SharePoint has consistently increased in complexity over time and now includes new capabilities, such as cloud service and Silverlight development, among a host of other additions. In order to achieve a smooth transition to using SharePoint 2010, there are a number of areas to keep in mind. This white paper offers a selection of tips that suggest ways to bring together multiple data flows, improve information sharing, and create an effective collaborative framework for your company.
SharePoint provides companies a way to promote dynamic knowledge exchange and to foster common purpose among employees. Microsoft's one-stop "content and collaboration" platform has been around since 2001. However, it didn't see widespread adoption until the debut of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 and the platform's integration with social software, such as blogs, wikis, and social networking websites.
The current version, SharePoint 2010, has been substantially upgraded and now provides a diverse range of enterprise deployments. Site editing has been made easier and more intuitive since the inclusion of the MS Office-style Ribbon. This new release also simplifies the process of tagging and aggregating data. Moreover, a new set of community features enables users to share data, similar to Twitter and Facebook. The platform features better integration both with the company's FAST search engine as well as with PerformancePoint, Microsoft's business intelligence software.
SharePoint has consistently increased in complexity over time and now includes new capabilities, such as cloud service and Silverlight development, among a host of other additions. In order to achieve a smooth transition to using SharePoint 2010, there are a number of areas to keep in mind. This white paper offers a selection of tips that suggest ways to bring together multiple data flows, improve information sharing, and create an effective collaborative framework for your company.
You should realize that collaboration is already occurring every day within your company.
SharePoint 2010 offers a means for strengthening and supporting those interactions. However, before integrating the platform into your organization, take the time to assess.
Recognize that the collaborative nature of your organization is defined by every meeting, status report, document, review, or hallway conversation. By taking time to identify places in your business flow where SharePoint 2010 can provide both the structure and the means for fostering better communication, you'll avoid a trial-anderror approach that can waste important project time.
Ultimately, you'll be implementing SharePoint 2010 not only to increase the quality and number of collaborations within your company (although it will do that), but also to maintain and strengthen the collaborations that are already in place. Increasing efficiency in the business flow is one of the key areas where SharePoint can make a difference for your company, whether it's in the pre-planning stage for projects, in building infrastructures, or in achieving milestones.
Creating a clear roadmap for the incremental roll-out of SharePoint 2010 within your organization indicates how your organization can best assimilate the platform's broad functionality over time. In many companies, keeping a balance between a secure and stable information structure and allowing users the freedom to exert their own control can be complicated. SharePoint 2010 offers a range of functions that surpass earlier versions and allows you to achieve that balance.
For example, Business Connectivity Services (BCS) and SharePoint Workspace have both evolved from their earlier incarnations in MOSS 2007. These improvements enable users to alter data and ensure that any changes will be updated to back-end services, including applications, Web services, databases, and documents.
This means examining the true needs of your company. By understanding how and where SharePoint best fits into your organization from a return on investment n( ROI) standpoint, you can effectively evaluate the multitude of functionalities the platform provides and which ones work best within your company.
For example, if SharePoint is chosen as a collaborative tool from a primarily technology-based approach without ROI consideration, it can lead to inadequate solutions, information overload, improper hardware deployment, and ineffective user practices. These deficiencies are frequently due to lack of communication with managerial leaders regarding specific business goals and fully understanding the direction a company is heading in.
Your goal is to select the proper SharePoint solution at the right cost and with an acceptable amount of risk for the business. Remember, it's not technology that brings success;, it's the communication it enables.
Organic growth in the use of SharePoint within your organization over time is an impressive achievement to witness. When end-users create their own business solutions, wikis, intranets, forums, and document libraries, to name a few, the benefit to your company can be immense. This is all based on proper guidance and taking the necessary time to put in place the right learning protocols.
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