This document discusses how SharePoint composites can redefine application platforms by delivering collaborative and people-centric solutions on a single platform. It outlines challenges faced by IT organizations and how SharePoint addresses these through a rich set of building blocks that can be used to create various types of applications across different scenarios. These include employee portals, sales reports, workflows, and more. The document also discusses capabilities like integration with Office tools, workflows, reporting, and the flexibility of both declarative and code-based development on the SharePoint platform.
Create a single source of truth
The starting point for building a data-driven culture is establishing a single source of truth. We make this easy with Power BI, a modern BI cloud service that connects to all of your data, wherever it lives, in the cloud or on premises, Microsoft or non-Microsoft. It delivers insights to you in any way, anywhere, from mobile to web, as well as embedded in apps, both first party and third party. Office 365 further extends this with versions that allow you to quickly look at differences, auditing and roll back, allowing you to confidently manage the single version of truth.
Analyze & visualize data
The next step is to make it easy to analyze and explore data, then share it out seamlessly. Here we deliver the industry leading analyst tool with Excel, which allows you to ask questions at the pace of your business transformation, in a tool you use daily. Sometimes it's easier for us to spot trends and outliers when data is presented visually. Power BI makes visualization simple and easy. Sometimes we want both. Power BI integrates natively with Excel, so users can easily dive deeper into visualizations from Excel and vice-versa. Together with Visio, you can visualize complex process flows directly into Power BI.
Run your business in real time with live dashboards
All of the visualizations and dashboards you create in Power BI, Excel, and Visio can be programmed to update in real-time, so that you can react to opportunities and threats as soon as they appear.
Put insights at the center of teamwork
Lastly, with the growing importance of teamwork in the modern workplace it’s critical that teams can collaborate on data in real-time. Power BI and Excel both integrate natively with Teams and Office 365, making it easier to create consensus based on data.
Conclusion
All of these capabilities add up to better, faster decision-making – a 2017 study by Forrester found that with Microsoft 365 E5 employees make decisions in 18% less time – think about how much faster your business could move with decisions made in hours or days rather than weeks.
This presentation will introduce you to new features in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. This session will cover the new and improved product features as applicable to IT Professionals and how to install, deploy, manage, and administer SharePoint Server 2010. It also provides information on how to integrate SharePoint Server 2010 with key applications and how to maintain and troubleshoot SharePoint Server 2010.
Create a single source of truth
The starting point for building a data-driven culture is establishing a single source of truth. We make this easy with Power BI, a modern BI cloud service that connects to all of your data, wherever it lives, in the cloud or on premises, Microsoft or non-Microsoft. It delivers insights to you in any way, anywhere, from mobile to web, as well as embedded in apps, both first party and third party. Office 365 further extends this with versions that allow you to quickly look at differences, auditing and roll back, allowing you to confidently manage the single version of truth.
Analyze & visualize data
The next step is to make it easy to analyze and explore data, then share it out seamlessly. Here we deliver the industry leading analyst tool with Excel, which allows you to ask questions at the pace of your business transformation, in a tool you use daily. Sometimes it's easier for us to spot trends and outliers when data is presented visually. Power BI makes visualization simple and easy. Sometimes we want both. Power BI integrates natively with Excel, so users can easily dive deeper into visualizations from Excel and vice-versa. Together with Visio, you can visualize complex process flows directly into Power BI.
Run your business in real time with live dashboards
All of the visualizations and dashboards you create in Power BI, Excel, and Visio can be programmed to update in real-time, so that you can react to opportunities and threats as soon as they appear.
Put insights at the center of teamwork
Lastly, with the growing importance of teamwork in the modern workplace it’s critical that teams can collaborate on data in real-time. Power BI and Excel both integrate natively with Teams and Office 365, making it easier to create consensus based on data.
Conclusion
All of these capabilities add up to better, faster decision-making – a 2017 study by Forrester found that with Microsoft 365 E5 employees make decisions in 18% less time – think about how much faster your business could move with decisions made in hours or days rather than weeks.
This presentation will introduce you to new features in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. This session will cover the new and improved product features as applicable to IT Professionals and how to install, deploy, manage, and administer SharePoint Server 2010. It also provides information on how to integrate SharePoint Server 2010 with key applications and how to maintain and troubleshoot SharePoint Server 2010.
Credera was proud to be a Platinum Sponsor of the Share Cloud Dallas 2012.
Jesus Salazar, a Principal with Credera and member of Microsoft’s SharePoint Development Advisory Council, presented on the topic of Office 365 Migration Planning.
SharePoint vs Microsoft Teams vs Office 365 Groups: What Should I Use When?Nikkia Carter
Microsoft technology is moving at a rapid pace. New ways to work are being developed rapidly as well. A few such new tools are Office 365 Groups and Microsoft Teams. These look powerful and promising but they seem similar. Also, where do they fit with SharePoint? In this session, we will look at what each is, what their differences are, and when is the best time to use each.
Composite Applications Speaking Tour - KeynoteMike Walker
The European Composite Application Road Show is a series of pilot Microsoft conferences that bring together System Integrators, ISV’s and customers of all industries. With the help of the Microsoft field Architects the destinations included: Finland, Ireland, and Spain.
SharePoint and Business Intelligence: Understanding the Microsoft BI Portal C...Perficient, Inc.
Businesses of all sizes are quickly recognizing the value of Business Intelligence and the value of leveraging SharePoint as a BI portal platform. In this presentation, Perficient outlines how the SharePoint platform aligns with your Business Intelligence initiatives, including Microsoft’s integrated end-to-end BI offering and the role of SharePoint.
SharePoint and Office 365 Data Compliance Made Easy: Site Classifications, La...Joel Oleson
Struggling with where to begin with data compliance in SharePoint?
Gain expert, practical insight to get you started.
Hosts: Joel Oleson, MVP Office Apps & Services / Roland Reddekop, Colligo
In this webinar we’ll break down the built-in SharePoint features for site classification that support a structure for automated compliance plus tools for users to easily add labels and classify their data today.
Over 60-minutes we’ll review 4 Easy Steps for Compliance:
How to determine label names
How to create, publish and apply labels to libraries
How to create and apply data loss prevention (DLP) policies to warn users and block data from risk
How to make it easy for users to save and classify files to SharePoint without leaving Outlook and Office 365.
