what is SharePoint?
Well
actually SharePoint is a
collection of different products and software tools developed by Microsoft that
provide collaboration functions, process management, searching capabilities and
document management together in one solution. Currently, the most
popular version of this is SharePoint 2007 (or Microsoft Office SharePoint
Server 2007.) However at the moment Microsoft are currently working on releasing
the next version - SharePoint 2010, its official name will be Microsoft
SharePoint Server 2010. You may have noticed that the 'Office' part of the name
has dropped out. The reason being is that the “Office” brand will no longer
include Server side components (such as SharePoint) – but I think we will cover
that in another blog.
Currently Office
SharePoint Server 2007 supports all intranet, extranet, and Web applications
across an enterprise within one integrated platform instead of relying on
separate systems. MOSS 2007 also simplifies compliance and keeps business
information more secure through providing a set of tools to manage and control
electronic content, while also streamlining everyday processes and increasing
organisational productivity. Incorporating electronic forms and out-of-the-box
workflow processes MOSS 2007 enables users to initiate, track, and use familiar
Microsoft Office applications, e-mail, or Web browsers to improve and expand
collabouration within their organisation. So that in essence is SharePoint 2007
covered (if somewhat briefly!) Your next question is probably, “What new
features are in SharePoint 2010?” Let’s have a look I think you will be
impressed.....
Groove (document collaboration application,
acquired by Microsoft) is now being renamed and transformed into Microsoft
Office SharePoint Workspace 2010.
SharePoint 2010 is not going to support
Internet Explorer 6 However, it will be supporting Firefox 3.x on Windows and
perhaps even Firefox 3.x and Safari on non-Windows platforms.
Master
Data Management (MDM) will be integrated with Office 14 (Office
2010).
SharePoint 2010 will be able to interact with other CMS systems
through CMIS.
You will be able to map SharePoint lists directly to
database tables, which will provide great performance and scalability,
especially on large lists.
There will be Silverlight support and maybe
AJAX (Not confirmed).
SharePoint Designer will support saving workflows
to re-use for provisioning.
BDC might support Updating and Inserting
data.
Faceted Search. This will allow users to search and filter their
search criteria.
FAST Search for SharePoint. A new version of FAST Search
for SharePoint.
"Web edit" - Microsoft have now made it much easier for
users to customise their own sites in SharePoint 2010. A new feature called Web
edit allows site owners to edit their sites almost as if they were typical
Office documents, making it easier for them to carry out common Web editing
tasks like uploading and changing images or editing text.
Other
user-focused upgrades include the ability to use Office themes in SharePoint,
for example by customising a team site with the colour palette of a SharePoint
slide deck.
You will also be able to read Visio documents in
SharePoint.
Improved administrative capabilities with a dashboard that
uses the ribbon interface.
Set of tools to monitor server farm health and
data performance.
Standardized UI across all Office products, browsers,
mobile devices.
Open API support.
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Obviously there is more to
come and in due course I will let you know about these additions. In the
meantime I do hope this overview of SharePoint has been useful. As always please
contact either your account manager or myself if you would like to know more
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