SharePoint and Web Content Management
June 5, 2014
Web content management capabilities were added to SharePoint in 2007, but the jury is still out on whether or not they are sufficient. KMWorld turns their attention to this important topic in the article, “SharePoint 2013: Does it finally crack the code of WCM?”
The article begins:
“With the advent of SharePoint 2013, it’s time to reassess functional improvements, and evaluate whether Microsoft has truly expanded the product’s target scenarios for Web publishing. Below I’ll describe the implications for changes in SP 2013 in some key areas: architecture, development, content authoring, and visitor engagement.
There’s more to add, of course. For a complete evaluation and competitive comparison, you can consult Real Story Group’s Web CMS Report. But these four categories will give you a decent sense for where Microsoft has gone with respect to WCM.”
The author then goes on to detail the progress that has been made in regards to WCM and explain how to get the most out of your implementation. He does admit several times that the process is a bit clunky. Another useful resource is the SharePoint feed on ArnoldIT.com. Stephen E. Arnold is the man behind the scenes and has devoted his life’s work to covering all things search. Keep an eye on his content for the latest SharePoint tips and tricks.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 5, 2014
SharePoint Videos Debuts Visual SP
June 3, 2014
A good support system is important to those who are responsible for implementing or maintaining a SharePoint infrastructure. Some users turn to SharePoint-Videos for professional SharePoint education and support delivered through online and DVD-based courses. In their latest offering, SharePoint-Videos unveils an on-demand help system. Read more in the press release, “SharePoint-Videos Debuts VisualSP, Enterprise Edition, an In-Context, On Demand Help System for SharePoint with Usage Analytics.”
The release begins:
“SharePoint-Videos has added an Enterprise Edition to its suite of VisualSP™ help systems for SharePoint. This product includes all of the features of the Express version of VisualSP, together with metrics on actual usage of the VisualSP system by SharePoint users at either the farm, web application, or even site collection levels. The usage information, which can be viewed by the day, or by the week, or even by the month, includes a set of metrics, which are each compiled from a count of clicks on the VisualSP ‘Help’ tab on the SharePoint ribbon.”
This kind of support is essential, and it is important to find the format that best suits your organization. Stephen E. Arnold has made a career out of covering all things search, including SharePoint. He shares his findings on ArnoldIT.com and his SharePoint feed is full of tips and tricks that benefit SharePoint users at all levels.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 3, 2014
Microsoft Yanks Azure Hosting
May 29, 2014
SharePoint mobile apps hosting on Azure was widely touted what seems like just a few short months ago. However, news recently broke that SharePoint is yanking the solution off of the platform. The details are covered in the PCWorld story, “Microsoft Yanks Azure Auto-Hosted SharePoint Apps Service.”
The article begins:
“Microsoft is pulling the plug on a new model of deplying and hosting apps for SharePoint that relied on the company’s Azure platform. The goal of the AutoHosted Apps Preview program was to offer SharePoint developers a ‘friction free’ experience for provisioning their apps by tapping Azure resources, but the service fell short of expectations because, in Microsoft’s words, it ‘lacked some critical capabilities.’”
Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and often turns his attention to SharePoint glitches and concerns. Users are often looking for tips and tricks to help make SharePoint more effective and accessible, and on ArnoldIT.com he offers those too. So stay tuned to Arnold’s SharePoint feed for more about the Azure change and all the latest SharePoint news.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 29, 2014
Webinar Bridges the Gap Between SharePoint Usage and Performance
May 27, 2014
Many SharePoint specialists see a disconnect between SharePoint usage and user performance. In an attempt to explain and fill that gap, GSX Solutions is sponsoring a webinar which highlights their partnership with CardioLog Analytics. Read all the details in the article, “Webinar: Bridging the SharePoint Gap — Usage Meets User Performance.”
The announcement begins:
“GSX Solutions . . . today announced a new webinar to discuss topics around filling the gap between usage and user performance when using SharePoint together with its technology partner, Intlock, the leader in the field of SharePoint analytics since 2005. CardioLog Analytics, the leading SharePoint Web analytics solution developed by Intlock, provides deep insights into the performance of Web and portal initiatives through testing, tracking and targeting, ultimately enabling users to optimize their sites’ impact and maximize the return on investment.”
Stephen E. Arnold also has a vested interest in SharePoint. He has made a career out of following all things search and reporting his finding on ArnoldIT.com. His SharePoint feed features lots of useful tips and tricks, including webinar and professional development like the opportunity above.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 27, 2014
What to do When SharePoint Performs Poorly
May 22, 2014
SharePoint is not exactly known for being a seamless installation, so it comes as no surprise to many when SharePoint runs poorly. But for all the investment in time and money, users shouldn’t have to put up with poor performance. LifeHacker offers a quick checklist to consult when SharePoint heads south in their article, “Stuff To Check When SharePoint Runs Badly.”
The article begins:
“Setting up SharePoint is a masochist’s idea of fun, frankly — but not all the things that can go wrong are to do with the portal software itself. Here are some other platform issues you should check when SharePoint is performing sluggishly. SharePoint guru and author Robert Bogue shared some common issues encountered with SharePoint during a talk at TechEd North America 2014.”