Join Joel Oleson, a Microsoft MVP/RD and 19-year SharePoint veteran with 7 years of experience at Microsoft as he shares practical guidance to keep your data secure and compliant. Colligo’s Roland Reddekop will show how users can save, classify and label emails and files right from the applications they primarily work in like Outlook and Office 365.
ARMA Vancouver (in partnership with ARMA VI) invited Bruce Miller from RIMtech to give his 2 day “Managing Electronic Records with SharePoint” workshop.
Bruce Smith recaps some of the key messages about managing an EDRMS project, the roles of IT and RM, metrics for measuring progress, and 3rd party tools to add recordkeeping capabilities to SharePoint.
Bruce Norman Smith has been a SharePoint champion at Environment Canada and the Medical Council of Canada. A Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies (MLIS, McGill ‘08) provides Bruce with graduate level training in business process analysis, database design, xml metadata development, and IM theory & methods. Bruce’s talent for bridging the gaps between business needs, RM and Archival requirements & technical best practices ensures your entire organization can benefit from a SharePoint implementation. His current focus is on mastering the infrastructure and services that support a rock solid ECM solution.
Bruce's blog site is: http://seek.itgroove.net/
In this webinar, Toby Ward, President and CEO of Prescient Digital Media, and Tamer El Shazli, VP, Technology + SharePoint Lead, Social Business Interactive, discuss the pros, cons, and overall capabilities of SharePoint 2013, and see how it stacks up to the competition.
Since its introduction in 2001, SharePoint has been a juggernaut in legal services, supporting everything from intranets to content management and beyond. The release of SharePoint 2013 offers substantial new features, such as enterprise search, moving to the cloud and a customizable app model -- all significant improvements that can positively impact your IT performance.
In this presentation, we will discuss SharePoint 2013's new capabilities, such as enhanced search and collaboration, as well as new ways to visualize and create workflows. We'll also cover:
- Top reasons for -- and warnings about -- moving SharePoint to the cloud
- How to reduce risk and administration in SharePoint and its applications
- Talent and tools needed to undertake application development for SharePoint
- A demonstration of a successful SharePoint legal app
Speaker: Ted Theodoropoulos, as the founder and President of Acrowire, combines his interest in technology with his passion to improve the business productivity of entrepreneurs and corporations. He has a background in technology going back to the early 1980s and is an expert at reducing the cost of doing business by identifying process inefficiencies and implementing the right technology solution to bridge the gap. Ted has earned Six Sigma Green and Black Belt certifications, and his Green Belt work led to a United States patent for which he was recognized with the 2007 Best of Six Sigma Award. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional and a Certified Scrum Master. Contact Ted at ted@acrowire.com.
iStart - Sharepoint: Getting to the pointHayden McCall
Information overload. It defines the age we live in. Distraction,
clutter, and search angst are daily productivity killers causing
headaches and wasting hours.
Believe the disciples, and Microsoft’s SharePoint is on the
cusp of greatness, bringing order to clutter, collaboration to
fragmentation and timeliness to information and decision
making. But listen to the unconverted and it’s badly designed,
slow and another marketing snow job holding together the
Microsoft stack.
Your IT department probably already has the product, so iStart
canvassed a couple of experts on implementing SharePoint to
help you decide if it is a fit for wider use within your business…
Credera was proud to be a Platinum Sponsor of the Share Cloud Dallas 2012.
Jesus Salazar, a Principal with Credera and member of Microsoft’s SharePoint Development Advisory Council, presented on the topic of Office 365 Migration Planning.
SharePoint vs Microsoft Teams vs Office 365 Groups: What Should I Use When?Nikkia Carter
Microsoft technology is moving at a rapid pace. New ways to work are being developed rapidly as well. A few such new tools are Office 365 Groups and Microsoft Teams. These look powerful and promising but they seem similar. Also, where do they fit with SharePoint? In this session, we will look at what each is, what their differences are, and when is the best time to use each.
Composite Applications Speaking Tour - KeynoteMike Walker
The European Composite Application Road Show is a series of pilot Microsoft conferences that bring together System Integrators, ISV’s and customers of all industries. With the help of the Microsoft field Architects the destinations included: Finland, Ireland, and Spain.
SharePoint and Business Intelligence: Understanding the Microsoft BI Portal C...Perficient, Inc.
Businesses of all sizes are quickly recognizing the value of Business Intelligence and the value of leveraging SharePoint as a BI portal platform. In this presentation, Perficient outlines how the SharePoint platform aligns with your Business Intelligence initiatives, including Microsoft’s integrated end-to-end BI offering and the role of SharePoint.
SharePoint and Office 365 Data Compliance Made Easy: Site Classifications, La...Joel Oleson
Struggling with where to begin with data compliance in SharePoint?
Gain expert, practical insight to get you started.
Hosts: Joel Oleson, MVP Office Apps & Services / Roland Reddekop, Colligo
In this webinar we’ll break down the built-in SharePoint features for site classification that support a structure for automated compliance plus tools for users to easily add labels and classify their data today.
Over 60-minutes we’ll review 4 Easy Steps for Compliance:
How to determine label names
How to create, publish and apply labels to libraries
How to create and apply data loss prevention (DLP) policies to warn users and block data from risk
How to make it easy for users to save and classify files to SharePoint without leaving Outlook and Office 365.
Join Joel Oleson, a Microsoft MVP/RD and 19-year SharePoint veteran with 7 years of experience at Microsoft as he shares practical guidance to keep your data secure and compliant. Colligo’s Roland Reddekop will show how users can save, classify and label emails and files right from the applications they primarily work in like Outlook and Office 365.
ARMA Vancouver (in partnership with ARMA VI) invited Bruce Miller from RIMtech to give his 2 day “Managing Electronic Records with SharePoint” workshop.
Bruce Smith recaps some of the key messages about managing an EDRMS project, the roles of IT and RM, metrics for measuring progress, and 3rd party tools to add recordkeeping capabilities to SharePoint.
Bruce Norman Smith has been a SharePoint champion at Environment Canada and the Medical Council of Canada. A Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies (MLIS, McGill ‘08) provides Bruce with graduate level training in business process analysis, database design, xml metadata development, and IM theory & methods. Bruce’s talent for bridging the gaps between business needs, RM and Archival requirements & technical best practices ensures your entire organization can benefit from a SharePoint implementation. His current focus is on mastering the infrastructure and services that support a rock solid ECM solution.
Bruce's blog site is: http://seek.itgroove.net/
In this webinar, Toby Ward, President and CEO of Prescient Digital Media, and Tamer El Shazli, VP, Technology + SharePoint Lead, Social Business Interactive, discuss the pros, cons, and overall capabilities of SharePoint 2013, and see how it stacks up to the competition.
