SharePoint Video Training Course Offered
September 18, 2014
For most SharePoint administrators and users, a good deal of training is needed to navigate the massive and sometimes tricky platform. One-off webinars are plentiful, but sometimes a more in-depth training option is needed. Virtual Strategy Magazine highlights a new video training course in their article, “CBT Nuggets Announces Microsoft SharePoint Training Course.”
The article begins:
“CBT Nuggets announces the release of a new video training course, ‘Microsoft SharePoint 2013 Collaboration Expert.’ In this 13-video course, CBT Nuggets trainer Brian Alderman covers key operations that can be performed by users with editing permissions in SharePoint. Topics covered include list configuration settings, working with workflows, SharePoint social options, and more.”
Stephen E. Arnold has made a career out of following and reporting on all things search on his Web site ArnoldIT.com. His SharePoint work is highlighted on his SharePoint feed. For all levels of users, his tips and tricks can provide helpful assistance in navigating the difficulties of SharePoint.
Emily Rae Aldridge, September 18, 2014
SharePoint Simplifies Cloud Use with Better Updates
September 16, 2014
The next major update to SharePoint functionality will not occur until sometime in 2015, but for now users can get the most function out of their current implementation by taking advantage of Service Pack 1. Especially important for customers who intend to integrate Cloud components, SP1 focuses on reliability, security, and performance. Read more in the Enterprise Apps Today article, “SharePoint Updates Ease Move to Cloud.”
The article begins:
“Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 has been out for quite some time and received a Service Pack update earlier in the year. While SP1 included the usual mix of performance, reliability and security fixes, it also provided a number of new and updated features with an eye toward the cloud. Another update makes it easier to use Yammer as the social network of choice over the outdated Newsfeed.”
For more tips and tricks regarding getting the most out of your SharePoint installation, head on over to ArnoldIT.com. Stephen E. Arnold has made a career out of all things search, and gives a good bit of attention to the enterprise. His SharePoint feed helps users and administrators navigate the often complicated and potentially frustrating ins and outs of SharePoint.
Emily Rae Aldridge, September 16, 2014
Microsoft Focuses on SharePoint User Experience
August 21, 2014
Microsoft is turnings its attention to the user experience of SharePoint in their roadmap for Office 365. SharePoint receives a lot of attention for its increased functionality, but it receives a lot of negative attention for its complexity and general difficulty of use. CMS Wire covers the issue in their latest article, “Where User Experience Should Fit in SharePoint’s Roadmap.”
The article begins:
“One only need to take a look at the Microsoft roadmap for Office 365 to see that the company is making huge investments in the UX for SharePoint, from new social and search capabilities (such as Office Graph, inline social and Groups) to deeper integrations with other Microsoft platforms, like Dynamics CRM. Unlike previous platform updates, the focus of each incremental release is clearly meant to improve the end user (and administrator) experience within the platform.”
And while it is comforting to see that Microsoft is taking user experience seriously, many users and managers will still need help along the way. One source of help may be ArnoldIT.com. The Web site is managed by Stephen E. Arnold – a longtime leader in all things search. His SharePoint feed is especially insightful, offering tips and tricks for all levels of user.
Emily Rae Aldridge, August 21, 2014
The Last Mile of SharePoint Connectivity
August 12, 2014
SharePoint is such a large infrastructure that it is easy for organizations to get bogged down in the big picture and forget about the final details. However, experts say that the “last mile” or last bit of software that connections to the actual user, is perhaps the most important. CMS Wire fleshes out this idea and how it relates to SharePoint in their article, “Focus on the Last Mile of SharePoint Automation.”
The article says:
“Within the telecommunications space, the ‘last mile’ is a metaphorical phrase used to describe the final leg of the telecom network where the customer physically connects to the network. How much of your SharePoint environment has been designed for that last mile? In other words, how much has been designed for the end user experience rather than just to meet your functional requirements?”
Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime expert in search and gives a good bit of attention to SharePoint on his Web site, ArnoldIT.com. He also concentrates a lot of his energy on the user experience, because a search solution is only effective if employees are willing to use it. If your organization is in need of more effective search, keep an eye on Arnold’s SharePoint feed for the latest tips, tricks, and add-ons.
Emily Rae Aldridge, August 12, 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 Opens Itself Up to Mobile Challenges Debate
April 16, 2014
Microsoft’s feelings have not been spared in the discussion of how late SharePoint was in coming to the mobile game. It seems as if they are digging themselves an ever-deepening hole. CMS Wire covers the latest news in their article, “Huddle Cofounder on SharePoint’s Mobile Challenges.”
