SharePoint vs. File Servers
The question often arises: When should you use SharePoint and when should you use a file server? There are a lot of considerations to think about when deciding where to put various information assets – security – auditing – recycle bin requirements – usage scenarios and workflow – versioning – encryption, and last but not by any means least, asset size and bandwidth usage requirements.
For example, SharePoint lists are a great way to capture and display data from your coworkers. SharePoint is also a super tool for document repositories, especially when you need to maintain multiple versions of documents. Large audio/video streaming media and DVD ISO files are best served with a file server, but links to these are best maintained in SharePoint. Developer source code control is best facilitated with a dedicated source control application.
This post, Is the File Server Dead, is a good summary of various points to consider when deciding where to place your information assets.