Since its introduction in 2001, SharePoint has been a juggernaut in legal services, supporting everything from intranets to content management and beyond. The release of SharePoint 2013 offers substantial new features, such as enterprise search, moving to the cloud and a customizable app model -- all significant improvements that can positively impact your IT performance.
In this presentation, we will discuss SharePoint 2013's new capabilities, such as enhanced search and collaboration, as well as new ways to visualize and create workflows. We'll also cover:
- Top reasons for -- and warnings about -- moving SharePoint to the cloud
- How to reduce risk and administration in SharePoint and its applications
- Talent and tools needed to undertake application development for SharePoint
- A demonstration of a successful SharePoint legal app
Speaker: Ted Theodoropoulos, as the founder and President of Acrowire, combines his interest in technology with his passion to improve the business productivity of entrepreneurs and corporations. He has a background in technology going back to the early 1980s and is an expert at reducing the cost of doing business by identifying process inefficiencies and implementing the right technology solution to bridge the gap. Ted has earned Six Sigma Green and Black Belt certifications, and his Green Belt work led to a United States patent for which he was recognized with the 2007 Best of Six Sigma Award. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional and a Certified Scrum Master. Contact Ted at ted@acrowire.com.
iStart - Sharepoint: Getting to the pointHayden McCall
Information overload. It defines the age we live in. Distraction,
clutter, and search angst are daily productivity killers causing
headaches and wasting hours.
Believe the disciples, and Microsoft’s SharePoint is on the
cusp of greatness, bringing order to clutter, collaboration to
fragmentation and timeliness to information and decision
making. But listen to the unconverted and it’s badly designed,
slow and another marketing snow job holding together the
Microsoft stack.
Your IT department probably already has the product, so iStart
canvassed a couple of experts on implementing SharePoint to
help you decide if it is a fit for wider use within your business…
SharePoint is a web application framework and platform developed by Microsoft. First launched in 2001,SharePoint integrates intranet, content management and document management, but recent versions have broader capabilities.
SharePoint comprises a multipurpose set of Web technologies backed by a common technical infrastructure. By default, SharePoint has a Microsoft Office-like interface, and it is closely integrated with the Office suite. The web tools are intended for non-technical users. SharePoint can provide intranet portals, document & file management, collaboration, social networks, extranets, websites, enterprise search, and business intelligence. It also has system integration, process integration, and workflow automation capabilities.
Enterprise application software (e.g. ERP or CRM packages) often provide some SharePoint integration capability, and SharePoint also incorporates a complete development stack based on web technologies and standards-based APIs. As an application platform, SharePoint provides central management, governance, and security controls for implementation of these requirements. The SharePoint platform integrates directly into IIS - enabling bulk management, scaling, and provisioning of servers, as is often required by large organizations or cloud hosting providers.
SharePoint 2010 developer overview (in Visual Studio 2010)Mithun T. Dhar
This is a SharePoint 2010 deck for Developers. It uses Visual Studio 2010 for developing SharePoint 2010 applications. If you are interested in learning about SharePoint development in VS2010, this is your deck!
SPSUK - ITPro - Matt Groves - SharePoint in the cloudMatt Groves
This presentation was delivered by Matt Groves at the first SharePoint Saturday in the UK (October 2nd 2010). This covers some of the options for SharePoint deployments, on-premise and various cloud based options...
SharePoint Server 2007 Overview - TechMentor 2007 with Joel OlesonJoel Oleson
This deck discusses the features in SharePoint Server in an overview style presentation. This was presented while I was a Product Manager for Microsoft SharePoint at TechMentor in Orlando by Joel Oleson
Microsoft Convergence DayOne: Leveraging SharePoint within Your Dynamics GP W...Marie-Michelle Strah, PhD
Presentation April 9, 2011 at DayOne of Microsoft Convergence in Atlanta by Marie-Michelle Strah, PhD, BroadPoint Technologies, John Dooley, Microsoft, and John Herbstritt, BroadPoint Technologies.
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)Ralf Eggert
In this presentation, we examine the challenges and limitations of relying too heavily on PHP frameworks in web development. We discuss the history of PHP and its frameworks to understand how this dependence has evolved. The focus will be on providing concrete tips and strategies to reduce reliance on these frameworks, based on real-world examples and practical considerations. The goal is to equip developers with the skills and knowledge to create more flexible and future-proof web applications. We'll explore the importance of maintaining autonomy in a rapidly changing tech landscape and how to make informed decisions in PHP development.
This talk is aimed at encouraging a more independent approach to using PHP frameworks, moving towards a more flexible and future-proof approach to PHP development.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
2. Redefine your platform with capabilities that help you deliver solutions that are composite, people-centric and collaborative on a single platform that can be centrally managed
3. Story of the software Some needs Small program More needs More functionality More needs More programs/ new functionalities Expectations Infrastructure Improvements Enhanced features Demands Complex software ….. Security ? Information sanctity ? Reliability ? Optimization ? Identity ? …..
