Why people are asking now
Three changes from Microsoft's own pages have put SharePoint decisions back on the table:
- SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 reached the end of extended support in July 2026. Microsoft's lifecycle pages point to SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, which follows the Modern Lifecycle Policy and is in support.
- SharePoint 2013 workflows were turned off for new Microsoft 365 tenants in April 2024 and removed from existing tenants by April 2, 2026. Microsoft names Power Automate as the replacement. On-premises, Subscription Edition supports 2010 workflows until July 14, 2026, while 2013 workflows remain supported beyond that date.
- The pay-as-you-go services once sold as Microsoft Syntex are now called document processing, and autofill of metadata is moving into Copilot in SharePoint, with general availability rolling out from September 30, 2026.
None of this means SharePoint is the wrong home for your documents. It does mean that a team which built approvals on old workflows, or runs an on-premises farm, has work to do either way, and it is worth deciding where that work goes.
Three paths
The question is less "SharePoint or not" than "which documents need what". A draft proposal that five people edit together needs co-authoring. A vendor invoice needs to be read, approved, paid, kept for a set number of years and then destroyed on schedule. Those are different jobs, and the paths below follow from that.
Path 1: keep SharePoint, add capture
If SharePoint already holds your documents and people are happy there, the usual pain is getting paper in. Scans arrive as one long PDF called something like Scan_0412.pdf, and someone splits it, renames it and types the column values.
CapturePoint 6 for SharePoint fixes that part. It runs on the Windows PC next to the scanner, splits the stack into documents, recognizes each type, reads the fields and files each searchable PDF into a SharePoint or OneDrive library in Microsoft 365 (work or school accounts). SharePoint fills the columns whose names match the fields it read, so an invoice arrives with its vendor and invoice number already in the library row.
Records control then stays in Microsoft's hands: Microsoft Purview retention policies and labels. Microsoft's service description lists basic retention with Microsoft 365 E3 and above, while declaring items as records, and applying a default label to a library, need E5-level licensing or a Purview add-on. Check your plan before you count on them.
Path 2: split the work
Some teams keep SharePoint and Teams for collaboration and put the finished business records, the ones with retention schedules and approval chains, in a records system. Content Central and SharePoint do not sync, so this works when the line is clear: drafts and project files in SharePoint; invoices, HR files, signed agreements and case files in Content Central. CapturePoint 6 can file scanned documents into either.
Path 3: replace it for document management
If you run SharePoint mostly as a document repository on your own servers, and the end of support for 2016 or 2019 means an upgrade project anyway, compare that project with moving to Content Central. It runs on your own Windows Server, IIS and SQL Server, or hosted in our cloud, and includes what SharePoint assembles from several services:
- Capture: scanning from the browser, barcode separator sheets, zonal recognition, watched folders and email capture from Microsoft 365, Gmail or IMAP.
- Approvals: multi-step processes with group voting rules, deadlines, escalation, PIN approval and substitutes.
- Electronic signatures: request signatures from coworkers or anyone with an email address, or stamp them on approval.
- Records: retention schedules per document type, legal holds, an audit trail of views, downloads and changes, and Require Reason for Access on sensitive types.
- AI: Content Central connects to the Cortexa AI suite, our private AI platform, so AI can read and decide on documents, look up and fill in data, route work and move information between your systems, with a private AI chat for your team and custom AI tools built with our team.
