The Ultimate Guide to SharePoint Storage & Pricing

SharePoint is a popular collaboration platform used by businesses of all sizes. One of the key considerations when using SharePoint is storage and pricing. Hence, this guide will take you through everything you need to know about SharePoint storage and pricing.

Understanding SharePoint Storage

SharePoint is a cloud-based platform that allows users to store and share documents, images, and other types of files. Also, the amount of storage you require depends on the size of your business and the amount of data you need to store. Additionally, it offers various storage options, and therefore, it is essential to understand these options to choose the best one for your business.

SharePoint Online Storage Options

SharePoint Online is a cloud-based platform, and Microsoft offers different storage options based on your subscription. These options include:

1. 1. OneDrive for Business – This option offers 1 TB of storage per user, and it’s ideal for individuals or small teams that don’t require much storage.
2. 2. SharePoint Online – It offers 1 TB of storage per organization, plus 10 GB per user. It’s suitable for small to medium-sized businesses that need to store a moderate amount of data.
3. 3. SharePoint Online Dedicated – It offers up to 25 TB of storage per organization, and it’s suitable for large enterprises that need to store vast amounts of data.

 

SharePoint On-Premises Storage Options

The On-Premises version is a self-hosted option that allows businesses to store their data on their own servers. Moreover, it offers different storage options based on the server version. These options include:

1. 1. SharePoint Foundation – This option offers up to 4 GB of storage, and it’s suitable for small businesses or teams that don’t require much storage.
2. 2. Server Standard Edition – This option offers up to 4 TB of storage and is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.
3. 3. SharePoint Server Enterprise Edition – This option offers unlimited storage, and it’s suitable for large enterprises that need to store vast amounts of data.

 

Understanding SharePoint Pricing

As mentioned above, SharePoint offers different pricing plans based on your business needs. Therefore, it’s essential to understand these pricing plans to choose the best one for your business.

SharePoint Online Pricing

SharePoint Online offers different pricing plans based on your business needs. These plans include:

1. Microsoft 365 Business Basic – This plan costs $5 per user per month, and it includes SharePoint Online with 1 TB of storage per organization.
2. MS 365 Business Standard – This plan costs $12.50 per user per month, and it includes SharePoint Online with 1 TB of storage per organization.
3. Microsoft 365 Business Premium – This plan costs $20 per user per month, and it includes SharePoint Online with 1 TB of storage per organization.

 

SharePoint On-Premises Pricing

SharePoint On-Premises pricing is based on the server version you choose. These pricing options include:

1. SharePoint Foundation – This option is free, but it’s only suitable for small businesses or teams that don’t require much storage.
2. Server Standard Edition – This option costs $7,000 per server and is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.
3. SharePoint Server Enterprise Edition – This option costs $20,000 per server, and it’s suitable for large enterprises that need to store vast amounts of data.

 

Factors That Affect SharePoint Storage and Pricing

Several factors can affect SharePoint storage and pricing. These factors include:

1. Number Of Users – The number of users you have can affect the amount of storage you require and the pricing plan you need.
   Size of data – The size of the data you need to store can affect the amount of storage you require and the pricing plan you need.

2. Business Needs – Your business needs can also affect SharePoint storage and pricing. For instance, if your business deals with large media files like videos, you may require more storage than a business that deals with only documents.
3. Cloud Vs On-Premises – Choosing between SharePoint Online and SharePoint On-Premises can also affect your storage and pricing options. Since SharePoint Online is a cloud-based platform, its pricing is subscription-based. Whereas SharePoint On-Premises is self-hosted, and the pricing is based on the server version you choose.
4. Add-Ons And Customizations – Adding third-party add-ons or customizing SharePoint can affect storage and pricing. Third-party add-ons may require additional storage, while customizations may require additional resources that can affect pricing.

 

Best Practices for SharePoint Storage and Pricing

In order to optimize your SharePoint storage and pricing, consider the following best practices:

1. Plan Ahead – Before implementing SharePoint, plan ahead and determine your storage and pricing needs based on your business needs.
2. Regularly Review Your Storage – Regularly review your SharePoint storage usage and determine if you need to upgrade or downgrade your storage options.
3. Implement Storage Policies – Implement storage policies to ensure that users do not store unnecessary files or exceed their storage limits.
4. Use SharePoint for Collaboration – Use SharePoint as a collaboration platform rather than a storage platform. Encourage users to collaborate and share files rather than storing files in their personal folders.
5. Use Cloud-based SharePoint – Consider using cloud-based SharePoint as it offers more flexibility and scalability. You can easily upgrade or downgrade your storage options based on your business needs.

 

Conclusion

SharePoint is a powerful collaboration platform that requires proper planning and understanding of storage and pricing options. Therefore, by understanding SharePoint storage options and pricing plans, you can choose the best option for your business needs. Also, it’s essential to regularly review your SharePoint storage usage and implement storage policies to optimize your storage and pricing. With these best practices, you can effectively manage your SharePoint storage and pricing. Above all, it will enhance overall collaboration and productivity within your organization.