5. Problems are transforming one form to another , but they are converging into “I.T” But better Governance can convert these converging problems to opportunity
6. Microsoft SharePoint 2010TheBusiness Collaboration Platform for the Enterprise and the Internet Sites Deliver the Best Productivity Experience Communities Composites Cut Costs with a Unified Infrastructure Content Insights Rapidly Respond to Business Needs Search
10. Challenges of IT development organizationsMore demands, less resources Increasing demands on individual and organizational productivity IncreasingIT backlog of unmet needs Limited resources and funds for IT More difficult to improve businesssatisfaction Organization’s need for governance
11. Tension between business and IT The paradox of empowerment vs. control How do we break this paradox? CONTROL Governance Management Centralization Consolidation Cost controls EMPOWERMENT Access Agility Adaptability Self-service Innovation 2
12. The “Value Gap”Impacting innovation and satisfaction on the business side The value traditionallyseen from infrastructure What is required by the business need Innovation Business value Differentiation Standardized activities Utility Non differentiating The value gap
13. The different classes of solutions/processes Balancing innovation and mission criticality Types of business applications Core: Driving differentiation Innovative, proprietary I.P. Not “codified” initially Mission critical when it scales Context: Standard activities No longer differentiating activities “Packaged” (ERP) Still mission critical Just not differentiating Supports innovations Context Solution implementsnon differentiating activities Core Solution drives differentiation Custom Solution is Deployed at Scale “Packaged” or Out of the Boxstandard solution MissionCritical II III Innovation Solution is Outsourced Non MissionCritical IV I Source: “Dealing with Darwin: how great companies innovate at every phase of their evolutions,” by Geoffrey Moore
15. SharePoint CompositesDo-It-Yourself SharePoint solutions Empower business users with browser-based customizations Build declarative sophisticated solutions with SharePoint Designer Create human workflows and visualizations with Visio Services Share and publish databases with Access Services Rapidly create SharePoint solutions without code Leverage enterprise data through Business Connectivity Services Surface enterprise data in Outlook, Word, and Workspace Provide full read and writeaccess, offline or while connected Easily enable Search across these systems Unlock the value of your enterprise data Manage custom code with Sandboxed Solutions Manage desktop solutions with Visio, Forms and Access Services Maintain flexibility with deployment online or on premise Maintain operational insight with health monitoring Maintain control over end user solutions
16. SharePoint applicationsLeveraging a rich set of building blocks across a broad set of scenarios Employee payroll portal Offline order entry Personal profile site Executive dashboard Job candidate applications .com site Conference planning Pricing analysis Insurance process Delivery scheduling Product catalog Compliance reviews Contract generation Expertise finder Sales reports IT service portal Request for proposals Human workflow LOBintegration Reportingand Analysis Documentprocessing SharePoint Portal Wikis Doc Sets BCS Forms Workflows KPIs People search Visio Services Web part framework Blogs Tags Doc ID SharePoint Designer Reporting Dashboards Access Services Enterprise search List relationships Web edit Managed taxonomy External lists Navigators Folksonomies Expertise Silverlight integration Excel Services Offline Tag cloud Metadata InfoPath web part Org chart browser BI slicers Conditional formatting Applicationexperience Web sites
17. The application experience: “Work Areas” A standard yet configurable framework for your application Microsoft’s very own Autogroup (One strange experience) Standard or custom UX Usability vs. Uniqueness Personalized by user Right on the browser Rich building blocks You can create your own galleries of web parts It can surface in Office
18. The application experience: “Work Areas” Leveraging users skills in Office tools: Visio and Access Access Services Visio Services
19. Documents processingDocuments ARE part of the data model Expanding the notion of the data model to include unstructured content Samples capabilities Document Sets Records Management Metadata Retention policies Document generation Excel Services Word Automation Services
20. LOB and external system integrationUnlocking the value of your enterprise data with Business Connectivity Services Traditional packaged or legacy solutions lack in user experience Derive more value from those investments Extend it to more users Put the rules in place, then let users “discover and use” the data Extend it to Office
21. LOB and external system integrationUnlocking the value of your enterprise data with Business Connectivity Services My Artists Artist Tracker > Artists SharePoint Workspace with InfoPath Forms Artist Contracts Artist Name Address City State Artist Name: Mandible Outlook Forms andTask panes Deathrattle SharePoint lists Artists Concourse Jay Hamlin Trio Down on the Bayou Andrew Datars Quartet Agent: Concourse Stuck in the Mud Jay Hamlin Trio Tastes like chicken Down on the Bayou Mandible Concourse Search results Office Word
22. Human workflowAutomate activities and tasks across people Leverage the knowledge of your business analysts Visio Collaborate with dev team Export to SharePoint Extend w/Visual Studio Levels of WF sophistication Out of the box Customized OOB Declarative custom Custom action Code-based custom BizTalk integration WF in Visual Studio Custom actions In SPD SharePoint Designerdeclarative workflows Custom OOB Workflows Out of the BoxWorkflows Visio processdiagrams
23. Reporting and AnalysisEmpowering decision makers to create, access and share information The user drives the insights Access and Discoverability Self-service and Collaboration Forming insights App should empower users by exposing data Users form insights w/Excel Share with Excel Services Custom dashboards w/Visio Strategic scorecards with PPS Increasing level of sophistication Less “canned” reports, more dynamic and strategic insights PerformancePointServices Excel Excel Svcs Visio Charts and Web parts
24. Web sitesCommunicating with the application’s internal and external stakeholders Most applications need some form of web publishing Even if not built on SharePoint Employees, Partners, Customers Leverage SharePoint’s authoring, publishing andreview process Theming, Web editing AJAX and Silverlight Rich media Publishing processes Hosted or On Premise
26. Transparent vs. OpaqueThe flexibility of the “escape option” to .NET Application Application “Opaque” platform SharePoint .NET ? Complexity of solution Complexity of solution An “opaque” platform A “transparent” platform “Hitting the wall” Complexity of problem Complexity of problem
27. A sliding scale of solution sophisticationDifferent tools for different roles Highest sophistication Visual Studio SharePoint Designer Office Browser Larger team development ALM Enterprise application integration Across the firewall integration Web services and components Manageability Declarative integration to external data Relatively sophisticated workflows Rich forms-based applications Web design Some VS-based (WF activities, web parts) BU reporting, tracking Access DBs User customized sites Ad-hoc solutions Browser-based SharePoint data definition Using galleries of web parts Sophisticated enterprise applications Enable Declarativesolutions, some code Enable No-code solutions Highest empowerment
60. Microsoft SharePoint 2010 The business collaboration platform for the enterprise and the internet Connect and Empower People Browser Office Offline Mobile Your SharePoint solution across a variety of scenarios Cut costswith a unifiedinfrastructure Rapidly respond to business needs Application experiences Human workflow LOBintegration Documentprocessing ReportingandAnalysis Websites Browser Online or On Premise SharePoint Out-of-the-Box Capabilities Shared Services Office Sites Portal Personalization Customization Web Parts Communities Wikis - Blogs - Tags My Sites - Ratings Content Doc Sets CompliancePolicies IRM Search People search Enterprise searchBI Search Insights KPIs Reporting Scorecards Dashboards Composites Business ConnectivityOffice UX - SilverlightForms - WorkflowVisio and Access Svcs Sandbox Solutions SharePointDesigner Key SharePoint Platform Services Administration Programmability Application Model Security Packaging VisualStudio Web UI Framework Content Types Lists and Libraries Server Object Model Client Object Models Claims Federation Unified Packaging Manageability Site / PageModel Forms and Workflow Searchframework Deployment Data APIs Events PowerShell Monitoring Templates Interoperability Backup and Recovery Features REST SOAP External data WSRP CMIS Configuration Upgrade Solutions The Microsoft Application Platform (SQL Server, Windows, .NET) Your enterprise LOB, external systems and cloud services Cloudservices ERP, CRM,BUIT applications
76. Sandboxed SolutionsFacilitating safe , easy deployment of code solutions, freeing IT admins from policing them User Empowerment Site control Self-managed solutions Full Trust SharePoint Solutions Enables users to upload code solutions to their sites Hosting scenarios SandboxedSolution Web Parts Event Receivers Feature Activation Callouts Workflow Actions InfoPath Forms Site and List Templates Implemented as a subset of the SharePoint Object Model Site collection administrators retain control Farm admin does not have to be involved once policies are defined Automatic monitoring and control of resource utilization Corporate Intranet SharePoint Online Office Live
77. Enables roundtrip Simplifiedupgrades Discovery Unified Packaging FormatSimplified deployment and upgrades regardless of development model Unified Packaging Format Uniform packaging format across Visual Studio, SharePoint Designer, and browser Templates Declarative and visual upgrades Upgrade callouts for features Features Solutions Richer solution and feature discovery
79. Call to Action Involve your technical experts and IT managers to learn about the value of SharePoint for .NET developers and identify a new or existing application that can benefit from SharePoint collaborative and composite capabilities
We will talk about how SharePoint can help you redefine your platform with capabilities that help you deliver solutions that are composite, people-centric and collaborative on a single platform that can be centrally managed. We will learn what makes SP apps special, what tools and developer services are available, how SP solutions are deployed on a centrally managed platform and finally see how the ecosystem of partners may help you find even more specific solutions for your area or industry.The most important message is how SP helps you close the value gap between non differentiating solutions like infrastructure software and solutions ONLY YOU can build and that because they incorporate your intellectual property are differentiating.
