Avoiding SharePoint Pitfalls; Cloud Computing is Misunderstood; Windows Becomes Portable

What day is it again?  – Dooley

Top News Stories
5 SharePoint Pitfalls To Avoid (InformationWeek)
Microsoft SharePoint is a widely used platform for document sharing that can be an important element of a unified communications platform. But it is also technology that many people love to hate. News reports and online forums have detailed problems users have had with storage management, Active Directory, configuration, governance, and other issues within their SharePoint environments. One Microsoft partner, Azaleos, has shared advice on how to head off some of the thorniest problems before they become disasters.

Making Sense of SharePoint 2010 (The Register)
Adoption of Microsoft SharePoint is growing rapidly, with Microsoft reporting “double-digit growth” in its latest financials, yet it remains widely misunderstood. What can you do with SharePoint, what is the difference between the free SharePoint Foundation and the full product, and what are the pros and cons? Microsoft calls SharePoint a “business collaboration platform”, a suitably vague description for a multi-faceted product. SharePoint can be a content management system for an internal or external website, a document management system, a business search portal, and more.

Microsoft Expected to Trumpet Office 365 Momentum on Tuesday (PCWorld)
Microsoft on Tuesday is expected to tout what it considers strong momentum in the adoption of its Office 365 cloud-hosted collaboration and communication suite, particularly among small companies that previously were unable to afford on-premise implementations of Exchange and SharePoint, according to people familiar with the announcement. It will likely trumpet strong sales of Office 365 among organizations with 50 or fewer employees, a segment that has historically been dominated by Google Apps in the market for cloud-based collaboration and communication suites.

Windows To Go: Microsoft’s OS Becomes Portable (RedmondMag)
One of the big problems that has plagued IT for many years is that of remote users. Organizations need to be able to give remote users access to corporate resources, but this access must be provided in a secure manner. In the past the main solution to this problem was company-issued laptops. However, laptops are easily lost, stolen or damaged and if not properly secured data can be compromised in the process.

Cloud Computing is Misunderstood, But Maybe it Doesn’t Matter (Forbes)
I predict that 2012 will be the year that cloud computing loses a lot of its luster for enterprises. Not because it is going away or anything like that. Rather, the opposite is happening — it is becoming so ubiquitous and commonplace that business and IT end-users alike will almost forget that they’re even using software off the cloud. Three recent industry surveys conducted over the past couple of months point to the ubiquity of cloud:

Social Standards: Web 2.0 Vs. Enterprise 2.0 (TheBrainYard)
For enterprise social software vendors including IBM and Jive Software, OpenSocial is a key standard for adding social context to applications. But there is another school of thought. “OpenSocial is what Google created for MySpace,” Yammer CTO and co-founder Adam Pisoni told me dismissively during an interview about Yammer news feed integration with other cloud services. That’s a reference to the origins of the standard, initially published in 2007, back when MySpace was still bigger than Facebook. Since then, of course, MySpace has faded and Google has struggled through multiple social media flops until catching fire, just recently with Google+. OpenSocial provided the basis for the Google Gadgets user interface components used in iGoogle and played a role in Orkut (the “big in Brazil” social network).

Microsoft Moved My Cheese Again and I Don’t Really Care to Find It (SYS-CON Media)
Over the years Microsoft has not only moved my cheese, they have also quite often eaten it. I used to stay tuned into what Microsoft was saying about its direction, but over the last year or so their attitude of keeping things hush hush until the last second has disconnected me from them. Now I find I am rather enjoying not being tuned in. I have been finding life much easier not pushing Microsoft down people’s throats and a lot less disappointing. If I never experience the level of anguish Silverlight, Workflow, UML, MSF, DSL, and DNA caused me again, I will probably have 5 to 10 years added to my life.

Around the Blogosphere
Identification to Adoption: ”Can a company afford not to be on the cutting edge?” (AIIM)
I recently attempted to answer a question on Quora about when Microsoft would be adding microblogging functionality to SharePoint “out of the box”. It really brought my attention back to something that I hadn’t thought about in a while and that is the lag between identification and adoption. With the current software development process this can take years. First, something is identified as a potential feature. It is then developed. It then waits for the next release date. Then it is adopted. Let’s take an example from SharePoint 2010: In place records management.

Mirror, Mirror, In the Farm … (SharePoint Interface)
This is a post I’ve been meaning to write for some time, but I’m only now getting around to it. It’s a quick one, and it’s intended to share a couple of observations and a script that may be of use to those of you who are SharePoint 2010 administrators. Mirroring and SharePoint: The use of SQL Server mirroring isn’t something that’s unique to SharePoint, and it was possible to leverage mirroring with SharePoint 2007 … though I tended to steer people away from trying it unless they had a very specific reason for doing so and no other approach would work. There were simply too many hoops you needed to jump through in order to get mirroring to work with SharePoint 2007, primarily because SharePoint 2007 wasn’t mirroring-aware. Even if you got it working, it was … finicky.

