Major SharePoint Features Disclosed
June 23, 2015
SharePoint Server 2016 has caused quite a stir, with users wondering what features will come through in the final version. At Microsoft Ignite last month, rumors turned to legitimate features. Read more about separating fact from fiction in the newest SharePoint release in the CIO article, “Top 4 Revelations about SharePoint.”
The article begins:
“Some of the biggest news to come out of Microsoft Ignite last month was the introduction and the first public demonstration of SharePoint Server 2016 – a demo that quelled a lot of speculation and uneasiness in the SharePoint administrator community. Here are the biggest takeaways from the conference, with an emphasis on the on-premises product.”
The article goes on to say that users can look forward to a full on-premises version, bolstered administrative features, four roles to divide the workload, and an emphasis on hybrid functions. For users that need to stay in the loop with SharePoint updates and changes, stay tuned to ArnoldIT.com. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search, and his Web site offers a unique SharePoint feed to keep all the latest tips, tricks, and news in one convenient location.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 23, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Chris McNulty at SharePoint Fest Seattle
June 18, 2015
For SharePoint managers and users, continued education and training is essential. There are lots of opportunities for virtual and face-to-face instruction. Benzinga gives some attention to one training option, the upcoming SharePoint Fest Seattle, in their recent article, “Chris McNulty to Lead 2 Sessions and a Workshop at SharePoint Fest Seattle.”
The article begins:
“Chris McNulty will preside over a full day workshop at SharePoint Fest Seattle on August 18th, 2015, as well as conduct two technical training sessions on the 19th and 20th. Both the workshops and sessions are to be held at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle.”
In addition to all of the great training opportunities at conferences and other face-to-face sessions, staying on top of the latest SharePoint news and online training opportunities is also essential. For a one-stop-shop of all the latest SharePoint news, stay tuned to Stephen E. Arnold’s Web site, ArnoldIT.com, and his dedicated SharePoint feed. He has turned his longtime career in search into a helpful Web service for those that need to stay on top of the latest SharePoint happenings.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 18, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Quick Tips for Increased SharePoint Productivity
June 16, 2015
For organizations that utilize SharePoint, increased efficiency is a continuous goal. Users want to get more out of their installation without a huge time commitment. Technology Tell covers some tips and tricks in their recent article, “8 SharePoint Tips for Greater Productivity.”
The article begins:
“As far a strategic workflows go within the corporate world, SharePoint is arguably one of the best productivity tools. It’s a platform that provides businesses and teams with opportunities to thrive. SharePoint grants access to streamlined methods for communication, management and motivation. But to be truly effective, SharePoint needs to be organized in terms of infrastructure, and its functions must be correctly carried out.”
What follows are eight simple tips for streamlining infrastructure and therefore usage. Stephen E. Arnold is also a good resource for additional tips and tricks. His Web service ArnoldIT.com has a helpful SharePoint feed that collocates SharePoint news and strategies. His lifelong career in search has made him an expert in the field, and his straightforward approach saves time and energy for the reader.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 16, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Jury Is Still Out on Microsoft Delve
June 11, 2015
Sometimes hailed as Pinterest for the enterprise, Microsoft Delve is a combination of search, social, and machine learning, which produces an information hub of sorts. Delve is also becoming a test subject, as enterprise experts decide whether such offerings intrude into users’ workflow, or enhance productivity. Read more in the Search Content Management article, “Microsoft Delve May Drive Demand for Office365.”
The article summarizes the issue:
“As Microsoft advances further in its mobile-first, cloud-first strategy, new offerings such as Microsoft Delve are piquing companies’ curiosity but also raising eyebrows. Many companies will have to gauge whether services like Delve can enhance worker productivity or run the risk of being overly intrusive.”
As SharePoint unveils more about its SharePoint Server 2016, more will become known about how it functions along with all of its parts, including Delve. It will be up to the users to determine how efficient the new offerings will be, and whether they help or hinder a regular workflow. Until the latest versions become available for public release, stay tuned to ArnoldIT.com for the latest news regarding SharePoint and how it may affect your organization. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and his work on SharePoint is a great go-to resource for users and managers alike.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 11, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Differing Focuses for OneDrive and SharePoint Online
June 9, 2015
Microsoft is unveiling a new OneDrive for Business, and hopes that it offers a secure and sanctioned alternative to other lightweight solutions increasingly preferred by users like: Box, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Search Content Management covers the story in their article, “OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Fill Different Niches.”
