Final Considerations During a SharePoint Deployment Project
June 7, 2012
Robert Schifreen spent around eight months deploying and chronicling a SharePoint implementation project. In the twelfth and final installment of his SharePoint 2010 series, “SharePoint Deployment: The Final Chapter,” Schifreen highlights final configurations and the unavoidable prospect of going live. Schifreen summarizes the experience:
So where are we now? My two-server test farm is long since gone, and is now a proper six-server, three-tier farm that’s almost working the way we want. After that, and some user testing, duplicating my efforts on the production farm should be relatively straightforward. Then it’s a case of migrating users’ data from our existing network shares, at which point we can begin to roll out a working SharePoint environment for all our staff.
Longer term, we have great plans for what we hope will become a core strategic service for all staff and students. We’ll be looking for SharePoint development skills within the next year or two, as we begin to create a true intranet and portal that means our users have just a single point of entry into all our systems. Our intranet will evolve from a document collection into a proper intranet/portal.
Schifreen adds this comment about user challenges:
We’re conscious that the biggest complaint from users about our existing intranet and document repositories is that people can’t find what they’re looking for, so conversations these days include “taxonomy” or “managed metadata” in every sentence. Frequently both.
Schifreen’s series may be a valuable one to follow if you’ve been involved with a SharePoint implementation and deployment project. We also know that user complaints about search in SharePoint are not isolated to the deployment stage. Gaps in the out-of-the-box SharePoint search feature have many users turning to a third party solution. We like the feedback we’ve seen about Fabasoft Mindbreeze. With clear navigation and a self-explanatory interface, Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise facilitates findability.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise finds every scrap of information within a very short time, whether document, contract, note, e-mail or calendar entry, in intranet or internet, person- or text-related. The software solution finds all required information, regardless of source, for its users. Get a comprehensive overview of corporate knowledge in seconds without redundancy or loss of data.
While discussion about SharePoint user-adoption seems to be a constant among the community, Mindbreeze can save employees time by connecting them to the right information now via a user-friendly interface. Navigate to http://www.mindbreeze.com/ to read more.
Philip West, June 7, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
New Exclusive Interview: Bjorn Laukli, Comperio US
June 6, 2012
At a recent conference devoted to enterprise search, I spoke with Bjørn Laukli, now the president of Comperio US. Mr. Laukli was the Fast Search & Transfer chief technical officer. Prior to Fast Search’s acquisition by Microsoft in 2008, Mr. Laukli joined Comperio AS, a search solutions company. For more information about Comperio, navigate to the company’s Web site, www.comperiosearch.com. If you mistype the url as comperio.com, Google displays a malware warning, which does not apply to Comperio AS.
I asked Mr. Laukli about Comperio’s business focus. He told me:
We founded Comperio AS in 2004 with a vision of utilizing search technology to improve the way people interact with information, ensuring that the solutions understand people and context, rather than the other way round. Early on, Scandinavia was Comperio’s focus area, however, since 2008, it has expanded into the US and UK. Initially, the business was building a practice around the FAST Enterprise Search Platform (ESP) with both products and services. Since Microsoft acquired FAST, Comperio’s business focus has expanded into SharePoint and FAST Search for SharePoint.
A company’s approach to client engagements is key to the success of an engineering services firm. In response to the question, “How do you lead a client through a solution?”, Mr. Laukli said:
After an engagement agreement has been established, we typically enter the discovery phase. Often we follow an agile methodology like Scrum, and in such a setting we refer this phase to Sprint 0. In Sprint 0, we gather requirements and talk with the stakeholders from the client. This includes business and IT resources, as well as end users of the system. Sprint 0 consists of many activities from analysis, to concept development, interaction and technology design. The output of this initial phase is normally a detailed project plan outlining key deliverables and dependencies. A system design is also outlined and communicated. After sign-off on the project plan, we start the implementation. After the solution is deployed, it enters the maintenance phase. Comperio offers application management service (AMS) which in many cases is a great option for the client. That way they can focus on their core business, while we can ensure that their system produce high-quality results all the time.
You can read the full text of the interview with Mr. Laukli on the ArnoldIT.com subsite Search Wizards Speak. For one click access to the 2009 interview with Mr. Laukli, click here. For the 2012 interview, click here.
The Search Wizards Speak collection of interviews contains more than 70 interviews with individuals who are involved in search and content processing. The index of the interviews is available at the subsite http://www.arnoldit.com/search-wizards-speak/.
Stephen E Arnold, June 6, 2012
Sponsored by IKANOW
Live Data and Web Site Design Considerations in SharePoint Deployment
June 6, 2012
We’ve been covering Robert Schifreen’s SharePoint 2010 series of posts on his SharePoint deployment experience. In his eleventh installment, “Countdown to Launch: Importing Data,” he continues the topic of security and how to manage it alongside live data and a public-facing web site.
