SharePoint Often Comes Up Short
March 12, 2015
Although SharePoint has an unwavering hold on the enterprise market, recent studies show that it comes up short when it comes to meeting expectations. A surprising number of organizations report that the solution does not meet their needs or expectations. Read all the details in the Network World article, “Microsoft SharePoint Coming up Short for Most Enterprises, Study Finds.”
The article reports the study’s findings:
“The AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management) Web-based survey of 409 member organizations found that nearly two-thirds described their SharePoint projects as either stalled (26%) or not meeting original expectations (37%). The associated Yammer social business tool has also been slow to catch on, with only about 1 in 5 organizations using it, and only 10% of them using it regularly and on a widespread basis.”
Stephen E. Arnold has also found similar levels of dissatisfaction in his reporting. His Web service, ArnoldIT.com, is devoted to all things search. His dedicated SharePoint feed is a great resource for all the latest tips, tricks, and news related to the enterprise installation. Additionally, users may find some helpful workarounds for fixing installations that are not meeting their organization’s needs.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 12, 2015
SharePoint Problems Chocked Up to Management
March 10, 2015
A large percentage of SharePoint installations are reported to have stalled or not lived up to expectations. Despite those numbers, approximately 75% of organizations report that they will stay with SharePoint, regardless. They are committed to making it work and looking for solutions. CMS Wire gives more details in their article, “Blame the C-Suite for Your Failed SharePoint Project.”
The article begins:
“About two out of three organizations complain their SharePoint projects have stalled (26 percent) or failed to live up to their expectations (37 percent). And it gets worse, according to new AIIM research. A majority of respondents blame those SharePoint failures on lack of support from senior management.”
For those organizations and users who feel stuck in an ineffective or stalled installation, outside resources are invaluable. Stephen E. Arnold offers a helpful collection of resources on his Web site ArnoldIT.com. His dedicated SharePoint feed features the latest tips, tricks, and news regarding Office 365 and SharePoint specifically.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 10, 2015
SharePoint and Search: Questions Arise
March 6, 2015
SharePoint search has delivered the best of times for consultants who get paid to make the system work. For users, SharePoint has been a contributor to bad findability times.
I read “Excuse Me SharePoint: A Crossroads or an On-Ramp?” Let me cut to the main point: No one knows. I know that I don’t want to be road kill in the busy intersection of high expectations and massive cost overruns.
I have an opinion. But first, let me call your attention to this statement from the write up:
They [a cadre of SharePoint “experts] acknowledged enterprise users’ frustrations, which Holme called more of a communication problem than an IT problem. In the past, Microsoft was way behind the industry in implementing new features and has gone to implementing them so rapidly that an item a company demoed yesterday might be gone today. The focus tends to be on the end user, which isn’t always the most useful for an enterprise. And in 2015, a lot of organizations are still trying to figure out SharePoint 2013.
For me, SharePoint is an opportunity to make money. Customers drink the Microsoft Seattle latte and believe three things:
- SharePoint is the operating system for the organization. Hey, everyone uses Word. SharePoint is just like that.,
- SharePoint does many things really, really well: Ease of use, document management, search, collaboration, etc.
- SharePoint search is the state of the art in finding concepts, people, facts, you name it.
The reality is that SharePoint does many things, but none of them is exactly what the customer believes. Most of the functions can be made to work with sufficient money, expertise, time, and management patience.
The problem is that consultants want to sell their SharePoint expertise. Those engineers with hard won SharePoint expertise, like and Oracle database administrator, have little incentive to explain certain aspects of the SharePoint decision. Users are clueless and senior managers pre-occupied with sales, litigation, their compensation package, and personnel issues.
Getting the truth about SharePoint costs, complexities, weaknesses is difficult. When it comes to search, the number of third party alternatives makes one thing clear—SharePoint search is not as good as third party solutions.
So what? Well, you get to spend more money for a utility that should work. That’s good for the third party vendors. For others? Well, like the future of SharePoint, no one knows or no one is saying.
