What are my options?

Any of the following may be considered a knowledge base:

• FAQs (frequently asked question)
• PDFs
• Word documents
• Spreadsheets
• Web portals
• Wikis
• Help center (content management system)
• In-browser extensions
• On-premise databases

How do I choose a knowledge base?

First, determine whether you need an internal knowledge base or an external knowledge base. Then, consider your knowledge management strategy. Those two factors in combination should give you sense of your technical requirements.

• If you’re hosting an externally facing help center that needs to be updated 1-4 times/year, a content management system (CMS) may be your best option.
  
• If your knowledge is meant to be accessed only in one or two specific offices for security reasons, a database that can only be accessed from on-premise computers is the right choice.
  
• If you need an internal knowledge base that is updated once a month by 1-2 users but read by many, a wiki solution may work.
  
• If you need an internal knowledge base that is both updated by and read by many people multiple times per month, a web portal may be your best option. If those people work in multiple apps, look for one with an in-browser extension.