Halting SharePoint Information Bleed
June 19, 2014
A lot of time and attention is spent on how to get information into SharePoint effectively, and subsequently store and organize it well. However, more attention needs to be paid to information loss in SharePoint, or how information sometimes seeps out backdoors and cracks in the information architecture. This topic is handled well in the CMS Wire article, “Stop SharePoint Information Bleed Before It Starts.”
After stating all the obvious benefits to SharePoint, the article then addresses the challenges of information loss:
“But all these [helpful] functions go for naught if the information leaves SharePoint as soon as it arrives. Just telling people they can’t leave isn’t enough. Most people don’t have an exit plan for SharePoint — they upload documents expecting to keep them in perpetuity. Zombie SharePoint sites drive a lot of information out the back door. Perhaps more perniciously, empty or sparsely populated SharePoint sites suggest to users this may not be the best place for them to keep storing documents. If the last home page update was 18 months ago, users won’t have much confidence.”
Stephen E. Arnold has made his life’s work about search and has devoted a lot of time and attention to SharePoint over the years, including reporting on his information service, ArnoldIT.com. He finds that SharePoint is the most widely adopted enterprise solution, but because of its breadth and depth, is perhaps the hardest and most arduous to customize. Keeping on top of issues like information loss can feel exhausting to the SharePoint administrator, but keeping an eye on useful resources like Arnold’s SharePoint feed can really help.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 19, 2014
Opportunities Intersect Challenges with SharePoint
June 17, 2014
Probably the most all-encompassing challenge facing SharePoint is the tension between the user experience provided by consumer level technology (mobile, social, cloud, etc. etc.) and the limitations of enterprise level technology. SharePoint knows its weaknesses and strives to overcome them, but change is slow. Read more in the eCommerceTimes article, “Microsoft SharePoint’s Crossroads: Where Opportunities, Challenges Meet.”
The article sums up the problem:
“As consumer-based technologies, which are primarily out in the cloud, have progressed, organizations want to focus less on infrastructure and focus more on actual business systems. End users on the other side of that want their corporate solutions to match more closely to their personal habits, to their personal tools. They’re doing everything in the cloud, everything via a mobile phone.”
And in this current scenario there are lots of opportunities present for SharePoint, and yet within them, many challenges. SharePoint is a large ship, so to speak, and is therefore slow to turn. Furthermore, they are restricted by their update plan, which thus far has provided a major overhaul every 3 years instead of their competitors’ continual, smaller improvements. Stephen E. Arnold knows this strengths and weaknesses well, and reports on them through his Web service, ArnoldIT.com. Having made his life’s work about search, Arnold’s SharePoint feed serves to inform end users and managers about tips, tricks, add-ons, and shortcuts that can make life easier.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 17, 2014
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
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
For Your Inner SharePoint
May 23, 2014
Short honk: Qink.net offers a useful list of freely available SharePoint libraries. You can find the listing at http://bit.ly/1lGc7tM. There is no major subcategory for “information retrieval.” There is a pointer to Apache’s Lucene.net page. After scanning the list, my thought was that search is not a mainstream focus for these freely available components.
Stephen E Arnold, May 23, 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
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
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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