Schifreen has this to say about importing data:
There’s a good bulk upload tool, which improves on the facilities in out-of-the-box SharePoint, available for a couple of hundred dollars, which will make it easy for users to copy stuff across. Or they can just use WebDav from Windows. Or I could probably do the whole thing in PowerShell, because there’s enough information in our Active Directory for me to find their current files, check that they are staff rather than a student, and copy the files to the correct SharePoint library.
And he goes on to comment on developing a public facing web site,
A SharePoint site, especially one that isn’t a public-facing website, tends to look like every other SharePoint site on the planet. You can, if you wish, customise it in any way you want. At the simple level you can replace the SharePoint logo with your own.
Importing data and branding your SharePoint site are both important steps in the overall SharePoint deployment. If you’re in the same process, you may want to read the article for some handy tips and guidance. You may also consider a third party solution to extend the capabilities of your SharePoint system. It seems that the experts at Fabasoft Mindbreeze understand the importance of a web site brand and design.
An attractive website serves as an effective digital business card. Surprise your website visitors with an intuitive search. Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite is intuitive and user friendly and is instantly ready for use as a Cloud service. It turns your website into a user-friendly knowledge portal for your customers and recognizes correlations and links through semantic and dynamic search processes. This delivers pinpoint accurate and precise “finding experiences” and is the perfect website search for your company.
And with no installation, configuration, or maintenance required, the comprehensive and cost-effective solution will save you valuable time and training resources. Navigate to http://www.mindbreeze.com/ to read more about the full suite of solutions.
Philip West, June 6, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Security Concerns and Account Permissions in SharePoint 2010 Explained
June 5, 2012
Robert Schifreen brings us the tenth installment of his SharePoint 2010 series in his ZDNet.co.uk post, “Security on the Farm: Accounts and Permissions.” Shifreen explains that SharePoint’s most important database is SharePoint_config but that if it breaks, you’re best bet is to rebuild from your notes and restore backed-up content databases. Why? Schifreen points out that restoring a backup of SharePoint_config isn’t actually supported by Microsoft and rarely works in practice.
The author also has this to share about the nuances of a SharePoint deployment:
When you start building and running a SharePoint farm, you will come across dozens of seemingly unsolvable problems that turn out to be merely down to permissions.
He goes on to say,
Best practice is then to use separate accounts for installing various underlying services, databases, and so on…The most tempting option, of course, is to forget best practice and just use one account for running all the SharePoint internal stuff. The upside is that things will work a little better, with fewer permission-related errors. There are two downsides. First, if a hacker manages to penetrate the account he’ll have access to the entire farm rather than just a half or a third of it. Secondly, splitting everything across multiple accounts can actually aid troubleshooting in some cases because, by glancing at the server’s security log, the account that caused the problem will give you a clue as to why things are going wrong.
Schifreen’s topic of security is a valuable one in the world of big data that is continuously growing across on-premise and cloud platforms. Consider a comprehensive out of the box solution, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze, to extend your SharePoint system with the added certified security benefits.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise “finds every scrap of information within a very short time, whether document, contract, note, e-mail or calendar entry, in intranet or internet, person- or text-related. The software solution finds all required information, regardless of source, for its users.” Further, Mindbreeze offers certified security and reliability with regular external audits of their relevant standards ISO 27001, ISO 20000, ISO 9001, and SAS 70 Tup II. The solution is worth a second look at www.mindbreeze.com.
Philip West, June 5, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Get a Comprehensive Search Solution for SharePoint from Fabasoft Mindbreeze
June 4, 2012
In “SharePoint Log: When Databases Rebel,” Robert Schifreen looks at how one user can generate 16 gigabytes of logs in just three months. The article is the ninth part of a larger SharePoint 2010 series chronicling a SharePoint deployment at the ZDNet Blog.
Schifreen has this to say about navigating the growing amounts of data:
Microsoft markets a separate SharePoint add-on product called FAST Search, and likes to imply that no successful SharePoint installation is complete without it. In practice, from what I have read, it seems that FAST is unnecessary unless you have tens of millions of documents to index. Otherwise, SharePoint’s out-of-the-box indexing system will crawl the full text of all your documents (you’ll need to download a free ifilter, as it’s called, to crawl PDF files) perfectly well.
But he goes on to add:
There’s a handful of things missing from the standard search, such as having the number of hits displayed in brackets within the search results page, and there are no thumbnail previews of search results, but nothing that is sufficiently must-have to warrant the added expense or complication of learning yet another Microsoft technology.
We know SharePoint is a complex and beneficial system for content management, but we also know there are gaps in the out-of-the-box search feature. But you don’t have to learn a new Microsoft technology or settle for less. Consider a third party solution developed and devoted specifically to search, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Their Web Parts based information pairing capabilities give you powerful searches and a complete picture of your business information, allowing you to get the most out of your enterprise search investments. And your end users will benefit from the fast and intuitive search with clearly displayed results and simple navigation.