Stephen E Arnold, March 6, 2015
Varying Predictions for SharePoint in 2015
February 17, 2015
With on-premise use rising over the years (despite a focus by Microsoft on cloud installations) it seems that SharePoint is promising on-premise updates in 2015. However, no one is really sure how or when the details will be final. CMS Wire helps with the speculation in their article, “4 Directions For SharePoint and Office 365 in 2015.”
The article begins:
“It’s going to be a big year for SharePoint, but details about what to expect are fuzzy. Microsoft has promised a new on-premise version will be released later this year. However, it has been less forthcoming about SharePoint Online in Office 365. Microsoft upgrades Office 365 on a regular basis and has given some indication as to where it would like to go with SharePoint Online. But a lot of questions remained unanswered.”
The article goes on to speculate at a few of SharePoint’s upcoming changes. Many experts will continue to speculate until the news becomes final. For those whom the changes will impact, it would be wise to keep an eye on the news coming out of Stephen E. Arnold’s SharePoint feed. As a longtime expert in the field, he uses his Web service, ArnoldIT.com, to share the latest tips, tricks, and news relating to all things search.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 17, 2015
Meeting the Challenge of SharePoint Customization
January 29, 2015
SharePoint customization has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs. To customize or not to customize, that is the question. With its initial rise, customization was key, but in recent years, experts and Microsoft itself have shunned the practice. CMS Wire covers the issue in their recent article, “Don’t Be Afraid of SharePoint Customization.”
The article highlights the transition from the customization craze to the recommendation to cease customization:
“With the release of SharePoint 2013, we suddenly had Redmond telling everyone to stop customizing SharePoint. A lot of companies are now embarrassed and ashamed to admit that they have customized their SharePoint sites. In less than three years it went from de rigeur to risky and questionable . . . Then SharePoint 2013 came out. And Microsoft made the following statement in its blog post about the launch: ‘Use SharePoint as an out-of-box application whenever possible.’’
And through the ups and downs, it still comes down to doing what is best for you individual organization. Although Office 365 has taken the most ardent stand on not customizing, CMS Wire says not to be afraid of tweaking areas that need to be tweaked. Stephen E. Arnold follows similar news on his Web service, ArnoldIT.com. His career is devoted to search and his SharePoint feed highlights the latest tips, tricks, and news when it comes to the volatility of the platform.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 29, 2015
If an IDC Tweet Enters the Social Stream, Does Anyone Care? I Do Not.
December 31, 2014
This is a good question. The Twitter messages output by Beyond Search are automated. We know that most of these produce nothing substantive. But what about Tweets by an IDC search expert like Dave Schubmehl. You may recognize the name because he sold a report with my name on it for $3,500 on Amazon without my permission. Nifty. I don’t think of myself as a brand or fame surf board, but it appears that he does.
My Overflight system noted that since September 22, 2014, Mr. Schubmehl or an IDC software script generated 198 tweets if I counted correctly. There were quite a few tweets about BA Insight, a search vendor anchored in Microsoft SharePoint. I ask, “Is BA Insight paying for IDC to promote the brand?” I know that there may have been some brushes with IDC in the past. Whether for free or for fee, Mr. Schubmehl mentions BA Insight a half dozen times.
But Mr. Schubmehl is fascinated with IBM. He generated tweets about Watson, IBM “insights”, and IBM training 149 times. Perhaps IDC and Mr. Schubmehl should apply to be listed in the TopSEOs’ list?
Do McKinsey, Bain, and BCG consultants hammer out tweets about Watson? I suppose if the client pays. Is IDC and search expert Mr. Schubmehl in the pay-to-play business? If not, he has considerable affection for the IBM and its Watson system, which is supposed to be a $10 billion business in four or five years. I wonder how that will work out in a company that is playing poker with its financial guidance for the next fiscal year.
Stephen E Arnold, December 31, 2014
SharePoint Usability Workarounds
December 25, 2014
SharePoint is known as the most widely used enterprise solution, but it is definitely not known as the most friendly to use. CMS Wire substantiates that claim in their latest article, “4 Ways SharePoint Navigation Breaks Usability Best Practices.”