Side by side
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| SharePoint | Content Central | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | SharePoint in Microsoft 365, or SharePoint Server Subscription Edition on your servers | Your own servers (Windows Server, IIS and SQL Server) or hosted in our cloud; used in a web browser either way |
| Describing documents | Columns, content types and managed metadata from term sets | Document types, index fields, choice lists and global fields shared across types |
| Versions | Major and minor versions; optional check-out | Major and minor versions; check-out and check-in |
| Approvals and workflow | Power Automate flows and modern approvals; 2013 workflows removed from Microsoft 365 in 2026 | Built in: workflow rules (25 trigger types) and multi-step approval processes |
| Retention and records | Microsoft Purview retention (E3 and above); declaring records needs E5-level licensing | Retention schedule per document type; legal holds by retaining a document indefinitely |
| Electronic signatures | Microsoft eSignature, a pay-as-you-go service billed through an Azure subscription | Built in: signature requests by email, signing order, sign on approval |
| Reading documents and AI | Document processing (pay-as-you-go: OCR, autofill, prebuilt models for contracts, invoices, receipts); Copilot autofill | CapturePoint 6 reads documents with AI on your PC; the Cortexa AI suite, our private AI platform, connects to Content Central for decisions, lookups and routing, with private team chat and custom AI tools built with our team |
| Moving content in | SharePoint Migration Tool and Migration Manager, from file shares, older SharePoint and other clouds | Bulk import of files and folders; files with a descriptor that sets type and field values |
| How it is sold | Per-user license, usually inside a Microsoft 365 suite; some AI services pay-as-you-go | Quoted for your users and setup |
SharePoint facts are from Microsoft Learn and Microsoft Support (see sources). Licensing depends on your plan; confirm it with Microsoft or your partner.
Which path fits you
Keep SharePoint if
- Most of your documents are created and edited together in Microsoft 365.
- Your plan already covers the Purview retention and records features you need.
- Your approvals are built in Power Automate and someone maintains them.
- The pain is only scanning: fix that with CapturePoint 6 and stop there.
Content Central fits if
- An on-premises SharePoint upgrade is due anyway, and you want records on your own servers or hosted in our cloud.
- You want approvals, signatures and retention in one system, not assembled from several services.
- Records arrive on paper and by email and need indexing, routing and a retention schedule.
- Auditors ask who opened a document and why, and you want that answer in one place.
- You want AI working through your document processes, private to you, with custom AI tools built around how you work.
One invoice, two paths
Take one invoice from Martinez Logistics arriving in the morning mail.
Path 1: into SharePoint
- 01
Scan
The stack goes through the scanner attached to the CapturePoint 6 PC. It finds where the invoice starts and ends and recognizes it as an invoice. - 02
Read and check
It reads the vendor, invoice number, dates, total and line items, and checks that the lines add up. Anything unsure waits for a person with the reason shown. - 03
File
The searchable PDF lands in the AP library. Columns named Vendor and InvoiceNumber are filled from the values it read. From there, your Power Automate approval takes over.
Path 3: into Content Central
- 01
Capture
The invoice arrives by scan, CapturePoint 6 or email capture, filed as document type Invoice with its fields. - 02
Approve
A rule starts the Invoice Approval process on capture. Over a set amount it adds a second approver; after three days without a decision, it escalates. - 03
Export and keep
Once approved, the invoice is exported to QuickBooks, Sage, Workday or Epicor, and kept under the Invoice retention schedule.
Where these facts come from
Everything this page says about Microsoft SharePoint comes from these pages, checked on 4 October 2026. Products change; if something here is out of date, the vendor's page wins. Content Central facts come from its own documentation and the Content Central help library.
- Microsoft lifecycle: SharePoint Server Subscription Edition
- Microsoft lifecycle: SharePoint Server 2019
- Microsoft lifecycle: SharePoint Server 2016
- Microsoft Support: SharePoint 2013 workflow retirement
- Microsoft Support: how versioning works in lists and libraries
- Microsoft Support: content types
- Microsoft Learn: managed metadata
- Microsoft Support: approvals in lists and libraries
- Microsoft Learn: retention policies and labels
- Microsoft Learn: records management
- Microsoft Purview service description (licensing)
- Microsoft Learn: set up Microsoft eSignature
- Microsoft Learn: document processing (formerly Syntex) overview
- Microsoft Learn: get started with Copilot in SharePoint
- Microsoft Learn: SharePoint service description
- Microsoft Learn: SharePoint Migration Tool
- Microsoft Learn: Migration Manager
Microsoft SharePoint is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Ademero is not affiliated with Microsoft Corporation.