Creating relevant knowledge means processing data in a comprehensible form and utilizing relations between information objects. Data is sorted according to type and relevance. The enterprise search for professionals.
Mindbreeze’s intuitiveness also means less training required. They have tutorials and wikis that are easy to use and more efficient. Here you can browse Mindbreeze’s support tools for users, including videos, FAQs, wikis, and other training options. Check out the full suite of solutions at Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Philip West, June 4, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Understanding Microsoft Specifications for Designing a SharePoint Farm
June 1, 2012
In the eighth part of his SharePoint 2010 series, Robert Schifreen explains how he found that reading between the lines is an essential part of understanding Microsoft’s approach to specifications. His full account is relayed in, “Designing a SharePoint Farm: Tiers before Bedtime.” Schifreen decided on the three-tier model as the best architecture for performance in his farm: the first tier for SharePoint server IIS processes, the second tier for three more SharePoint servers doing all non-IIS things, and the third tier for an SQL Server.
Schifreen goes on to explain:
Having decided on a farm architecture, we also needed to think about the storage architecture too. The web, and especially TechNet, is full of warnings that storage can be the major bottleneck, and that it’s best to split the major data paths across separate physical drives. We originally drew up a plan that saw us using around 20 separate drive volumes on the SQL server, to include content databases, non-content databases, search indexes, transaction logs, tempdb, and so on.
But after further research, the team came up with a different method:
A subsequent session with SharePoint 911 convinced us that this was not a wise move because it would be too difficult to manage. Also, our SAN should be able to take care of ironing out any storage bottlenecks anyway. So we decided to start off with a couple of 1.6TB volumes, to put all the databases on those, and then to request further volumes from our SAN people as and when required. Moving a database from one volume to another, within the same SQL server, is relatively painless.
Overall, the post provides some practical insight into the design process. While SharePoint is a powerful and ubiquitous program, Schifreen points out that the data limits are a little deceiving as there are limitations with 1.6 terabytes. To round out your SharePoint system, consider a third party solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise.
Here you can read about the cost-efficient solution:
Company knowledge and the information in the Cloud are constantly growing. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Fabasoft Mindbreeze web client is the driving force behind the information pairing. It makes the access to knowledge user-friendly and easy. Correlations and links are semantically recognized and displayed. This provides your employees with a flexible, dynamic, yet still easy to use platform that grows with you. This is the professional implementation of Unified Information Access.
Navigate to http://www.mindbreeze.com/ to learn more.
Philip West, June 1, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Considerations for Virtualizing SharePoint 2010 Database Server
May 31, 2012
As part of continuing coverage of Robert Schifreen’s SharePoint 2010 series, we’re looking at his seventh installment, “To Virtualise or not to Virtualise.” Schifreen explains the practical, detailed decisions about configuration and resources, starting with virtualization.
While virtualization provides for the ability to consolidate multiple virtual guests within a single physical server by sharing the physical resources across the virtual machine, experts have differing opinions on virtualizing the SharePoint database server. But in Schifreen’s experience, the advantages outweighed any potential downfalls. He has this to say about the process:
In addition, some experts suggest that any more than two virtual CPUs is actually a bad move, since the server spends too much time waiting for CPUs to become available. This is something we’ll need to watch. We also took on board a widely held opinion that, on a virtual database server, you should not use auto-growing, thin-provisioned databases because it’s too easy for the hypervisor to lose track of how much free space you actually have. You’ll need to change some of the defaults in SQL Server because they’re not suitable for SharePoint.
Virtualization may be the path you want to take with your farm. It can reduce hardware costs, increase server utilization, lessen environmental impact, improve service levels, and extend the life of legacy systems. Schifreen’s article may be worth the read if you’re considering virtualization. And while you’re looking to reduce redundancy and increase efficiency, consider a powerful search feature to help you get the most return on your SharePoint investments. An IDC Study found that Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise gains each employee two weeks per year through focused finding of data, “an invaluable competitive advantage in business as well as providing employee satisfaction.”
We also like the feedback from Fabasoft Mindbreeze customers. The Chamber of Commerce, Upper Austria had this to say:
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise provides our staff quickly and efficiently with all the information they need. The service center staff is able to respond to requests without delay, as all relevant information is found with only one query. This even further improves the quality of our customer services whilst simultaneously minimizing effort of our staff.
Look for quick results from an out of the box solution at Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Philip West, May 31, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Considerations before SharePoint Migration
May 30, 2012
The world of enterprise is now humming with news of migration – migration to the upcoming SharePoint 2013 release and also the currently available SharePoint Online. Writer Steven Pogrebivsky on CMS Wire gives his take in, “4 Considerations for Migrating to Office 365 and SharePoint Online.”