SharePoint List vs. Excel Workbook (SharePoint 365)
One of the very common questions users ask themselves when moving from a shared folder structure to a SharePoint environment is: “Should I keep my data in an Excel workbook in a library, or should I convert it to a SharePoint list…?”. Well, here’s my view on this subject… If the Excel workbook contains complex functions, cross-sheet formulae or pivot tables, it is probably more appropriate to keep the data within the Excel file. However, if the Excel workbook contains more simple table-style data, it is likely that you will find SharePoint an easier tool to manage this information. Below is a list or reasons why this may benefit your organisation, therefore improving efficiency and productivity:

SharePoint vNext will be Metro Style (SharePointEduTech)
Ok so first of all let me make my top 3 predictions for the next version of SharePoint:- 1) Microsoft will break their neck NOT to release SharePoint vNext in 2013 2) Steve Ballmer will announce the release of SharePoint vNext at the Las Vegas conference 3) SharePoint vNext will be metro style. Now I could be very wrong (Just ask my wife I generally am) but I do think that all of those statements above have a very good chance of being true especially the top 2. But the big questions for me will the metro style prediction be true.

SharePoint 2010 Standard or SharePoint 2010 Enterprise?  (PointBeyond)
I’ve been speaking with IT directors/CTOs at two different large organisations in the past week. Both are in similar positions in that they are considering moving to SharePoint 2010, and need to decide whether or not to go for Standard or Enterprise edition. One of the big challenges that they both faced was knowing the capabilities of each product. One of them was seriously considering purchasing an expensive BI solution even though they have quite modest BI needs. They and their teams were simply unaware that there is BI capability within SharePoint 2010.

Create a New Discussion Thread in Community Central via Outlook 2010 (The Bamboo Team Blog)
Community Central, Bamboo’s extension of SharePoint’s social capabilities, is a list-based application which is integrated with a wealth of new functions. Normally, after creating a new Discussion Board Plus, you will create a new Thread by clicking the Add new discussion hyperlink. In this article, we will take a look at how to create a new Thread via Microsoft Outlook 2010.

SharePoint Job Listings*
Senior .NET SharePoint Engineer – Overland Park, Kansas
Digital Evolution Group is seeking a Senior .NET Engineer to develop comprehensive enterprise level Internet, Intranet, custom applications and SharePoint based solutions for a diverse group of nationally known companies. Applicants must have at least 5 years demonstrated experience building database-driven web-based applications. In addition to some level of relevant technology domain expertise, this individual must have proven project management skills and be able to contribute meaningfully to client deliverables and proposals. This is an exciting opportunity as we are in the process of experimenting with and adopting newer technologies, coding best practices and Agile methodologies. Greenfield development is commonplace and innovation is encouraged. Our highly entrepreneurial, collaborative, and dynamic environment is the perfect place for smart, motivated people to make an impact. With competitive benefits and a dedication to work-life balance, we are also a great place to come to work.

SharePoint Developer/Admin – Atlanta, Georgia
This position will be responsible for developing, maintaining, and supporting new and existing SharePoint software systems. The position reports to Manager, Software Architecture & Delivery, and works very closely with other IT staff from various departments, as well as divisional end users. Experience using the Microsoft .NET and related technology stack (.NET, SQL Server, SharePoint and other services), as well as Microsoft Office Suite, is required to proficiently carryout the duties of this position. This position will require experience with end to end solutions, data design, prototyping and modeling. Candidate must be proficient in writing code, designing to requirements and iterating development based on feedback. Must create and maintain basic technical documentation. Must be a self-starter with good interpersonal skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing project requirements.

Microsoft Updates
Deploying Branding Solutions for SharePoint 2010 Sites Using Sandboxed Solutions (MSDN)
The SharePoint development tools in Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 provide a simple and effective approach to packaging and deploying the files and code that are required to apply branding to Microsoft SharePoint 2010 sites using a sandboxed solution. This article describes a best practice for creating sandbox-compatible branding solutions by using custom master pages, cascading style sheets (CSS files), and images that can be deployed to SharePoint 2010 farms that are running either SharePoint Foundation 2010 or SharePoint Server 2010.

SharePoint Events*

• November 29, Online - Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• November 30, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Community Central Webinar
• November 30, Online – How to Build a Project Management Information System (PMIS)
• December 1, Online – Bamboo Knowledge Management Webinar
• December 1, Online – Extending SharePoint to Power Your Email Marketing
• December 2, Honolulu, Hawaii – SharePoint Saturday
• December 3, Sandy, Utah – SharePoint Saturday
• December 7, Online – How to Build a Project Management Information System (PMIS)
• December 7, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Workflow Conductor Webinar
• December 7, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Community Central Webinar
• December 7, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Administration Webinar
• December 7, Online - Adding PowerShell To Your SharePoint Admin Tool Belt
• December 8, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• December 8, Online - How eBay Successfully Deployed Enterprise Social Networking on SharePoint 2010
• December 8, Melville, New York – Business Process Transformation: Taking SharePoint Beyond the Intranet
• December 10, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida – SharePoint Saturday
• December 10, Kansas City, Kansas, SharePoint Saturday
• December 13, Online – Executive Briefing – Empower Your Organization with SharePoint
• December 13, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• December 14, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Community Central Webinar
• December 14, Online – Bamboo Knowledge Management Webinar
• December 15, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• December 15, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Workflow Conductor Webinar
• December 19, Online – How to Build a Project Management Information System (PMIS)
• December 28, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• December 28, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Community Central Webinar
• January 7, Virginia Beach, Virginia – SharePoint Saturday
• January 10, Online – Executive Briefing – Empower Your Organization with SharePoint
• January 11, Online – How to Build a Project Management Information System (PMIS)
• January 21, Austin, Texas – SharePoint Saturday
• January 25, Online – How to Build a Project Management Information System (PMIS)
• February 26-29, San Francisco, California – SPTechCon
• February 27-29, Johannesburg, South Africa – Share Conference
• March 20-22, San Francisco, California - AIIM
• March 21, New Orleans, Louisiana – SharePoint Saturday
• April 23-26, Atlanta, Georgia – Share Conference

