Figuring out SharePoint Licensing Models
February 28, 2014
SharePoint used to be an on-site installation, but as the cloud emerges in all areas of software, it is also becoming a big factor in SharePoint installations. However, it is not always easy for an organization to determine the best installation for their particular situation. Search Content Management addresses the issue in their article, “Making Sense of SharePoint Licensing Models.”
The article begins:
“Just as the seasons change, the Microsoft licensing landscape has undergone shifts. This is especially true as the company transitions to offer ‘services and devices.’ After years of working primarily as a vendor of software that is installed and run on-premises, Microsoft is moving away from, though not yet abandoning, its traditional model. The new model increasingly emphasizes annuity payments for Software as a Service and services.”
Customers can choose from traditional on-site SharePoint, SharePoint in the cloud and Office 365, and Hosted SharePoint. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and follower of the latest SharePoint news. On ArnoldIT.com, he has found that while users are eager to utilize the cloud, security and user experience issues are still holding some organizations back.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 28, 2014
Huddle Offers SharePoint Alternative
February 6, 2014
There are many SharePoint alternatives on the market, but only a few that really meet the mark. Furthermore, while many exist, few do more than a small part of the greater SharePoint functionality. So users would have to find themselves cobbling together bits and pieces into a larger system. Huddle is attempting to share in the game despite the environment. Their effort is discussed in the CMS Wire article, “Is Huddle Still a SharePoint Alternative?”
The article has this to say about Huddle’s viability:
“’Sure, Huddle is legitimate competition to SharePoint,’ says Rob Koplowitz, SharePoint analyst for Forrester Research. ‘It doesn’t do everything SharePoint does, but in the areas where there is overlap, Huddle is very robust.’ Huddle today launched another tool it claims continues to make its offering an alternative to SharePoint . . . Huddle Office, which is designed to enable workers to collaborate in Huddle’s cloud via their Microsoft Office tools.”
Stephen E. Arnold often looks at SharePoint and SharePoint alternatives on his Web service, ArnoldIT.com. He finds that while SharePoint has and will continue to maintain a lion’s share of the market, it is clear that there is room for smart competition.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 6, 2014
Migration SharePoint Issues to Consider
February 3, 2014
There is a lot to consider when organizations weigh their options regarding enterprise content management. If an organization is just coming up, and has no current solution, SharePoint is definitely going to be a consideration. It is the largest player in the market. But other considerations take center stage when an organization has a SharePoint implementation, and needs to know what to do with it. All of these factors are considered in the Search Content Management story, “Migrating to SharePoint On-premises vs. SharePoint Online.”
The article says:
“Organizations that are considering deploying SharePoint must decide whether it makes sense to opt for SharePoint on-premises vs. SharePoint online, a cloud-based service in Microsoft Office 365. At first blush, this might seem like a relatively simple decision, especially given many companies’ skepticism about moving to the cloud, but there are some serious benefits to farming out the management of SharePoint, as well as several potential issues to consider.”
Stephen E. Arnold has made a career out of covering search. His current Web service, ArnoldIT.com, devotes a good deal of attention to SharePoint. As the most popular platform on the market, SharePoint is not waning anytime soon, but users have concerns with customization and implementation. And now that Office 365 has complicated things, users are excited about the potential of the cloud, while still skeptical about security and functionality.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 3, 2014
SharePoint Mobile Game Gets Serious
January 29, 2014
SharePoint knows that they need to be competitive in mobile in order to stay in the game. And after several dabbles in the mobile arena, many experts are saying that SharePoint’s latest attempts are proving fruitful. Read more in the Search Content Management article, “Is Mobile SharePoint Ready for Prime Time?”
The article sums it all up:
“If we can sum up the state of the SharePoint mobile art in a sentence, that sentence would be, it’s the beneficiary of perfect timing. The cloud is opening up just as HTML5 is arriving, and that makes mobile SharePoint a smart choice. There are still some downsides, but SharePoint is finally in the mobile game for real.”
Stephen E. Arnold, a longtime leader in search, keeps a close eye on all things mobile on his information service, ArnoldIT.com. SharePoint’s mobile features are a key spotlight for Arnold, and so far the reviews are mixed. However, it is clear that SharePoint is making a real effort this time and that a serious mobile functionality will keep them from being lapped by competitors.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 29, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
SharePoint Licensing Models
January 23, 2014
SharePoint used to be a straightforward on-site installation. However, as with all things, SharePoint has changed to keep up with the times. They now offer a few options for licensing, and Search Content Management attempts to break them down in their article, “Making Sense of SharePoint Licensing Models.”
The article begins:
“Microsoft is moving away from, though not yet abandoning, its traditional model. The new model increasingly emphasizes annuity payments for Software as a Service and services. So how can customers make sense of this new model amid an already confusing licensing setup? Microsoft has simplified licensing somewhat. There are three major approaches you can make sense of today: 1) Traditional SharePoint on-premises 2) SharePoint in the cloud and Office 365 3) Hosted SharePoint.”
The traditional on-site licensing model is still the backbone of SharePoint. However, organizations are growing more agile, and more mobile, and that means they appreciate the new options. Stephen E. Arnold, of ArnoldIT.com, is a longtime leader in search and follower of SharePoint. His coverage of the latest SharePoint news points to a trend in customization and mobile, which means that SharePoint is listening to what the customers want. Whether or not customers are completely satisfied with the out-of-the-box solution is another matter.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 23, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Huddle Offers iOS Alternative to SharePoint
January 3, 2014
With the changes in mobile computing and cloud computing, the weaknesses in SharePoint are being exposed. Add to that the fact that SharePoint does not function on a Mac platform and many organizations are looking for alternative solutions. CMS Wire looks at one option, Huddle, in their article, “Will Huddle Note App Hammer Another Nail in SharePoint’s Coffin?”
