SharePoint vs KnowVault: storing documents or passing on know-how?

If your company runs on Microsoft 365, SharePoint is probably already there. So when someone suggests one more tool for passing on know-how, the reaction makes sense: "Don't we already have SharePoint?"

That question deserves a real answer. SharePoint can store videos, make them searchable and organize them on an internal site. For many teams, that's enough. For others, the problem isn't storing knowledge, it's keeping it alive.

This comparison is written by the KnowVault team, so it isn't neutral. It does aim to be honest: in several cases, the right call is to stick with SharePoint.

Two tools, two different problems

• SharePoint answers: "Where do we store and share company content, with the right permissions?" It's a versatile content management and intranet platform, built into Microsoft 365.
• KnowVault answers: "How do we capture our experts' know-how and keep it up to date?" It's a video knowledge base with one purpose, and a path that runs from requesting content to updating it.

One image sums up the difference. SharePoint is a large library you fit out yourself. KnowVault is a specialized workshop: fewer possibilities, but the work is already organized.

SharePoint: Microsoft 365's content platform

Strengths

• Already deployed. If you have Microsoft 365, there's often nothing to buy, no new account to create and no IT approval to get.
• Very versatile. Documents, team sites, intranet, lists: it does far more than training.
• Microsoft governance. Permissions, compliance and lifecycle are handled with the admin tools your IT team already knows.
• Video is possible. With Stream, videos are stored in SharePoint and OneDrive. Their transcripts make them findable in Microsoft 365 search.
• Customizable. With time, or a partner, you can build your own pages and workflows.

Limits for passing on know-how

• You have to build the path. Who requests a video? Who records it? Who updates it when the procedure changes? SharePoint gives you building blocks, not a ready-made path.
• Content ages silently. Without dedicated organization, nothing naturally prompts a viewer to flag an outdated video, or assigns the update to someone.
• Everything depends on the structure. Sites, libraries and folders: tidy organization at the start can become hard to follow without a clearly named owner.
• Video uses your storage. Stream videos count against your organization's OneDrive and SharePoint quota. Worth watching if you produce a lot of them.

Pricing

SharePoint is included in many Microsoft 365 plans and is also sold on its own. Your organization's shared storage is 1 TB, plus 10 GB per license. Prices vary by plan and change over time: check the current pricing on Microsoft's website.

When SharePoint is the right choice

• Your main need is documents, not videos
• You produce few videos, on stable topics
• You have someone to structure the content and keep it alive
• You want to strictly limit the number of tools and vendors

KnowVault: the video knowledge base

Strengths

• The path is already there. Content request, recording, publication, flagging, review: every step exists and is tracked like a task.
• Search inside what's said. Every video is transcribed automatically, and search also covers the transcripts.
• Content that stays up to date. Viewers flag an outdated video, and the update is assigned and tracked.
• Viewing tracking. You can ask someone to watch an important video, and check that they did.
• Automatic translation of the title, description and transcript between French and English.
• Quick to pick up. Screen recording from the browser, with nothing to configure beyond your teams.
• An application hosted in the European Union, with permissions set per team.

Limits

• One more tool. Your IT team has to approve it, and your teams have to learn it.
• No Teams integration for now.
• No direct connection to SharePoint or OneDrive. Existing videos are imported from your computer (see below).
• A single purpose. KnowVault doesn't replace your document management or your intranet.
• Short videos. 15 minutes maximum per video: a choice that fits the format, but long training sessions will need splitting up.

On the Microsoft side

Every user can sign in with their Microsoft account. Entra ID SSO is available on request with the Enterprise plan. It isn't enabled by default.

Pricing

• Starter: free for up to 3 contributors, unlimited viewers, 5 GB of storage
• Pro: €13.90/contributor/month, free unlimited viewers, 1 TB shared
• Enterprise: on quote (dedicated server, SSO, availability commitment)

When KnowVault is the right choice

• Your know-how is easier to show than to write: technical procedures, business software, diagnostics
• You hire regularly and onboarding relies on a few experts
• You're preparing for departures or job handovers
• Your procedures change and content has to keep up
• Nobody has time to build and run this path in SharePoint

Comparison table

Using them together?

For a company that's already equipped, this is often the simplest option, because you have nothing to replace:

• SharePoint keeps your documents, internal policies and intranet.
• KnowVault holds the know-how that doesn't translate well to writing: filmed procedures, onboarding, handovers.

From an article on your intranet, you then only need to add a link to the relevant video. It stays restricted to members of the authorized team.

Bringing over your existing videos

Already have videos in SharePoint or OneDrive? There's no direct connection, but KnowVault imports any file on your computer, wherever it originally came from. So you just download the video, then upload it.

It must be in MP4, WebM or MOV format, and no longer than 15 minutes or larger than 2 GB. KnowVault then transcribes and translates it.

Before migrating everything, start with the few most requested videos: it's the best way to check that the tool suits your teams.

See for yourself

KnowVault has a pre-filled public demo, with no sign-up or credit card. You can browse the videos, try searching the transcripts and see how requests and flags move around.

If your IT team has questions about SSO or hosting, book a demo and we'll look at your context together.

Further reading

• Company wiki vs knowledge base: what's the difference?
• Notion vs Confluence vs KnowVault: which knowledge management tool should you choose?
• Job handover software: what it should do