SharePoint Online Limits Customization
November 18, 2013
SharePoint in the cloud is attempting to keep up with the overall trend of movement to the cloud. However, some organizations are looking for alternatives, complaining that Office 365 inhibits portability and customization. Redmond Magazine covers the news in their article, “SharePoint Shops Eying Windows Azure as Office 365 Alternative.”
The article says:
“Even the majority of those planning to move to SharePoint in the cloud are leaning toward Office 365 . . . While 66 percent of current SharePoint online users have Office 365 subscriptions (compared with 14 percent using Windows Azure and 15 percent using other cloud providers), of those planning to run SharePoint in the cloud in the future, 55 percent will opt for Office 365 and nearly 29 percent will use Windows Azure. That points to a segment of SharePoint shops that are turned off by the lack of code portability from older versions of SharePoint. By standing up their own SharePoint servers in Windows Azure, they get the benefit of running their custom or shrink-wrapped apps in the cloud.”
Stephen E. Arnold is a long time leader in the world of search – following the trend with his service Arnold IT. He has long argued that SharePoint is on shaky ground, and a plethora of noteworthy alternatives are not only emerging, they are being rapidly adopted. So it is no wonder that Windows Azure is a popular alternative, and may be one angle that Microsoft uses to maintain its relevance.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 18, 2013
SharePoint Does Not Function as Stand Alone ECM
October 23, 2013
SharePoint was one of the first enterprise content management systems, and is definitely the most well known. But many people still think of it as an all-encompassing solution. CMS Wire Joe Shepley says that SharePoint may be a lot of things, but in his most recent story he contends that, “SharePoint Will (Almost) Never Be Your Sole ECM System.”
He boils it does to the main point:
“The short answer for why SharePoint will almost never be your sole enterprise content management (ECM) system is that, simply put, the vast majority of organizations have ECM needs that go beyond what SharePoint on its own can deliver. Full stop.”
Shepley goes on to back up his argument and list shortcomings for certain industries as well as shortcomings in general. He then goes on to explain that SharePoint with add-ons is not SharePoint on its own. In fact, add-ons have become so essential and so popular with SharePoint, that some may take this statement for granted. But add-ons are necessary, and keep SharePoint from being a standalone solution. In fact, Stephen E. Arnold of ArnoldIT, has long reviewed and discussed SharePoint add-ons, realizing that most enterprises have to have an add-on to meet their enterprise needs. In a recent article, Arnold explains that SharePoint is even weak in its key functions, collaboration and search. Add-ons are necessary and SharePoint alternatives may be even better.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 23, 2013
Open Source BPM Comes to SharePoint
October 22, 2013
Business Process Management is a missing function in SharePoint, and one that many users supplement with an add-on. Intalio is now offering an open source option, which is featured in the Globe Newswire story, “Intalio brings the power of open source BPM to SharePoint.”
The article begins:
“Intalio, the leading provider of solutions for businesses to build modern, agile business process applications, and Swiss partner JPL Informatique, announce the release of the Intalio|bpms Portlet for Microsoft SharePoint Web Parts. SharePoint users benefit from the automation power and functionality of Intalio|bpms, the leading open source BPM solution, natively integrated with their enterprise application portal architecture.”
This is just another example of an additional area in which SharePoint does not fully function or meet users’ needs and expectations. Most organizations have to supplement their SharePoint deployment with multiple add-ons in order to meet their needs. Stephen E. Arnold, of ArnoldIT, is a longtime search industry leader and expert. He recently wrote that only 6% of SharePoint users find their SharePoint deployments successful. For that reason, he covers many SharePoint alternatives and add-ons, and Intalio might just go on the list.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 22, 2013
SharePoint Business Data Connector Needed
October 18, 2013
Many organizations still see SharePoint as an internal enterprise tool and have yet to take advantage of any opportunity for external data integration. No doubt external integration is trickier and few organizations are willing to take risks. So, many are turning to the Layer2 Business Data List Connector to seamlessly integrate external data streams into an existing SharePoint infrastructure. OpenPR covers the product in their story, “Layer2 Business Data List Connector for SharePoint V5 Released To Close Gaps With External Data Integration.”