Describe the overall value of SharePoint. This deck assumes that this has been covered. In particular though, we will be discussing the role of SharePoint in helping organizations rapidly respond to business needs, as well as how SharePoint Composites is a differentiating aspect for applications built using SharePoint.
These are the typical questions we hear from people and which we address in this deck:What is the role of SharePoint in my app dev strategy (by a CIO or VP of App Dev)Should I develop a specific app on SharePoint?How can SharePoint help me deal with the backlog of applications I can never seem to have resources to build?How should I think about solutions built by end users or power users?
We will talk about how:SharePoint applications are differentiated from traditional appsHow SharePoint provides a spectrum of tools and platform services to build appsHow SharePoint’s central platform helps with manageability of applicationsHow SharePoint has evolved into a thriving ecosystem for vertical solutions as well as partner solutions that extend SharePoint
Here are the actors we will talk about:The end user (“business side”): the most important role in our discussion. We are solving a problem for this audienceThe developer (“app dev team”): the role that enables or creates a solution as a response to some business requirementThe IT Pro (“operations team”): the team that is tasked with managing the platform and applications produced by (“thrown over the fence by”) the development team
The challenge to most orgs is four words: more demands, less resources.Individuals and organizations are being asked to do more IT resources are scarceTherefore unsolved problems (“backlog”) continue to pile up This increases business dissatisfaction with ITOn top of that, organizations operate in a regulatory environment, rules and governance rules that can change and require governance in terms of security of data, authentication/authorization rules, etc.
So we need to recognize this creates tension between IT and the business because they each want something that the other seemingly does not want: the business users want to be empowered, while IT wants to keep some sense of control.This is the paradox, and the question is: how can we break this paradox?
There is a value gap between what the business wants and what technology delivers. Most technology from software vendors (everybody, including Microsoft) is sold to all customers. Much of it is standard and therefore not differentiating (it is not differentiating because everybody gets the same technology).It is in those applications YOU (the customer) build that you find the innovation and differentiation that your business requires. Those apps are the ones that ONLY YOU CAN BUILD through custom applications. You can always hire system integrator or consultants, but in general apps incorporate differentiation for your company.That is the business gap you want to close and that SharePoint can help close.
Geoffrey Moore, author of “Crossing the Chasm” talks about this in his book “Dealing with Darwin.”In this matrix, the are two columns: on the left are solutions that are “Core” and on the right solutions that are “Context.” Core solutions are those that create differentiation, while Context is everything else. Note “Core” does not mean “Core Competence.” A core competence is something you do very well, but it may or may not be “Core” in Moore’s terminology. For example, one of the core competences of an airline is flying airplanes. But that is not “Core” because it does not create differentiation: all airlines need to be good a flying airplanes.On the rows, we have Mission Critical apps on the top row. These are apps that carry significant risk to the organization if something was to malfunction. At the bottom you have the non mission critical apps.Most interesting processes in companies start in Quadrant I as non mission critical applications that add some differentiation. They are some project that a department implements, but they are still not mission critical because they have not been launched to scale.Over time, the solution evolves to becoming mission critical. IT takes it over and deploys it across the organization.However, everything becomes Context. Other companies probably copy your process or it ceases to be Core. Think of accounting or accounts payable in many organizations. They are not differentiating. Some vendors like ERP sell them as “packaged apps.”Over time, many processes actually become even less important that you actually outsource them (quadrant IV).The thing with Quadrant III (packaged apps) is that they are very important to support mission critical custom solutions of Quadrant 3. For example, a catalog or payment system is very important for a new ecommerce system because it allows it to be developed faster. So all Quadrant II solutions require some form of connectivity to Quadrant III solutions. We will talk about Business Connectivity Services in SharePoint later.
If we think about SharePoint applications, you can see that they are different from apps built on other platforms:First, they are people-centric, they surface in the familiar UX of SP and OfficeSecond, they are collaborative. They help people participate in ad-hoc processes that happen outside of enterprise systemsThird, they are composite. They are assembled, not built. Many apps can be built without code.
SharePoint Composites also helps apps differentiate from other apps built on alternative platforms:First, Composites helps you build solutions without code. Using SharePoint Designer, Access Services, Visio Services, etc. More importantly, many things can be done directly on the browserSecond, they help you unlock the value of your enterprise data. BCS (Business Connectivity Services) allows for that connection from “Quadrant III” to “Quadrant II” applications that we talked about before. With BCS, you can surface enterprise data in Word, Outlook and Workspace, with full CRUD (create, read, update, and delete) and Search-enabled.Third, Composites allows you to maintain control over the solutions with Sandboxed Solutions, centralization of Access and Visio investments, and health monitoring
They key in SharePoint is all the investments you see here at the bottom. From Forms and Wikis to Tags and Blogs to Offline access and Metadata. SharePoint comes with a lot of out of the box capabilities.These capabilities can be used across many frequent scenarios that occur in enterprise and web applications. From creating custom or standard app experiences, or processing documents, or connecting to other systems, or automating workflows, or analyzing and reporting on data, or creating sites.And as we saw before, these are fundamental scenarios that occur in many applications, from payroll portals to .com sites overviews, to many others you see here on top of this slide.