The article says:
“Microsoft has recognized users’ preference for lightweight systems, and that preference may explain the recent success of OneDrive for Business (ODB), a cloud file-sharing service that is part of the Office 365 suite. But Microsoft also has SharePoint, its heavier, more traditional content/collaboration platform, which also supports integration with a version of ODB.”
It seems that Microsoft is putting OneDrive up in the battle against others in the cloud file-sharing arena, while leaving SharePoint to handle more structured collaboration. It will be interesting to see how customers and enterprise managers market the two to their users. Stephen E. Arnold also has good coverage on both solutions for those who are looking for more information. His Web service, ArnoldIT.com, offers a good go-to SharePoint feed to keep users updated on the latest SharePoint tips, tricks, and news.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 9, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Users Hope SharePoint 2016 Eases Integration Woes
June 4, 2015
SharePoint integration is often mentioned as one of the lowest points of user satisfaction for the whole solution. However, to be fair, SharePoint has very drastically moved away from its very simple start. Its original purpose was document sharing, and probably just Office documents at that. Now the platform is expected to handle any type of file constantly emerging in the fast-moving world of content. IT Business Edge takes a good look at the issue in its article, “Why SharePoint 2016 Needs to Address Integration Shortcomings.”
The article begins on a humorous note:
“SharePoint integration must be really hard, judging by this new infographic, “Seven Alcoholic Drinks to Imbibe as Your SharePoint Integration Project Fails.” . . . Why is SharePoint so hard to integrate? There’s the obvious reason, of course: Microsoft’s built it for Microsoft ecosystems with little concern for heterogeneous environments. Still, that’s not the only reason it’s a pain. In fact, SharePoint had integration problems even with other Microsoft solutions, as this 2012 post by an application architect shows.”
There are clearly issues with SharePoint integration, and in light of them, head SharePoint execs are discussing improvements to the 2016 platform. While it will take some time before it is known whether the changes do improve user satisfaction, keep an eye on ArnoldIT.com for the latest updates. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and his Web service gives a good deal of attention to SharePoint. In fact, his dedicated SharePoint feed is a good place to start for the latest need-to-know information.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 4, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
SharePoint Grasps for Relevancy in the Realm of Social
June 2, 2015
Ever since the rise of social platforms, SharePoint has attempted to keep up. While many users would say that these attempts were struggled behind the majority of social technology, Microsoft was making an effort to keep their enterprise heading in the social direction. The battle has been long and hard and Redmond Magazine gives the latest update in its article, “Microsoft Looks To Bring Social Back to SharePoint with Office Graph.”
The article describes how Microsoft is more or less stuck between a rock and a hard place in their game of social “keep-up”:
“Not that an enterprise-class team and document collaboration vendor should try to match the capabilities of what are, more often than not, a collection of unsecure, noncompliant, sometimes untested tools . . . But here’s the rub: if you don’t offer end users the tools they want, and make key features available on the mobile devices (and operating systems) they want to use, all of those security, auditing, compliance, and reporting standards will become irrelevant because people won’t use your platform.”
So Microsoft continues to battle for relevancy. Its latest move is Office Graph, and analysts are optimistic that this social layer may finally be a way for Microsoft to deliver on its promise of personalized and intelligent social solutions. To stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the social world of SharePoint, keep an eye on ArnoldIT.com, in particular his SharePoint feed. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and follower of SharePoint. His reporting offers a succinct insight into the developments that affect productivity and user experience.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 2, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
SharePoint: Enterprise Search Which Will Never Ever Let You Lose Anything Again
May 30, 2015
Bold assertion. I read “Why Using Microsoft SharePoint Will Improve Your Business Performance with a Simple Search Feature.” Memorable for several reasons:
- SharePoint has “amazing search capabilities.” (I mistakenly understood that the “new” SharePoint search was not yet available. Oh, well, I am in Harrod’s Creek, not a “nice venue in London.” Search is better when viewed from a “nice venue” I assume.
- I will never lose anything again. I assume, perhaps incorrectly, that the “anything” refers to a document I created and either parked intentionally or had parked for me by Microsoft’s “amazing” SharePoint. I note that the statement is a categorical, and then often present logical challenges to someone who asks, “Really? What’s the evidence you have to back up this wild and frisky claim?”
- I note that I can type a word or phrase to “surface every relevant document across all of the sites I have access to.” The author adds, “It’s brilliant.” Okay, got it, but I don’t believe it based on observation, our own hands on experiences, and the weed pile of third party vendors who insist their software actually makes SharePoint usable. I would list them, but you probably have these outfits’ burned into your memory.
