Microsoft SharePoint: Risks and Rewards
October 14, 2008
ZDNet published SharePoint: What Are the Risks and Rewards by Larry Dignan on October 13, 2008. This is a very good write up, and you can read the full text here. The core of Mr. Dignan’s article was a Gartner presentation about SharePoint. Mr. Dignan includes a link to that material, so I can’t rehash the details Mr. Dignan presents. For me, the most important points were three. Also, my opinions are in italics,
- There’s lots of interest in SharePoint. No kidding. Microsoft has 65 million to 100 million licensees
- SharePoint is complex and therefore expensive. No kidding. Everything seems to require a script. Good for Certified Professionals, bad for the licensees.
- Stuff doesn’t work. No kidding. Ever try to hook Microsoft’s own business intelligence or Dynamics CRM into SharePoint. Good luck on that.
My take on the SharePoint frenzy that seems to be sweeping conferences, consultant reports, and the trade publications is that SharePoint sounds great. The demos look good. The Microsoft fan boys think that SharePoint can be tamed without too much effort.
However, none of these points matter. Microsoft has a very good marketing machines. Its Certified Partners know there is gold in those hills. Bottomline: Microsoft will disseminate SharePoint. When the customer wants a search solution that goes beyond the built in functionality, Microsoft and its partners will sell Fast Search’s Enterprise Search Platform. The licensees won’t know the power of that one-two punch until the someone tallies the costs of the licenses, the infrastructure, the staff and consultants, and the time required to customize, tune, and upgrade. SharePoint could, in the right circumstances, put those not in fighting trim out for the count..
Agree? Disagree? Help me learn.
Stephen Arnold, October 14, 2008
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