commons

At Mediacurrent we often get requests to compare Drupal to other platforms used for intranet sites and social business platforms (like https://dev.twitter.com/ for example). This is often referred to as “Social Business Software”, which has grown in popularity in recent years. I decided to do a…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

32%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Government

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM ECM?

The tool is a very stable solution with high availability and no information leakage. It has built-in API integration on-site. You can integrate with other components and applications like SAP, Mic...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM ECM?

The product is expensive and has a perpetual license.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM ECM?

The development platform is not local. For example, you need 100 days in IBM, whereas other platforms, like ServiceNow, need only 20 days.

See all answers

What do you like most about SharePoint?

The search feature is valuable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SharePoint?

As SharePoint is part of the Microsoft 365 suite, the pricing is acceptable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SharePoint?

Not with SharePoint specifically, but overall with the software or tools from Microsoft, I think there are areas that need improvement. It's very difficult to understand the objective. There are so...

See all answers

Comparisons

IBM FileNet vs IBM ECM

Compared 20% of the time

Alfresco vs IBM ECM

Compared 17% of the time

Nuxeo vs IBM ECM

Compared 13% of the time

SAP Extended Enterprise Content Management vs IBM ECM

Compared 9% of the time

OpenText Documentum Content Management vs IBM ECM

Compared 6% of the time

More IBM ECM Competitors

OpenText Documentum Content Management vs SharePoint

Compared 8% of the time

DocuSign vs SharePoint

Compared 7% of the time

OpenText Content Management vs SharePoint

Compared 6% of the time

Amazon WorkDocs vs SharePoint

Compared 6% of the time

WordPress Business-Enterprise vs SharePoint

Compared 5% of the time

More SharePoint Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM ECM

August 2025

Download IBM ECM product report

Buyer's Guide

SharePoint

July 2025

Download SharePoint product report

Also Known As

No data available

SharePoint 2007, SharePoint 2010

Overview

IBM Content Foundation on Cloud

IBM Content Foundation on Cloud allows organizations to deliver extensive enterprise content management capabilities to their users very quickly. IBM Content Foundation is powered by the FileNet content and process platform and IBM Content Navigator user experience. This cloud offering can be leveraged for a variety of use cases including collaborative document management, imaging solutions, social content management, archiving, and more. It also offers a platform for developing Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions in the cloud.

IBM Case Manager on Cloud

IBM Case Manager on Cloud is a solution platform that engages people with business content, provides contextual insight through real-time analytics, and enhances teamwork through collaboration tools and flexible workflow. Enables Business and IT to work together to create solutions across the enterprise that enables an organization to make smarter decisions for better business outcomes, while balancing the need for security and compliance in a world of heightened risk.

IBM

SharePoint is a Microsoft-based platform for building web applications. It covers a widerange of capabilities and while it is appropriate for experienced webdevelopers, even non-technical minded users can easily navigate through thesystem and execute functions such as collaborating data, managing documents andfiles, creating websites, managing social networking solutions, and automatingworkflow.

Major areas that SharePoint deals with are websites,communities, content, search, insights, and composites. The purpose is to give usersthe ability to create or develop these key business components on their owneven without technical knowledge of, for example, how to build a website or howto integrate coding. Configuring SharePoint into a business's system is meantto cut out all of the complicated steps, and pave the way for easierimplementation all around.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

KeyBank, Standard Chartered Bank, Union Bank, Sistema Tecnol‹gico de Monterrey, Illinois Department of Human Services, UnitedHealth Group

Toyota, Aeroports de Paris, ASBBank Ltd., Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals, CambridgeshireConstabulary, D&M Group, NPL Construction Company, and The Regional Municipality of Niagara.

Buyer's Guide

IBM ECM vs. SharePoint

July 2025

Free Report: IBM ECM vs. SharePoint

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