Rajvir Nagra 
10 Mar 2021
Document collaboration platforms like PleaseReview or SharePoint Online are a must-have for teams that need to write and review important documents together. The right system can break down the barriers to productivity that slow people and projects down, while also improving the quality of the content.
There are a few important things to consider when choosing the best document collaboration software for your organisation. The answers will depend on the type of document you need to produce and the industry that you operate in. Here, we compare two popular choices - PleaseReview and SharePoint.
What is PleaseReview?
PleaseReview is a dedicated document review and co-authoring system. The web-based solution allows for easy, secure real-time collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders.
What is SharePoint?
SharePoint is part of Microsoft 365 and is used for online document management and collaboration. It can also be used to build an intranet, alongside other apps.
What are the differences between PleaseReview and SharePoint?
Both systems provide a collaborative online workspace where documents can be co-authored and reviewed. However, the functionality of each system varies, as does the level of control that is available.
Here are the top 5 benefits of PleaseReview vs. SharePoint Online to help you better understand each system when sourcing the best document collaboration tool:
1. Tighter in document control
In PleaseReview, the document owner has full control over which permissions are given to each person included in the editing and construction of the document; these permissions can be made as granular as necessary, even down to individual paragraphs. The document owner is the only person who can decide which changes to incorporate.
SharePoint users are working on the master document where people are able to overwrite each other’s work; resulting in changes and feedback going unnoticed. There is no role distinction between co-authors and reviewers so, collaborations rely on people keeping to their own remits.
2. Never lose feedback or versions of documents
Several people can work on the same document at the same time in PleaseReview without feedback being lost or overwritten. Everyone works on a single version of the document giving you a single source of the truth. All activity is tracked which you can generate reports on, leaving a full audit trail. This can save vast amounts of time when documents need to be submitted to regulatory bodies.
In SharePoint, everyone is working on one version of the document, but changes are not tracked or reported automatically. It is possible to turn on ‘versioning’ so that previous versions of the document can be restored if needed, but this must be configured and may not be straightforward.
3. Collaborate safely with third parties
When collaborating with people outside of your organisation, they can easily be added to your project in PleaseReview. The document owner can control which documents they can access, how much of the document they can see and what they can do within that it. This makes it a highly secure environment when working on sensitive information.
To work with third parties within SharePoint, those people must be given access to your server, which may pose security risks. It is common for users to share documents with third parties via email which again breaks down the security, especially when handling documents of a sensitive nature. There may also be conflicts between the templates of the documents being shared.
4. Support a wider range of document formats
When collaborating across teams and with various types of content, there will likely be more than one format involved. PleaseReview supports all Microsoft Office formats, as well as formats such as PDF, plain text, images and source code. This is a standard feature and involves no extra work for the user. It is also possible to review sets of documents in a single uploaded project.
As a Microsoft product, SharePoint works with Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents as standard. It is only possible to collaborate on PDFs if SharePoint is integrated with Adobe products, and you may need to configure the system to support additional non-Office formats.
5. Security and compliance is locked
PleaseReview is ISO 27001 registered and goes a step further when it comes to in-document security. It records a full audit trail of all the activity taking place in each document and gives a summary report at the end of each review.
The solution is also equipped with a true redaction tool, making it suitable for companies that work in a highly regulated environments who need to protect sensitive data. The built-in redaction feature makes it unnecessary to add on another tool like Adobe which can create additional cost.
SharePoint is also ISO 27001 registered and the US Government version of SharePoint has high compliance for FedRAMP.
Choosing the right document collaboration tool
PleaseReview is a dedicated document review and co-authoring system that is not limited to Microsoft apps. SharePoint on the other hand provides a less controlled environment which may require a lot of background configuration to give users the flexibility they need to collaborate, achieve their goals and stay secure.
PleaseReview gives project owners complete control over who can view, edit and approve specific content in any document. Backed up by the comprehensive reporting and audit trail, PleaseReview becomes the ideal solution for heavily regulated industries or businesses that handle sensitive information with third parties.
Discover how PleaseReview benefits our customers
Find out how Translate Bio use PleaseReview to collaborate seamlessly with regulatory authorities around the world.
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