SharePoint and Open Source: A Collision Ahead?

April 22, 2012

The latest release of SharePoint contains the features needed in order to function as a document, record, and content management system all rolled into one. In addition, it easily integrates into the MS Office Suite, particularly Office 2010 and 2007.

However, SharePoint 2010 lacks many features that a lot of users are looking for such as high-volume processing and document capture. In addition, because web technologies have evolved and come so far, users wish to see the same level of UI intuition, interactivity, and richness that modern websites possess. In order to reach that level, SharePoint has to be enhanced. Enter third-party solutions. And because many enterprises are using SharePoint (as of 2011 78% of Fortune 500 firms utilize it) want more from it on top of its in-the-box features yet don’t have enough resources to do so, SharePoint enhancement solutions have become a booming business.

A good example is Best Bets. In the white paper by SurfRay entitled “How to improve SharePoint Search with Best Bets in SharePoint 2010”, it is discussed how the said enhancement can improve the search experience of users:

Users who search in an enterprise context usually expect relevant document to populate the top of results every time, which can result in a poor user experience and abandonment of search when those expectations are not met. Best Bets, in effect, bypass the normal search engine algorithm’s assignment of relevance and value to a particular piece of content in order to make it rank highest for the selected keywords.

But SharePoint has many competitors, both licensed options and open-source ones. And open-source systems such as Alfresco, Drupal, and MindTouch have experienced an increase in user and developer base. Why? Probably mainly for the zero licensing cost. Then for their flexibility and wider browser compatibility.

But rumor has it that Microsoft will be releasing SharePoint 15 within this year. Will SharePoint remain a leader or will it suffer the same type of pressure brought by open source search solutions. You can track news about open source search in out new publication OpenSearchNews. There may be some fender benders but the intersection of open source and proprietary software is getting more heavily used.

Lauren Llamanzares, April 22, 2012

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.