SharePoint (MOSS 2007) is robust solution, but its not for every organization. Here's some practical advice from Prescient and the authors of The SharePoint Report 2008 from CMS Watch.

“What began as a simple collaboration utility in 2001, and morphed in a portal product in 2003, has become – at least in Redmond’s eyes (home of Microsoft) – a full-blown information management platform,” write the authors of CMS Watch’s The SharePoint Report 2008, which included Shawn Shell of Consejo Inc., and a cadre of CMS Watch analysts (including founder Tony Byrne and Janus Boye).

“However, what remains less clear more than a year after the launch of SharePoint 2007 (MOSS), is where the product actually fits into the enterprise,” adds the report.

As intranet consultants we are continually confronted by or with Microsoft SharePoint – be it the 'full on' MOSS or its less sophisticated little brother, Windows SharePoint Services (WSS). Sometimes SharePoint is mandated as an option on an RFP. Sometimes the ‘free' WSS is already in use and so MOSS is an automatic no-brainer combined with Microsoft’s aggressive licensing 'deals' for upgrades from SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (or the use of SharePoint Client Access Licences as a part of other arrangements). More often than not, however, most companies that have selected SharePoint have done so because they are already Microsoft users and it simply makes sense to them. So, these organizations are often ‘sold’ SharePoint by Microsoft, rather than ‘choosing’ it as a solution to address specific requirements.

Whether you think it’s the best thing since the invention of sliced bread, the spawn of the devil, or simply have not made your mind up yet, one thing is for sure: you certainly cannot ignore SharePoint. The Sharepoint Report 2008 (TSR) is perhaps the most thorough analysis of the solution to date and is based on real-world use of the product within numerous organizations and it is "designed to assist both Business and Technology Managers figure out where, why and how to apply SharePoint."

The Good

MOSS is a powerful and complex solution, which according to Bill Gates, has more than 100 million licensed users. So, the technology is popular and will not disappear anytime soon.
For those that have adopted .NET and other MS products as a standard, MOSS makes a lot of integration sense. As well, it is a very good collaboration tool with a lot of light-weight, easy-to-use bells and whistles for small to medium sized organizations (or departments in larger organizations).

Other strengths:
  • Blogs are built into every My Site
  • Wikis are out of the box

ALSO READ: The SharePoint Plan (MOSS)

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