The article begins:
“Layer2 has announced version 5 of the SharePoint Business Data List Connector (BDLC) that connects almost any external corporate data source with native SharePoint lists and closes many gaps that still exist with SharePoint data integration.”
Add-ons are all too common when it comes to SharePoint deployments Many gaps exist, just like the external data integration gap mentioned above. Stephen E. Arnold, of Arnold IT, is a longtime expert in search and a frequent critic of SharePoint. In a recent article, Arnold highlights that SharePoint is missing the mark on its critical functions, including search. Microsoft would do well to listen, but until a major redesign takes place, users will continue to rely on add-ons.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 18, 2013
SharePoint Mobile Still Falling Short
October 17, 2013
SharePoint 2013 is attempting to catch up when it comes to mobile options and technologies, and yet, in many ways it still falls short. CMS Wire covers the latest in the article, “7 Ways that SharePoint 2013’s New Mobile Features Fall Short.”
Their story begins:
“SharePoint 2013’s new mobile features are definitely a step up from the mobile features in previous versions. In fact, one could argue that mobile devices get better support than ever before, with better mobile browser support; new features such as device channels, push notifications and location services; and Office Web Apps integration. But there’s still much room for improvement. Following are seven areas in which I believe that mobile in SharePoint still falls a little short.”
The article then goes on to list the noted issues and possible workarounds. Similar coverage is often offered by Stephen E. Arnold of ArnoldIT, a longtime search industry leader and expert. He writes about the pros and cons of SharePoint, and recently covered the SharePoint – Yammer debate. SharePoint, for many organizations, is a necessity. But for those who are interested in alternatives, there are good suggestions out there. Stay tuned for additional information about SharePoint’s strengths and weaknesses, and effective workarounds.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 17, 2013
SharePoint Alternatives are Plentiful
October 16, 2013
SharePoint has almost become the default word for enterprise search, in the same way that Kleenex is synonymous with tissue. But many enterprises find that SharePoint is lacking and are looking for alternatives. These organizations may benefit from a review of the article, “6 SharePoint Alternatives,” which provides good alternatives, particularly for users who are mostly interested in the intranet service that allows colleagues to share resources.
The article begins:
“SharePoint alternatives mentioned below are just some of the multiple options you have in case you are done with the program in question and are willing to switch to another one. Microsoft’s contender is a collaborative tool that allows you to share ideas, project work, documents and more with your colleagues and helps you stay organized at all times . . . But there are some efficient software that can give the aforementioned application a run for its money. And you can expect them to tag along pretty much all of these features and a horde of others.”
No doubt that the alternatives all have strengths and weaknesses, in much the same way that SharePoint has its own set of pros and cons. But many organizations are tiring of all the expensive customization that SharePoint requires and will opt instead for a lower maintenance, focused solution. Stephen E. Arnold, of ArnoldIT, often addresses this issue as he covers the search industry. A recent Arnold article reports that while SharePoint 2013 is structurally sound, many are disappointed in its implementation and key functions. Stay tuned for SharePoint tips and tricks, as well as promising alternatives.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 16, 2013
SharePoint User Training Cannot be Overlooked
October 11, 2013
SharePoint is a huge deployment for any organization. Most will just focus on implementation and many make the mistake of overlooking user training. CMS Wire gives many reasons to invest in SharePoint user training in their article, “Don’t Overlook the Importance of Effective SharePoint User Training.”
The article begins:
“While most of the recent stories about SharePoint revolve around the latest buzzwords and hot topics — gamification, cloud, mobile, social, Yammer, etc. — one component of a successful SharePoint rollout that is often overlooked is an effective user training program. Although talking about training seems to be out of fashion at the moment, it’s still very important.”