Application experiences are a key scenario. Many companies have created strange UX. Well, in SharePoint you can create standard user experiences that minimize training for people.Or you can customize the UX for very specific and unique requirements. In the end, it is the richness of the building blocks available in SharePoint that makes the difference.
In these applications, you can leverage your desktop skills in Access or Visio and share these apps or diagrams with others.
Many applications have unstructured document requirements, but they are typically “outside” of the app. We think that unstructured documents should be considered to be part of the relational data model of an app. With SharePoint you get document sets, records management, metadata and you can implement retention policies for documents.You can also use document generation techniques on the server with Excel Services or Word Automation Services for, for example, reports or bill production or generation of PDF files.
Connecting to external systems is something most applications need. No app that is not trivial really stands in isolation.This is useful to extend LOB systems that tend to have difficult to use user experiences and extend these apps to more users via Office and SharePoint.
We connect to external systems in SharePoint via BCS. With BCS, you first create what is called an “External Content Type” which you see here in the middle. This is used to describe to SharePoint how to read, update, delete, etc., against an external source. The beauty of that is that once that is done, you many things “automatically”:You get to search that dataYou can use it in SharePoint listsYou can use it in Workspace or InfoPathYou can use it in Outlook or Word
Human workflow is also another common task need in apps that SharePoint supports. Here, we see a few layers of sophistication from simple diagramming at the bottom to Biztalk integration on top.Using SharePoint you can use a number of out of the box workflows for simple document tasks like approvals. You can also edit them, or you can create your own custom ones using SharePoint Designer. You can also use WF in Visual Studio and use these tasks in SharePoint.BizTalk integration falls beyond the scope of SharePoint but it is something that can be done with code.
What application does not have or does not generate data? Using SharePoint you can also leverage increasingly sophisticated solutions. From simple chart web parts (bottom) to mash-ups using Excel Services or Visio. Or if you need to implement BI solutions you can use PerformancePoint Services.The idea is to empower users to create their own reports and visualizations of data. You should produce less “canned reports” since they tend to be less useful.
Finally, every application has stakeholders. These are people who live inside or outside of the organization but that are not the actual users of the app. For example, for an HR recruiting system there are stakeholders like the hiring managers, the interviewing team, the actual candidate, etc. The managing team (in this case the HR recruiting team) can use SharePoint to publish information via sites to these stakeholders. A lot of these customizations can be done on the browser.
Now let’s talk a little about developer services and how SP helps them be more productive.
If you are not a developer, here is the one thing you want to remember. Many platforms are “opaque.” What this means is that you can only write on the platform but not use the underlying layers. They tend to be black boxes. The problem with this is that there is always that point where you start pushing the limits of the platform. In these opaque platforms you hit the wall and those problems become VERY complex to solve.Because SP is built on .NET, the complexity of your solution increase more smoothly as the problem’s complexity increases. There is no “WALL.”
In terms of tools, you have also increasing sophistication tools:The browserSharePoint Designer and the Office tools like Access and VisioVisual StudioThey are useful for increasingly complex problems, from simple customization using web parts (bottom) to major enterprise integration (top), for example.
Visual Studio 2010 has the most sophisticated tools for SharePoint with very rich templates for modules, content types, workflows, lists, etc., that you see here, and more.
There is support for Silverlight, XSLT views, support for Standards and even for Multilingual UXs.
In SP 2010, there is more support for referential integrity (cascade and transactional deletion, for example)as well as validations for things like required fields, uniqueness, etc.
The programmability platform has also been enhanced dramatically, with support for SPLinq, REST services, client APIs (with Object Models for Javascript, .NET, and Silverlight), better workflow and richer event support.
While this slide is a little busy, let’s use it to provide a single place where we can have a conversation about your business problems and application issues by highlighting the attributes that makes SharePoint a great platform for custom applications and how they may relate to your application needs. We are combining a number of the value elements of SharePoint with a base of technical detail that can help us have the right conversation both across the business side and those of you who are from IT.SharePoint 2010 is the business collaboration platform that unifies platforms that have previously been silos into a single people-ready infrastructure. Most times people think about SharePoint as an application, but SharePoint is also a platform upon which to build your proprietary innovations. FOCUS ON THE END USER: One of the issues with traditional application platforms has been that the functionality (and as a result) the applications that are made possible are primarily focus on back end issues to the detriment of the end user. With SharePoint, the end user is considered the focal point of all application value. End users are able to connect with each other in very rich ways, from the browser, to the rich experience of Office, or when they are mobile or disconnected. Users feel empowered to perform their jobs and business in ways that was not possible before because they interact with the application through a familiar user experience that can span all the situations a user may find himself in.All of this is possible through increasing levels of functionality that is layered on each other. Let’s discuss this from the bottoms up.ENTERPRISE LOB AND EXTERNAL SYSTEMS: Any non trivial solution cannot stand in isolation. They typically require access to the system of records that are the backbone of an enterprise. These systems are typically more static and change less frequently, but they are important nonetheless. One of the problems that these systems face is a very rigid and unfriendly user interface. What SharePoint and the rest of the Microsoft platform do is to help users connect to this data seamlessly. SharePoint provides the capabilities to connect to this data while respecting the security and policies in place to ensure that only the appropriate rights are granted to users. More importantly, SharePoint makes it possible for users to work with this data just as if the data were store in SharePoint. In addition to LOB data, companies are becoming more used to leveraging cloud services