SharePoint Training*

• November 29-December 1, Minneapolis, Minnesota – Introduction to InfoPath 2010 for Business Users – Mindsharp
• November 29-December 1, Online – Introduction to InfoPath 2010 for Business Users – Mindsharp
• November 29-December 1, Winchester, Virginia – Power User 2010 – SusQtech
• November 29-December 2, Dallas, Texas – InfoPath 2010 and SharePoint 2010 No-Code Workflow Deep Dive – SharePoint Solutions
• December 5-8, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint 2010 for Business Users – Mindsharp
• December 5-8, Online – SharePoint 2010 for Business Users – Mindsharp
• December 5-9, Huntsville, Alabama - SharePoint 2010 Core Technologies – Mindsharp
• December 5-9, Online – SharePoint 2010 Core Technologies – Mindsharp
• December 5-9, Washington, DC - SharePoint 2010 Advanced Administrator – Mindsharp
• December 5-9, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint Foundation 2010 Developer Course – Mindsharp
• December 5-9, Online – SharePoint Foundation 2010 Developer Course – Mindsharp
• December 5-9, Chicago, Illinois – SharePoint 2010 Administration & Architecture – SusQtech
• December 5-16, Chicago, Illinois – SharePoint 2010 Immersion – SusQtech
• December 6-7, Nashville, Tennessee – Introduction to SharePoint Foundation 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• December 6-9, Nashville, Tennessee – Introduction to SharePoint Server 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• December 6-9, Chicago, Illinois – Mission: Automation – Workflow and InfoPath – SharePoint Solutions
• December 7, Online – Knowledge Base Accelerator Application Administration – Bamboo Solutions
• December 8, Online – Bamboo Component Training – Collaboration Enablers II – Bamboo Solutions
• December 8-9, Reston, Virginia – Delivering SharePoint Success Mentoring Workshop – Innovative-e
• December 12, Online – Business Intelligence & Reporting – SusQtech
• December 12-16, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint 2010 Core Technologies – Mindsharp
• December 12-16, Online – SharePoint 2010 Core Technologies – Mindsharp
• December 12-16, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint Designer 2010 – Mindsharp
• December 12-16, Online – SharePoint Designer 2010 – Mindsharp
• December 13, Online – Bamboo Component Training – Collaboration Enablers I – Bamboo Solutions
• December 13-16, Washington, DC – SharePoint 2010 for Business Users – Mindsharp
• December 13-16, Online – SharePoint 2010 for Business Users – Mindsharp
• December 15, Online – Project Management Central End User Training – Bamboo Solutions
• December 16, Online – Business Connectivity Services for SharePoint 2010 – SusQtech
• December 19-20, Online – Introduction to InfoPath 2010 for Business Users – Mindsharp
• December 19-21, Minneapolis, Minnesota – Introduction to InfoPath 2010 for Business Users – Mindsharp
• December 19-21, Online – Introduction to InfoPath 2010 for Business Users – Mindsharp
• December 20, Online – Project Management Central Application Administrative Training – Bamboo Solutions
• December 27, Online – Bamboo Component Training – List Extenders – Bamboo Solutions
• December 29, Online – Bamboo Component Training – Administration Enhancers – Bamboo Solutions
• January 4, Online – Knowledge Base Accelerator Application Administration – Bamboo Solutions
• January 10, Online – Bamboo Component Training – Collaboration Enablers I – Bamboo Solutions
• January 10-13, Nashville, Tennessee – InfoPath 2010/SharePoint 2010 Workflow Deep Dive – SharePoint Solutions
• January 12, Online – Bamboo Component Training – Collaboration Enablers II – Bamboo Solutions
• January 16-20, Cleveland, Queensland, Australia – Developing Solutions with SharePoint Server 2010 – Intelligent Decisioning
• January 17, Online – Project Management Central Application Administrative Training – Bamboo Solutions
• January 17-18, Chicago, Illinois – Introduction to SharePoint Foundation 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• January 17-20, Chicago, Illinois – Introduction to SharePoint Server 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• January 19, Online – Project Management Central End User Training – