Microsoft SharePoint products

Cnik utilise Microsoft SharePoint products as part of our solutions for information and knowledge management systems. These can be in the form of a simple Intranet or Document Management systems based on Windows SharePoint Servers (WSS) or larger systems based on SharePoint Server (MOSS) including document management, document stores and repositories, business processes and electronic forms, knowledge stores, team collaboration, and staff directories. Please see our Consultancy and Knowledge sections for more details on those aspects.

SharePoint is the name Microsoft uses for a integrated suite of products that deliver Document Management, Document Storage, Records Management, Team Collaboration, Enterprise Search, Forms-driven Business Processes, Information Management and Communication functionality to various sizes of organisations. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS 3.0) could benefit the smallest companies, it is free to license in many situations, and still scalable enough to deliver key benefits to organisations with thousands of staff. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) builds on the core functions delivered through WSS 3.0 to add benefits to larger organisations that need more features, greater customisation, greater scalability and integration with Enterprise level business systems such as the Microsoft Dynamics range of applications, SAP or indeed most other ERP or financial products.

There are a number of different editions of the SharePoint suite with each one building on the functionality of the core product. For example, Document Management and Versioning Control comes as standard in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, the Records Repository is available in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) Standard Edition, and the business intelligence and KPI functionality comes with MOSS 2007 Enterprise Edition. A SharePoint products comparison chart is available from the Microsoft SharePoint website.

Document Management through SharePoint

SharePoint can manage document workflow, it can control document versioning, drafting, review, approval, and publication. Notification emails can be sent to the next user in the approval workflow when a document is ready and the document can be reviewed in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, or through a HTML browser before signing the task off. There are other document management systems on the market with greater functionality but they often have a lot more functionality than a company needs and cost many times more than a SharePoint product. The Document Management functionality described here is available through the 'free' version of SharePoint, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

Document Storage through SharePoint

As part of the Document Management functionality of SharePoint documents are stored in Document Libraries. These can be any type of document from the standard Microsoft Office documents such as Microsoft Word and Excel files, to Adobe Acrobat files, drawing files, graphic files, and media files. Document Libraries have many of the functions of a traditional file storage system but with additional functions such as allowing the 'check out' and 'check in' of documents to named individuals and the collection of metadata regarding the documents to aid filtering and searching. SharePoint is not a replacement for a traditional file storage system but is best used where specific controls or processes are required with a selected subset of documents.

Team Collaboration through SharePoint

Whether the team are a project team in the same office or a group of people in different locations around the world SharePoint can deliver a framework for easy collaboration for team members. It can provide a central area for collaborating on document development, information sharing, task lists, calendars and project plans and all the basics are available in the free WSS 3.0 version of the product.

Business Process Workflow through SharePoint

SharePoint has a built-in workflow engine that allows a business to automate the flow of a process through a logic process of steps while collecting data or approvals on the way. Approval for the next step in the process can be given by responding to an email, a task, or logging onto the SharePoint site through a web browser, in the office or remotely. SharePoint comes with a number of standard workflow processes out of the box or they can be quickly constructed in Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 or Microsoft Visual Studio. The ability of a business to track and manage the creation, approval, and publishing of information flexibly by the right people at the right time is much improved by the workflow capabilities of the SharePoint technologies.

SharePoint can be used to publish, control and submit electronic XML forms used in business processes. These can be from quite simple forms for things like booking an annual holiday to quite complex business processes that collect data at various parts of a process and record that data in various separate systems. The forms can be used with WSS 3.0 if the user has Microsoft Office InfoPath (R) on their PC or they can be be published into the web browser for users with a Microsoft Office SharePoint 2007 Enterprise license. Alternately they can be utilised in WSS through a web browser using Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007 if the full MOSS 2007 product is not required. Forms are created in Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007 and published to MOSS 2007 or MOFS 2007.

Records Repositories through SharePoint

Part of the regulatory compliance requirements in a number of industries now require that companies maintain a repository of 'original' documents, where the content of the original document can not be disputed. SharePoint introduces a Records Repository function that allows the submittal of documents to a organised store that records the date of submittal and keeps an accurate representation of the original document. Documents can also be submitted as part of the automated workflow associated with the authorisation and publication of new documents.

Portal Solutions through SharePoint

A portal is a way of consolidating various types of information system onto a single screen, normally displayed in a number of small windows. They are often personalised to the specific user such that someone working in the Sales Department would have a different set of portal elements (windows displaying information) in their portal view to someone in the Finance Department. The Sales person might have a graph of Sales this month; a list of their current Sales Leads; a summary of the latest news from the company Intranet; and a summary of their Inbox. The finance team member may have a window showing overdue invoices and collections statistics but also have the same intranet and inbox windows as the Sales person. Portals are one of the key types of solution that can be implemented with MOSS 2007.

Information Management and Communication through SharePoint

Intranet, Extranet, Internet, Staff Personal Web Spaces

There currently a number of different SharePoint products that Microsoft licenses and it can be a bit confusing however each has a similar range of functions and is just tailored and licensed differently to fit in with how a company operates. A company shouldn't really be looking at the SharePoint products and saying "which one should we buy?"; it should be looking at the benefits it needs from an information system and which groups of people need to access which benefits, and looking at which solutions meet those needs.

Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0

WSS 3.0 is probably Microsoft's best kept secret, well perhaps not a secret, but the exceptional value it delivers for a free product is not widely understood and is very hard to beat. Did we say free? Yes we did. It is free in terms of the fact that you do not need to pay any additional licensing fees if you already have a Windows 2003 Server and you need only a simple or standalone installation.

So what is Windows SharePoint Services then and how can it be any good if it is free?

WSS 3.0 is the core product that supports Microsoft's range of applications for:

Document Storage and Management
Team Collaboration on projects or initiatives
Information Management and Communication

WSS 3.0 is the base product on which Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) sits and derives much of it's functionality but if you don't need the full licensed product then WSS 3.0 is still a very good product for small, medium or even large companies.

Cnik have staff qualified as Microsoft Certified Technology Specialists (MCTS) in Windows SharePoint Services and can deliver Consultation and Implementation services to any company requiring a SharePoint product. Please contact Cnik for more information.

Related resources from Microsoft

The Microsoft SharePoint range of products can be extremely beneficial for companies wanting to manage processes electronically, to collaborate in teams, and above all communicate.

Cnik have qualified Microsoft Certified Technology Specialists (MCTS) in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS 3.0) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) engineers to help you with any aspect of a SharePoint implementation or administration. For a no cost initial consultation on what SharePoint could do for your organisation please contact Cnik.

Real World Info - The SharePoint products cover a wide range of functionality. Many customers implement SharePoint to solve just one of their business needs, such as an Intranet or Document Management and then grow to utilise more of the SharePoint functionality at a later date.