The article begins:
“If Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella thought he was doing iPad users a favor by offering them Office support, all he accomplished was opening up a great big can of worms called collaboration, prompting some to argue that SharePoint has had its day. And while changes to Office don’t equate changes to SharePoint, the iPad launch spurred on a broader discussion amongst critics of the faults with SharePoint’s mobile collaboration capabilities.”
Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and covers the latest search and enterprise news on his Web site, ArnoldIT.com. A lot of his recent SharePoint coverage has focused on mobile, but most of what SharePoint offers is mere catch-up compared to what users are expecting from consumer level technologies.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 16, 2014
Top Reasons for SharePoint Failure
April 14, 2014
While SharePoint is one of the most widely adopted platforms in history, it is also one of the biggest risks. SharePoint implementations can fail, most often from lack of use. CMS Wire tackles the topic in their article, “4 Common Reasons SharePoint Projects Fail.”
The article begins:
“One of the first things I do is ask why employees aren’t using their current SharePoint implementation. You need to understand all the reasons why to take steps to mitigate that from happening again. I usually get a range of responses. This definitely isn’t an exhaustive list, but rather some of the most common explanations that I hear.”
The author then goes on to list the top four reasons: 1) lack of vision, 2) lack of time and resources, 3) lack of user buy-in, and 4) inadequate user training. And while there are many factors contributing to failure, the good news is that these are recoverable errors. Stephen E. Arnold gives a lot of attention to SharePoint on his Web service, ArnoldIT.com. He uses his longstanding expertise to share the latest SharePoint tips and tricks, including add-ons and third party solutions that can help organizations recover from some of the failures mentioned above.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 14, 2014
AIIM Conference 2014 Highlights SharePoint
April 11, 2014
At AIIM Conference 2014 Roberto Yglesias led a session about empowering users through ECM. CMS Wire gives a rundown of the session in their article, “How to Win with SharePoint #AIIM14.”
The article relays Yglesias’ thoughts on SharePoint:
“’When SharePoint is deployed well, in my opinion it is the most complete collaboration tool out there,’ said Yglesias. ‘Great examples are when it’s used for project collaboration like the one we’ll be speaking about or when it’s used for team and department sites within an Intranet. Its features of offline synchronization using OneDrive for Business and the integration into Office makes it the perfect tool for productive collaboration, not to mention everything else users don’t care about but IT does such as retention policies, etc.’”
Stephen E. Arnold often has the same opinion about SharePoint. While competitors are growing in number and strength, a well-design and customized SharePoint implementation is still a great solution. On his Web site, ArnoldIT.com, Arnold puts his expertise to use by providing the best SharePoint tips, tricks, and news coverage available.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 11, 2014
SharePoint May Prove Its Worth
April 8, 2014
SharePoint has long been on the defense about proving its worth, even though it is unrivaled when it comes to controlling the lion’s share of the enterprise market. A new report might make Microsoft feel a little more comfortable about its position, and CMS Wire covers the details in the article, “SharePoint: A ‘Formidable Enterprise Collaboration Platform.’”
The article begins:
“Everyone knows SharePoint has had problems. However, the Radicati Group just released a report that contains words new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella must be more than happy to hear. According to the Microsoft SharePoint Market Analysis, 2014-2018, edited by Sara Radicati, Microsoft ironed out the wrinkles in the 2013 edition and now offers a powerful enterprise collaboration platform for business users.”
The article goes on to describe a few of the shortcomings that SharePoint has yet to overcome. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and often turns his expertise to the subject of SharePoint. He delivers content through his Web service, ArnoldIT.com. He has found that there is still progress to be made, but SharePoint 2013 went a long way toward improving the user experience.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 8, 2014
Improvement to SharePoint Records Management
April 4, 2014
Early iterations of SharePoint records management were fraught with shortcomings. But the word has come that SharePoint 2013 offers an improvement on the failings of the past. Read more in the Search Content Management story, “SharePoint Records Management Spans New Forms of Content.”
The article begins:
“In prior releases, SharePoint records management was functional but nothing to write home about. But with SharePoint 2013, it’s time to get excited. The trends of mobile computing, social media in the enterprise, the cloud, and global search have converged and touched just about every business process that depends on IT. Records management is no exception.”
Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and offers up his analysis and opinions on his Web site ArnoldIT.com. SharePoint gets a lot of coverage due to its prominence in the market. But, Arnold consistently finds that the huge platform of SharePoint lags behind the smaller more agile offerings on the market. Only time will tell if the improvements in mobile, social, and records management will increase the overall functionality and user experience of the product.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 4, 2014
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