What is interesting is that the focus of the write up seems to be Microsoft Dynamics GP. It is mentioned a couple of time. There are also references to Delve, another Microsoft search system.
Frankly I am not sure if the cheerleading for “brilliant” search is credible. We have worked on projects in organizations where SharePoint is the “pluming.” In a conference call last week, the client, a relatively large outfit in the Fortune 100, reported these “issues” with SharePoint:
- Users cannot locate documents created within 24 hours and written to the designated SharePoint device
- Documents in a results list do not include the version of the document for which the user searches
- Images of purchase orders for a company issued with a unique code cannot be retrieved
- Queries take more time than a Google query to complete
- The information about employees with specific expertise is not complete; that is, there will be no data about education or certain projects
- Collaboration is flakey
- The system crashes.
I could work through the list, but the point is that SharePoint is big business for those who get a job to maintain it and, in theory, make it work. SharePoint is the fertile field in which third party vendors plant applications to improve on what Microsoft offers. There are integrators who have specialized skills and want SharePoint to remain the money tree plantation the consultants have come to call home.
In short, what can one believe about Microsoft search? Delve into that.
Stephen E Arnold, May 30, 2015
Stephen E Arnold, June 2, 2015
X1 Search: A Unified Single Pane of Glass
May 26, 2015
I read “X1’s Microsoft Enterprise Search Strategy: Better Than Microsoft’s?”
Here’s the passage I noted:
Providing one single pane of glass to a business worker’s most critical information assets is key. Requiring end-users to search Outlook for email in one interface, then log into another to search SharePoint, and then another to search for document and OneDrive is a non-starter. A single interface to search for information, no matter where it lives fits the workflow that business workers require.
The write up points out that X1 starts with an “end user’s email and files.” That’s fine, but there are other data types to which an end user requires access.
My reaction was these questions and the answers thereto:
- What about video?
- What about drafts of financial data or patent applications and other content centric documents in perpetual draft form?
- What about images?
- What about third party content downloaded by a user to a local or shared drive?
- What about Excel files used as text documents and Excel documents with data and generic column names?
- What about versions?
- What about time and data flags versus the time and date information within a content object?
- What about SMS messages?
- What information is related to other information; for example, an offer of employment to a former employee?
- What about employee health, salary, and performance information?
- What about intercepted data from watched insiders using NGIA tools?
- What about geo-plotted results based on inputs from the organization’s tracking devices on delivery vans and similar geo systems?
My point is that SharePoint represents a huge market to search and content processing vendors. The generalizations about what a third party system can do boggle my mind. Vendors as a rule do not focus on the content issues my questions probe. There are good reasons for the emphasis on email and experiences. Tackling substantive findability issues within an organization is just not what most SharePoint search alternatives do.
Not surprisingly, for certain types of use cases, SharePoint search remains a bit of a challenge regardless what system is deployed into a somewhat chaotic sea of code, functions, and components.
A unified single pane of glass is redundant. Solutions to the challenges of SharePoint may deserve this type of remediation because vendors have been tilting at the SharePoint windmill in a highly repetitive way for more than a decade. And to what end? For many, SharePoint information access remains opaque, cloudy, and dark.
Stephen E Arnold, May 26, 2015
SharePoint Server 2016 Brings Along Deprecated Software
May 26, 2015
As SharePoint Server 2016 gets closer to a release date, experts turn their attention to its various components. Along with those that are getting an update to accompany the new release, there are several pieces of deprecated software that will come along for the ride. Read the details in the Redmond Magazine article, “SharePoint Server 2016 To Rely on Some ‘Deprecated’ Software.”
The article begins:
“SharePoint Server 2016 will arrive with a deprecated InfoPath 2013 forms creation technology. In addition SharePoint Server 2016 will require Windows Server AppFabric 1.1, which also is being deprecated. Per Microsoft’s definition, ‘deprecated’ software can continue to work. It doesn’t exactly mean that the software is dead product. It just means that Microsoft won’t perform any further development work on it.”
Keep an eye on these and other components that may cause a hiccup at the time of upgrade, or further down the road. Also, stay tuned to ArnoldIT.com for workarounds, tips, and tricks to help ease the transition to Server 2016. Stephen E. Arnold is a longtime leader in search and an interested party in SharePoint. His SharePoint feed is a concise and professional rundown of need-to-know information.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 26, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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