Stephen E. Arnold knows all too well what happens when SharePoint goes bad. He has made a career out of search and reports his findings on ArnoldIT.com. His SharePoint feed is a great resource for SharePoint users and administrators. It is helpful to not only know how to fix your SharePoint installation, but also how to prevent it from going bad, and readers can look to ArnoldIT for both of those information needs.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 22, 2014
Microsoft Updates Patches and Leave Some Vulnerabilities
May 20, 2014
After the most recent patch Tuesday, Microsoft has kept its word and discontinued support for Windows XP. But less known is their ending of support for Microsoft Office 2003. ZDNet covers all the details of Patch Tuesday in their article, “Microsoft Patches Office, SharePoint and Windows, Leaves XP Behind.”
The article begins:
“Microsoft issued eight security updates today addressing a total of 14 vulnerabilities in Windows, Office and SharePoint Server. This is the first Patch Tuesday since the end of support for Windows XP and Office 2003. Even though Microsoft provided an update one week ago for all Windows versions, including Windows XP, this time they followed through on policy and did not release updates for Windows XP even though one of the updates patched today is critical and likely affects Windows XP. Less well-known is that Microsoft Office 2003 also exited its support period in April.”
The most critical patch released helped resolve the Internet Explorer fiasco that has made recent headlines. All supported versions of SharePoint Server were also updated. Stephen E. Arnold is a lifelong search expert and the brains behind ArnoldIT.com. His work gives a lot of attention to the search features of Microsoft, since it is such a dominant share of the market. But SharePoint, and Microsoft in general, are slow to release updates, forcing users to turn to third parties like Arnold for the latest tips and tricks.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 20, 2014
SharePoint Mobility Functionality Depends on Third Party Solutions
May 15, 2014
By now readers are probably tired of hearing about SharePoint and its evolving mobile capabilities. But the truth is, a lot is written about SharePoint and mobile because it is what users are looking for next in the platform. Business 2 Community gives another spin on the topic in their article, “Third-Party Apps Mend SharePoint’s Mobility Pains.”
The article refers to a survey that was conducted among SharePoint users:
“Seismic, an enterprise mobile content management solution, conducted a survey of the 2014 SharePoint Conference global attendees. The findings revealed that 30 percent of business professionals believe better mobile capabilities will drive the adoption of SharePoint. While SharePoint users are accessing the content management system via computers, smartphones and tablets, they’re continuing to experience pain points with mobile.”
The article then goes on to list the common complaints about SharePoint’s mobile capabilities, or lack thereof. And once again, third party solutions are being pointed out as the relief in this situation. Stephen E. Arnold also covers SharePoint news on his Web site, ArnoldIT.com. He has also found that customization and mobile capabilities drive SharePoint adoption and satisfaction, but until SharePoint embeds better abilities, users will continue to turn to third party solutions.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 15, 2014
SharePoint Facing Inevitable Changes
May 13, 2014
SharePoint is so ubiquitous, that major changes to the platform can really touch almost every organization, in some way. Fierce Content Management is projecting huge changes in the way that SharePoint is deployed in the future. Read more in their story, “SharePoint Might Not be Dying, But It’s Changing and You Need to be Ready.”
“Gartner analyst Jeffrey Mann had a message about the venerable SharePoint for folks at the Gartner Portals, Content and Collaboration Summit this week in LA: It might not be going away anytime soon, but Microsoft was changing the way it delivered SharePoint and customers need to prepare for this.”
The story goes on to project that 2015 might be the last SharePoint version to offer an on-premise installation. While the cloud is gaining popularity, it still has its detractors, concerned primarily about security. Stephen E. Arnold has devoted his life’s work to all things search, and SharePoint is a popular feature on his Web site, ArnoldIT.com. His SharePoint feed features the latest news and tips, and would be a good place to turn for organizations that are in flux.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 13, 2014
Ravn Amps Up Its Search Prowess
May 9, 2014
I read “RAVN Systems Revolutionises COWI’s SharePoint 2013 Search.” I learned several things. First, COWI means “a leading international consulting group with 50 remote locations.”
Next, RAVN delivers some performance assertions; for example:
In representative tests across their estate COWI have achieved a 57% reduction in indexing time of remote content, over 90% reduction in bandwidth usage during indexing and 70% reduction in time to preview compared with opening content. They have also estimated a saving of 12 physical servers.
Unfortunately there were no data about life before RAVN, the system’s throughput, etc. But the assertion is interesting.
Finally, the article states:
“RAVN Connect revolutionises SharePoint Search in distributed environments”.
I have heard this before from Fulcrum Technologies decades ago. I assume this time the nail in SharePoint’s findability coffin is hammered tight. No word from the legions of other SharePoint indexing systems, however.
Stephen E Arnold, May 9, 2014
SharePoint Integration with MailChimp
May 8, 2014
SharePoint is looking for more ways to increase their influence for businesses of all sizes. The latest announcement seems like great news for smaller or medium sized businesses. Read the full story in the PR Newswire article, “Sharepoint AMS’ Integration of MailChimp to Aid Sharepoint Online Users in Design of High-Caliber Email Marketing Campaigns.”
The article begins:
“This week the innovators of the SharePoint Mobile Sync service released another new service that will help companies using SharePoint Online with email newsletters and marketing campaigns. ‘SharePoint MailChimp Sync’ [the service] auto synchronizes SharePoint lists with MailChimp lists and works with SharePoint 2010, 2013 and SharePoint Online.”
This service is one that will appeal the millions of MailChimp users, many of them small business owners. And it is good news for SharePoint, as they look to appeal to smaller organizations. Stephen E. Arnold has been a lifelong leader in all things search and a frequent contributor to the SharePoint discussion. His Web site, ArnoldIT.com, provides readers with a way to stay on top of the SharePoint feed and manage what is most pertinent.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 8, 2014
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