User training is so important for SharePoint because it is a huge, complicated deployment. User satisfaction is pitifully low for the enterprise search solution, and training can only help improve those numbers. Stephen E. Arnold, a longtime expert in search and the brains behind ArnoldIT.com, is a critic of SharePoint. He recently covered a story that revealed that only 6% of enterprises found their SharePoint deployments to be successful. There is clearly room for improvement.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 11, 2013
AddOns Secure SharePoint Cloud Data
October 10, 2013
As more and more information moves to the Cloud, questions arise about how to secure that data. CipherPoint has announced a new Cloud data security solution that hopes to help solve the problem. Read more in the EON article, “CipherPoint Announces Cloud Data Security Solution for SharePoint Online and Office365.”
The article begins:
“With CipherPoint Eclipse™ for SharePoint Online and Office365, organizations can now identify, secure and audit access to sensitive and regulated data stored in cloud collaboration platforms. This new solution provides customers with robust encryption, using industry standard encryption algorithms, access control, audit reporting and customer-controlled encryption keys to address real concerns that large enterprises have about cloud security.”
Stephen E. Arnold, a longtime expert in search and founder of Arnold IT, has frequently noted that while SharePoint is the most widely used enterprise solution, it is not necessarily the highest functioning. Key features are still lacking and it might not be much longer before even the biggest enterprises go looking for other solutions, including open source. Enterprises still using SharePoint often have to supplement with additional add-ons, such as the security solution that CipherPoint now offers.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 10, 2013
Should Microsoft Axe SharePoint
October 8, 2013
This article’s title should be taken more as a question than a statement, but you might think differently after reading Meme Burn’s article, “Should Microsoft Kill SharePoint?” It says that Microsoft will delete SharePoint soon and organizations should start planning to adopt a cloud-based system. This comes from Gartner analyst Jeffrey Mann, who spoke at the 2013 Gartner Symposium. He noted that that barely anyone likes using SharePoint, because content management needs to be babied and it is not easy migrating content from system to system. Search is probably not any easier.
Mann suggest that Microsoft should make SharePoint cloud-based platform (like we have not heard that before) and the Yammer partnership will help shape that future.
Mann has an idea for the future:
“He advises that company technologists should develop long-range plans for a post-SharePoint world now. ‘I would hold back on upgrades and new development and choose the cloud option whenever I need to add new functionality. Microsoft may or may not provide an easy way forward, but for anyone who’s invested heavily in customization it will never be painless.’”
We have heard that before too from Steve Arnold of Arnold IT who suggests whenever you need to make a search and content management change, that forming a long-range plan and implementing it in pieces is the surefire way to make new ideas work.
Whitney Grace, October 08, 2013
The SharePoint Network
October 7, 2013
SharePoint and Yammer are going to work together to bring social networking features as well as mobile to the collaborative content management program. CMS Wire has a recap on a webinar that details how the relationship is progressing: “Webinar Recap: Yammer + SharePoint + Mobile – Oh My!” During the webinar, Keith Long of ICF Interactive said that workers spend 61% of their time collaborating, but Yammer might not be the ideal solution because it is not as customizable as SharePoint. This is one the reasons why SharePoint’s Yammer deployment has been slowed.
Another topic was mobile and another interesting statistic is that 95% of workers bring their own device to work, which means it is a big business need. Cloud is taking control of IT budgets by over 70% said Long again, and it is shifting resources. SharePoint is a helpful tool for mobile management, but it is not ideal for smaller companies.
Gasification came up in the Q&A:
“Long noted many of the staples of gasification are available in SharePoint like badges and earning the rank of expert in a given field, for example. Besides onboarding people, gamification can help workers bond a bit more, Long said, something that can actually go a long way in retaining people. In a similar vein, a question came up about overall adoption trends, and Long pointed out that the companies who made the most effort in getting people to use SharePoint were the ones that were successful.”
Getting people to deploy SharePoint sounds like it is taking a bit of bribing. Steve Arnold of Arnold IT, leading expert in search and content management, would suggest forming a team who would issue deadlines and keep companies on task.
Whitney Grace, October 7, 2013
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