in their applications. Connecting to these external systems, LOB applications and cloud services is done in SharePoint primarily through the Business Connectivity Services.REST OF MICROSOFT PLATFORM: One of the greatest strengths of SharePoint is that is built on the most successful enterprise-class application platforms: the Microsoft Application Platform. SharePoint is built on Windows, SQL Server, and .NET. As a result, it inherits all of their benefits. All of the great capabilities of SharePoint are possible because we did not have to spend resources building those capabilities and are able instead to leverage them to create a very scalable, robust, and manageable platform. In addition, SharePoint is a “transparent” platform, meaning that developers have line of sight to these underlying technologies and are able to leverage those capabilities directly in their code if necessary (their object models, their APIs, etc.) and use the advanced tools in Visual Studio to create sophisticated applications.KEY SHAREPOINT PLATFORM SERVICES: On top of the Microsoft application platform, SharePoint built a number of platform services that serve as the foundation for both SharePoint and an enterprise applications. This is not an exhaustive list but it includes the major areas of investments that are relevant to those who are considering building solutions on SharePoint. Of course, a great platform has to have great programmability in the forms of object models. Most people are familiar with the traditional SharePoint server object model, but something new is the object models that are available on the client tier, including a .NET, Silverlight, and JavaScript, for example. There is also great support for web based standards such as REST and Web Services.The application model is what makes SharePoint so usable. It is the foundation of what an application in SharePoint is. Here we define the UX framework, the list and libraries, the model for the sites and pages, the web part framework, security, etc. We also provide the infrastructure to connect to external data and to provide connectors for Search.Deployment is important because it is the linkage between development and the operations sides. In SharePoint 2010 we are unifying all deployment technologies under a common deployment framework (the WSP).Finally, Security and Manageability are key services in the platform. SharePoint defines a framework for users, roles, and groups that is used throughout the platform. In SharePoint 2010 we have also made great investments in Claims-based authentication and pluggable provides to integrate with other ways to authenticate users. For Manageability, the platform provides also with great scripting capabilities through PowerShell and also administration and monitoring functionality to ensure that the infrastructure is operating at its best.OUT OF THE BOX CAPABILITIES: It is likely that you are already familiar with these capabilities. In SharePoint, we have leveraged our own platform services to build the applications that make up SharePoint. These are the “six slices” of the SharePoint pie, from Sites and Communities, to Content and Insights, as well as the Search capabilities. The power of the SharePoint platform is that you can create your own applications using the same foundation we did, just like we were able to create the applications that come in SharePoint out of the box.SHAREPOINT COMPOSITE APPLICATIONS: A composite application in the industry is one that is built using previously existing building blocks. That is exactly what SharePoint Composite applications are. However, the key difference in SharePoint is that we place the end user in the center of the interaction, and built a unified platform to make the vision of Composition a reality across many different domains. So in SharePoint you are able to create Composite Applications that span scenarios of people, LOB data, data analytics and business intelligence, Search, workflow and documents, and of course the Web. All of these scenarios can come to live in your application. We are already seeing many customers doing just that: they build data tracking applications, of integrate with LOB data in Office Business Applications (OBAs). We have seen many applications that also empower decision making and enable business insight, combining unstructured and structured information making it easily usable, accessible, and discoverable with rich, self-service capabilities that enable the creation of business intelligence content in scorecards and dashboards. Or applications that implement human workflow over forms and documents to reduce errors and make a process more efficient. We also have seen search-based applications that create very dynamic and engaging experiences based on search, helping people navigate all of the information they have without having to codify that navigation rigidly into the application. And finally, we have seen applications that exploit the interactivity available on the web through Rich Internet Applications in public facing sites.MANAGEMENT: In other platforms, all of these applications would have created a great amount of issues for the IT Pros who are in charge of keeping the platform working. Not in SharePoint. Our platform gives you the flexibility to deploy these applications on premise or online, or to create a Shared Services infrastructure that you can leverage across your business units or across your applications. One important aspect of our platform in 2010 is the concept of Sandbox Solutions. This capability enables End Users to upload their own solutions to SharePoint and to run them in their own sandbox, meaning that they won’t negatively affect the infrastructure. Your IT personnel can set the right parameters in terms of resource consumption and utilization that will bound these solutions. If the solution starts going beyond these limits that you define, then SharePoint is able to manage it and block it. Imagine for example an application that for some reason starts taking up a lot of CPU. Well, your other applications won’t suffer because SharePoint will manage that faulty application down to where the application no longer works and the problem is fixed. The benefit is that you don’t have to baby sit these applications: you basically set the parameters of resources you are comfortable with, and then SharePoint does the rest.IN CLOSING: We hope that you are able to see how SharePoint can be the used for your own internal proprietary innovations and not just in what it brings you out of the box. It is a great platform for end users because they are the center of your application, enabling them to work as they want to. Your developers are more productive because of the great tools and programmability capabilities in the platform, and because they will be using the same tools they are used to in Visual Studio. And finally, your operations team and IT Pros will be able to do their job and keep the platform up and working and have the flexibility to deploy the solutions in the model that is the most appropriate for the need.MORE INFORMATION: There is also more information available on the web. You can certainly find more at sharepoint.microsoft.com in the SHAREPOINT COMPOSITES section, with white papers on our platform, videos, and other useful links to SharePoint developer content, end user content, etc.