The article begins:
“Huddle has just announced the general release of Huddle Note, a new iOS application that enables users to create content in the cloud, share it inside or outside the firewall and collaborate with other workers on documents — all from a mobile device. Taking all Huddle’s functionality into account, the company’s management claims it provides a viable alternative to SharePoint.”
Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and the brains behind ArnoldIT.com. He gives a lot of attention to SharePoint and SharePoint alternatives. Most organizations will need some piece of enterprise software, and SharePoint is the most common. Stay tuned for the latest SharePoint news and ways to improve your enterprise infrastructure.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 3, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Metalogix Provides Solution for SharePoint and Exchange Data
January 2, 2014
SharePoint and Exchange both contain huge amounts of data, and getting them to work together at maximum efficiency can be a great challenge. ZDNet offers a solution to this scenario in their latest article, “Metalogix Liberates SharePoint and Exchange Data.”
The article begins:
“SharePoint and Exchange are both complex products. While the multiplicity of setting and options makes it possible to adjust their operations to address an organization’s requirements, it also makes it difficult for organizations to pick up and move their data to take advantage of cloud service offerings or to migrate some or all of their data to different on-premise solutions.”
Metalogix says they have this problem covered:
“Metalogix pointed out that their products address the requirements IT decision-makers have to maintain tight management control of their content, security for that content and support a mirrored environment for higher levels of reliability.”
And while Metalogix may or may not be the right product for your enterprise, it is worth following a news source that gives you the latest on SharePoint, as well as tips and tricks. Stephen E. Arnold of ArnoldIT.com, as a longtime leader in search, follows the latest in enterprise search, including SharePoint. Research proves that organizations that get the most of their SharePoint installation are those that customize and continue to tweak. Stay tuned for ways to optimize your installation.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 2, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
On Site SharePoint is Not Dead Yet
January 1, 2014
The move to the Cloud, away from on-site installations has been a rapid one, but not everybody is on board yet. Some organizations still have legitimate security concerns. Others just do not have the time or energy to make the move. So for people who need to rely on on-site SharePoint for a little while longer, there is good news. Read more in the SharePoint Pro article, “SharePoint SP1 and On-Premises vNext.”
The article says:
“In mid-November, Microsoft announced that Service Pack 1 for Office, Exchange, and SharePoint will be released in early 2014. The same day, SharePoint Senior Product Manager Bill Baer (@williambaer) announced in the SharePoint Team blog that the team will ‘continue to deliver… future on-premises versions of SharePoint on our traditional release cadence of 2-3 years.’ That simple announcement says, plain as day, something we’ve wanted Microsoft to say: On-prem SharePoint is not dead yet! There will be at least one more vNext of SharePoint.”
Stephen E. Arnold of ArnoldIT.com covers the latest in SharePoint news. As a longtime leader in search he has seen many trends come and go. And while the Cloud is probably here to stay, it is no doubt a recent invention and one that still has a few drawbacks. Stay tuned for more SharePoint news as well as the latest in search.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 1, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Optimizing SharePoint Environments
December 31, 2013
Optimizing SharePoint environments is a hot conversation topic. Organizations that spend a good deal of time and money on a SharePoint implementation want to know that they are making a wise investment, and will reap the benefits of that investment. Christian Buckley digs into this topic for CMS Wire in his article, “Insights into SharePoint Replication.”
Buckley begins:
“One of the most common issues that customers raise is around optimizing their SharePoint environments. People want to get the most out of the investments they’ve already made, and while many organizations are slowly making plans to move their data assets into the cloud as a way to reduce infrastructure costs, the reality is that the cloud is not yet a viable option for most of their intellectual property — and so they’re looking for ways to improve performance, reduce storage costs and implement stronger disaster recovery and high-availability solutions with existing on premises infrastructure.”
Stephen E. Arnold of ArnoldIT.com is a longtime leader in search and a frequent participant in the ongoing SharePoint debate and discussion. He often finds that organizations know that they need to be making more out of their SharePoint implementation, but they are overwhelmed and maxed out on what they can do internally, so outsourcing is a good option for most.
Emily Rae Aldridge, December 31, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
SharePoint and Enterprise Content Management
December 25, 2013
SharePoint may be the flagship ECM (enterprise content management) system, but that does not mean that it is perfect. In addition, such a huge system means that users constantly have to keep up with the latest news and updates. Read more in the CloudTweaks article, “7 Essential Facts About SharePoint And ECM.”
The article begins:
“Pioneer enterprise content management systems like SharePoint can help in take up your business to the next level, but only if you use them correctly. Here are seven things you need to know about this leading web application platform featuring the Office suite, collaborative workforce software and more.”
A couple of common themes that run through this article are: 1) security is key and 2) complexity continues. Stephen E. Arnold of ArnoldIT.com is a longtime leader in search. He often covers SharePoint news and finds many of the same conclusions. While SharePoint is widely adopted, there are noted weaknesses, and users are always looking for the latest tips and tricks.
Emily Rae Aldridge, December 25, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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