Contracts 365 vs. Ironclad

Executive Summary

How Enterprise Legal Teams Evaluate Contract Management Systems

Enterprise legal teams evaluate Contract Management Software Systems based on long-term governance, audit defensibility, operational sustainability, and alignment with enterprise IT standards.

Key evaluation areas typically include:

• Legal governance and compliance controls
• Reliability and transparency of AI-assisted functionality
• Workflow flexibility balanced against long-term maintainability
• Security, identity, and document management alignment
• Implementation effort and ownership requirements

This comparison reflects those enterprise legal priorities.

Quick Comparison Overview

Legal Governance & Compliance

Both Contracts 365 and Ironclad provide governance capabilities designed to support enterprise legal oversight and compliance requirements.

Contracts 365 emphasizes governance through:

• SharePoint-native version control and document history
• Role-based permissions and approval workflows
• Clear audit trails aligned with Microsoft security and compliance models

Ironclad supports governance through:

• Configurable approval workflows
• Contract activity tracking and audit logs
• Centralized contract visibility across teams

Both platforms meet core enterprise governance needs, with differences primarily in how governance is embedded within broader enterprise systems.

AI Capabilities for Legal Teams

In enterprise legal environments, AI capabilities are typically assessed based on assistive value, accuracy, and explainability, rather than autonomous decision-making.

Contracts 365 uses AI to assist with:

• Contract metadata extraction and negotiation
• Contract classification and insights
• Obligation visibility within Microsoft-based workflows

Ironclad offers AI-assisted functionality focused on:

• Workflow automation and contract review support
• Data extraction and contract analysis
• Accelerating legal review and approval processes

For enterprise legal teams, the key distinction is how AI supports controlled legal review and defensible outcomes within existing processes.

Workflow Design & Operational Complexity

Workflow design is a central consideration for enterprise legal teams managing high contract volumes.

Ironclad is known for:

• Highly configurable workflow design
• Automation across contract creation, review, and approval
• Flexibility to support diverse legal processes

This flexibility can be valuable but may introduce additional administrative and change-management overhead over time.

Contracts 365 focuses on:

• Structured, repeatable workflows
• Legal control with reduced operational complexity
• Easier long-term maintenance within Microsoft 365 environments

The trade-off is typically maximum workflow flexibility versus sustainable operational simplicity.

Microsoft 365 & Enterprise IT Alignment

Alignment with Microsoft 365 is often a key factor for enterprise legal and IT teams.

Contracts 365 operates natively within Microsoft 365, including:

• SharePoint as the document system of record
• Microsoft identity, security, and access controls
• Contracts and related data stored within your existing Microsoft tenant

Ironclad operates as a standalone SaaS platform with integrations into Microsoft tools, but contract documents and workflows reside outside the native SharePoint environment.

For organizations standardized on Microsoft 365, native alignment can reduce system sprawl, simplify access controls, and improve long-term manageability.

Implementation, Ownership & Time to Value

Implementation expectations differ between the two platforms.

Ironclad implementations often involve:

• Dedicated workflow configuration
• Legal operations involvement
• Change management across legal and business teams

Contracts 365 implementations are typically:

• Faster for Microsoft-centric organizations
• More incremental and predictable
• Easier to manage with existing IT and legal operations resources

These differences often reflect organizational preferences for flexibility versus operational efficiency.

Which Platform Is the Better Fit for Enterprise Legal Teams?

Contracts 365 is often a strong fit if:

• Your legal team operates primarily within Microsoft 365
• Governance, auditability, and traceability are top priorities
• You want predictable rollout and adoption
• Legal operations resources are limited or shared

Ironclad may be a better fit if:

• You require highly customized legal workflows
• Automation across diverse contract processes is a priority
• Dedicated legal operations resources are available
• Greater configuration complexity is acceptable

Frequently Asked Questions by Enterprise Legal Teams

Is Contracts 365 suitable for enterprise legal teams?
Yes. Contracts 365 supports enterprise legal teams that require structured governance, audit-ability, and scalability within Microsoft-based environments.

Is Ironclad designed for legal operations teams?
Ironclad is commonly used by legal operations teams focused on workflow automation and process customization.

How do the platforms differ in Microsoft 365 usage?
Contracts 365 is built natively on Microsoft 365, while Ironclad integrates with Microsoft tools but operates as a separate platform.

How do enterprise legal teams typically choose between these platforms?
The decision often depends on the balance between workflow flexibility andl long-term operational simplicity.

Final Perspective

Both Contracts 365 and Ironclad are capable enterprise contract management software systems used by legal teams at scale.

The right choice depends on whether your organization prioritizes workflow customization and automation or operational consistency within Microsoft 365.

To understand how Contracts 365 supports enterprise legal teams, request a demo today.