While this slide is a little busy, let’s use it to provide a single place where we can have a conversation about your business problems and application issues by highlighting the attributes that makes SharePoint a great platform for custom applications and how they may relate to your application needs. We are combining a number of the value elements of SharePoint with a base of technical detail that can help us have the right conversation both across the business side and those of you who are from IT.SharePoint 2010 is the business collaboration platform that unifies platforms that have previously been silos into a single people-ready infrastructure. Most times people think about SharePoint as an application, but SharePoint is also a platform upon which to build your proprietary innovations. FOCUS ON THE END USER: One of the issues with traditional application platforms has been that the functionality (and as a result) the applications that are made possible are primarily focus on back end issues to the detriment of the end user. With SharePoint, the end user is considered the focal point of all application value. End users are able to connect with each other in very rich ways, from the browser, to the rich experience of Office, or when they are mobile or disconnected. Users feel empowered to perform their jobs and business in ways that was not possible before because they interact with the application through a familiar user experience that can span all the situations a user may find himself in.All of this is possible through increasing levels of functionality that is layered on each other. Let’s discuss this from the bottoms up.ENTERPRISE LOB AND EXTERNAL SYSTEMS: Any non trivial solution cannot stand in isolation. They typically require access to the system of records that are the backbone of an enterprise. These systems are typically more static and change less frequently, but they are important nonetheless. One of the problems that these systems face is a very rigid and unfriendly user interface. What SharePoint and the rest of the Microsoft platform do is to help users connect to this data seamlessly. SharePoint provides the capabilities to connect to this data while respecting the security and policies in place to ensure that only the appropriate rights are granted to users. More importantly, SharePoint makes it possible for users to work with this data just as if the data were store in SharePoint. In addition to LOB data, companies are becoming more used to leveraging cloud services in their applications. Connecting to these external systems, LOB applications and cloud services is done in SharePoint primarily through the Business Connectivity Services.REST OF MICROSOFT PLATFORM: One of the greatest strengths of SharePoint is that is built on the most successful enterprise-class application platforms: the Microsoft Application Platform. SharePoint is built on Windows, SQL Server, and .NET. As a result, it inherits all of their benefits. All of the great capabilities of SharePoint are possible because we did not have to spend resources building those capabilities and are able instead to leverage them to create a very scalable, robust, and manageable platform. In addition, SharePoint is a “transparent” platform, meaning that developers have line of sight to these underlying technologies and are able to leverage those capabilities directly in their code if necessary (their object models, their APIs, etc.) and use the advanced tools in Visual Studio to create sophisticated applications.KEY SHAREPOINT PLATFORM SERVICES: On top of the Microsoft application platform, SharePoint built a number of platform services that serve as the foundation for both SharePoint and an enterprise applications. This is not an exhaustive list but it includes the major areas of investments that are relevant to those who are considering building solutions on SharePoint. Of course, a great platform has to have great programmability in the forms of object models. Most people are familiar with the traditional SharePoint server object model, but something new is the object models that are available on the client tier, including a .NET, Silverlight, and JavaScript, for example. There is also great support for web based standards such as REST and Web Services.The application model is what makes SharePoint so usable. It is the foundation of what an application in SharePoint is. Here we define the UX framework, the list and libraries, the model for the sites and pages, the web part framework, security, etc. We also provide the infrastructure to connect to external data and to provide connectors for Search.Deployment is important because it is the linkage between development and the operations sides. In SharePoint 2010 we are unifying all deployment technologies under a common deployment framework (the WSP).Finally, Security and Manageability are key services in the platform. SharePoint defines a framework for users, roles, and groups that is used throughout the platform. In SharePoint 2010 we have also made great investments in Claims-based authentication and pluggable provides to integrate with other ways to authenticate users. For Manageability, the platform provides also with great scripting capabilities through PowerShell and also administration and monitoring functionality to ensure that the infrastructure is operating at its best.OUT OF THE BOX CAPABILITIES: It is likely that you are already familiar with these capabilities. In SharePoint, we have leveraged our own platform services to build the applications that make up SharePoint. These are the “six slices” of the SharePoint pie, from Sites and Communities, to Content and Insights, as well as the Search capabilities. The power of the SharePoint platform is that you can create your own applications using the same foundation we did, just like we were able to create the applications that come in SharePoint out of the box.SHAREPOINT COMPOSITE APPLICATIONS: A composite application in the industry is one that is built using previously existing building blocks. That is exactly what SharePoint Composite applications are. However, the key difference in SharePoint is that we place the end user in the center of the interaction, and built a unified platform to make the vision of Composition a reality across many different domains. So in SharePoint you are able to create Composite Applications that span scenarios of people, LOB data, data analytics and business intelligence, Search, workflow and documents, and of course the Web. All of these scenarios can come to live in your application. We are already seeing many customers doing just that: they build data tracking applications, of integrate with LOB data in Office Business Applications (OBAs). We have seen many applications that also empower decision making and enable business insight, combining unstructured and structured information making it easily usable, accessible, and discoverable with rich, self-service capabilities that enable the creation of business intelligence content in scorecards and dashboards. Or applications that implement human workflow over forms and documents to reduce errors and make a process more efficient. We also have seen search-based applications that create very dynamic and engaging experiences based on search, helping people navigate all of the information they have without having to codify that navigation rigidly into the application. And finally, we have seen applications that exploit the interactivity available on the web through Rich Internet Applications in public facing sites.MANAGEMENT: In other platforms, all of these applications would have created a great amount of issues for the IT Pros who are in charge of keeping the platform working. Not in SharePoint. Our platform gives you the flexibility to deploy these applications on premise or online, or to create a Shared Services infrastructure that you can leverage across your business units or across your applications. One important aspect of our platform in 2010 is the concept of Sandbox Solutions. This capability enables End Users to upload their own solutions to SharePoint and to run them in their own sandbox, meaning that they won’t negatively affect the infrastructure. Your IT personnel can set the right parameters in terms of resource consumption and utilization that will bound these solutions. If the solution starts going beyond these limits that you define, then SharePoint is able to manage it and block it. Imagine for example an application that for some reason starts taking up a lot of CPU. Well, your other applications won’t suffer because SharePoint will manage that faulty application down to where the application no longer works and the problem is fixed. The benefit is that you don’t have to baby sit these applications: you basically set the parameters of resources you are comfortable with, and then SharePoint does the rest.IN CLOSING: We hope that you are able to see how SharePoint can be the used for your own internal proprietary innovations and not just in what it brings you out of the box. It is a great platform for end users because they are the center of your application, enabling them to work as they want to. Your developers are more productive because of the great tools and programmability capabilities in the platform, and because they will be using the same tools they are used to in Visual Studio. And finally, your operations team and IT Pros will be able to do their job and keep the platform up and working and have the flexibility to deploy the solutions in the model that is the most appropriate for the need.MORE INFORMATION: There is also more information available on the web. You can certainly find more at sharepoint.microsoft.com in the SHAREPOINT COMPOSITES section, with white papers on our platform, videos, and other useful links to SharePoint developer content, end user content, etc.
In many cases customers have web services that we need to integrate to. This is an advanced scenario but here are some screenshots that show the simplest scenario overall. Again, this will require WCF expertise.In this case, we have a service that does a simple “calculator.” you can think of services your company may already have like calculating shipping charges or something like that. With SharePoint, you can create a web part to provide users access to those web services.
We are moving now to the issues that matter to the operations teams (IT Pros) and they can be summarized in terms of maintaining control and flexibility of deployment.
Sandboxed Solutions help safe deployments of code solutions. They are basically running on a subset of the object model. Sandboxed Solutions help users upload code solutions to their sites, while helping admins retain control of the site. Admins only have to set policies once.
In SharePoint 2010 we also have a unified packaging format that helps across Visual Studio, SharePoint Designer and browser solutions. This facilitates upgrades.
Here is a subset of these partners. There is one for your need.
Here is your call to action. The main one is to involve your technical experts and managers to learn about the value of SharePoint for .net developers and identify new apps that can benefit from SP’s collaborative and composite capabilities.We have content specifically for IT Pros and for Developers.