Pogrebivsky tackles the first, perhaps most important step, deciding what needs to move:
Chances are your content is not organized well, or tagged appropriately, so what’s the point moving it as is and having a big grey cloud? It doesn’t make sense. What makes sense is to carefully plan what content you really need to move, how it’s going to be used and by whom. Once you’ve done that, then work on your SharePoint Information Architecture. Plan your content types, metadata and keywords. If you are going to make the move to the cloud, move only the content you need and migrate it right from the start.
The author goes on to discuss security issues and having a proper backup system in place. These are all valid considerations. However, choosing a smart third party solution could mean that an organization does not have to address these challenges independently. We like Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Mindbreeze offers an entire suite of solutions, centering around Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise understands you, or more precisely understands exactly what the most important information is for you at any given moment. It’s a center of excellence and simultaneously your personal assistant for all questions. The information pairing technology brings enterprise and Cloud together.
Additional offerings from Mindbreeze surround the central product and offer features such as Connectors to other solutions. The Mindbreeze suite is now fully mobile and security is guaranteed based on the highest EU standards. Explore the Mindbreeze solutions for yourself and see how it can improve or supplant your next migration.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 30, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Enterprise Content Management, Beyond SharePoint
May 29, 2012
Going beyond search, SharePoint 2010 is also capable of enterprise content management (ECM). Content management on any platform requires quite a bit of intentionality and planning, a task that can be daunting for any content management specialist. Jennifer Mason at CMS Wire gives users something to consider in, “SharePoint 2010: Enterprise Content Management for the Masses.”
Because there are so many pieces to consider, the best advice that can be given about getting started with the concept of records management is to start by planning. Before you ever look at the technology, you should work within your organization to ensure that you have a good set of requirements and an understanding of the overall management strategy. Once that is created, you can look at the various components required (such as Content Types and Metadata) and plan for the various elements you will need.
As Mason walks readers through various ECM features and how to use them, the advice is valuable. However, many users will benefit from a content management system that is more intuitive, requiring less customization. These smaller more nimble organizations should consider Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise.
Highly efficient enterprise search and specific connectors link together data sources in companies and organizations. They integrate the knowledge of different sections of a company into a uniform, linked whole. The award-winning high-tech product is your personal assistant. 24/7, 365 days a year. Regardless of which data you are looking for and with which system you are working with – Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise answers your questions with pinpoint accuracy.
Enterprise is not the only offering available from Mindbreeze, with an entire suite of solutions designed to connect the information needs of your entire organization. Fabasoft Mindbreeze is a leader in third party enterprise search solutions – see what it can do for your information needs.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 29, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
The Promises and Realities of SharePoint Database Management
May 28, 2012
Robert Schifreen has over 30 years of experience in reporting and implementing online technology with his latest projects focused on SharePoint installation. The positives and negatives of his experience are relayed in his post, “Attack of the BLOBs: Data Behaving Badly.” In this sixth installment of his SharePoint 2010 series, Schifreen analyzes the nuances of SharePoint databases.
Databases are the most important core of any farm as they store valuable content like user data, sites, documents, libraries, lists, calendars, wikis, and more. Schifreen explains some challenges with databases in SharePoint 2010:
You can have as many SQL databases as you like, but Microsoft recommends that you don’t allow any one database to grow larger than 200GB, after which performance apparently starts to degrade. It’s also best not to have individual drive volumes that run into tens of terabytes, because they’re a pain to back up. Microsoft has a solution to the problem of storing large data objects (BLOBs) in SQL databases, which is something called RBS or Remote Blob Storage. Each blob gets stored as a standard file on the file system and its entry in the database is replaced with a pointer to the external file.
He goes on to explain the complex nature of SharePoint architecture and RBS middleware. While a SharePoint deployment can get complicated quickly, it is important to analyze your environment and keep it simple until you need to add more complex features. Schifreen’s article is a good example of that process and may be worth the read. But we also know that a powerful search feature is necessary to navigate and get the most out of your SharePoint investments.
To fill in the search gaps in your SharePoint system, consider a third party application. We like the good reviews for the Fabasoft Mindbreeze suite of solutions. With clear navigation and a self-explanatory interface, Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise facilitates findability.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise finds every scrap of information within a very short time, whether document, contract, note, e-mail or calendar entry, in intranet or internet, person- or text-related. The software solution finds all required information, regardless of source, for its users. Get a comprehensive overview of corporate knowledge in seconds without redundancy or loss of data.
While databases can become convoluted, Mindbreeze can save employees time by connecting them to the right information via a user-friendly interface even with vast amounts of unstructured data. Navigate to http://www.mindbreeze.com/ to read more.
Philip West, May 28, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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