The article begins:
“There’s been a lot of interest lately from business users and SharePoint site owners in SharePoint’s usability (or lack thereof), but the issue doesn’t seem to receive as much attention as other topics. When experts talk about SharePoint, they focus on migration, administration, governance, development, cloud, and mobile. Any mentions of usability take a backseat and are only brought up by usability enthusiasts. It’s time to bring this subject to the forefront.”
The author then goes on to list at least four ways that SharePoint Navigation breaks usability best practices. These may seem like minute points to the outsider, but SharePoint managers will find that they make a great deal of impact on the usability and user satisfaction of their implementation. Stephen E. Arnold also reports similar findings on his Web service, ArnoldIT.com. He has made a career out of all things search and frequently reports on tips and tricks for SharePoint on his dedicated feed. Readers may find it helpful for their continuing education.
Emily Rae Aldridge, December 25, 2014
Scalable Video Production for SharePoint
November 27, 2014
Video production capability comes to SharePoint with the introduction of SoMedia Networks’ Scalable Video for Microsoft SharePoint app. MarketWatch has all the details in their article, “SoMedia Brings Scalable Video Production to Microsoft SharePoint.”
The article begins:
“SoMedia Networks(VID), the pioneer of scalable video production solutions, is pleased to announce the launch of Scalable Video for Microsoft SharePoint, an integrated video app that brings affordable, high volume video production capabilities with integrated video players and advanced analytics to SharePoint 2013 and SharePoint Online.”
This is another great example of a company that specializes in add-on solutions or apps to enhance the SharePoint experience, especially when it comes to social functionality. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and a follower of all things SharePoint. He reports on all the latest news, tips, and tricks on the SharePoint feed of ArnoldIT.com. Keep an eye out on his feed in order to make the most of the latest releases for your SharePoint implementation.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 27, 2014
Gamification Makes SharePoint Fun
November 18, 2014
According to Wikipedia, “Gamification is the use of game thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems.” This could be a good solution for SharePoint users, who typically have a lot of problems to solve, and not a lot of fun doing it. CMS Wire covers the latest news in their article, “Badgeville Offers New SharePoint Gamification.”
The article begins:
“SharePoint’s not pretty. Adoption, therefore, can be slow. Officials at gamification provider Badgeville believe they can change this by making SharePoint fun. And they’re doing so with a new release of their gamification integration specifically for SharePoint. Badgeville for SharePoint is the Redwood City, Calif., provider’s next generation solution to add game, reputation and social mechanics to SharePoint community and collaboration environments.”
Stephen E. Arnold of ArnoldIT.com has made a career out of following all things search and reporting back to users and managers about the latest news, tips, and tricks, Gamification is a trend in a variety of software settings these days, so it could be good for SharePoint. Stay tuned to Arnold’s SharePoint feed to see how gamification might affect, for better or for worse, your SharePoint implication.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 18, 2014
Microsoft Turns SharePoint Points Users to Yammer
November 11, 2014
SharePoint is a longstanding leader in enterprise search, but it continues to morph and shift in response to the latest technology and emerging needs. As the move toward social becomes more important, Microsoft is dropping outdated features and shifting its focus toward social components. Read more in the GCN article, “Microsoft Pushes Yammer as it Trims SharePoint Features.”
The article begins:
“Microsoft quietly retired some features from SharePoint Online while it enhanced mobile apps, email integration and collaboration tools of Yammer, the company’s cloud-based enterprise social networking platform. Microsoft MVP and SharePoint expert Vlad Catrinescu posted that the company was removing the Tasks menu option, and the Sync to Outlook button will also be removed. Additionally, SharePoint Online Notes and Tags were deprecated last month.”
Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search. He keeps a close eye on SharePoint, reporting his findings on ArnoldIT.com. The article hints that Microsoft is leaning toward moving to Yammer all the way, meaning that additional features are likely to be retired and collapsed into the new infrastructure. To keep up with all the changes, including the latest tips and tricks, stay tuned to Arnold’s specific SharePoint feed.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 11, 2014
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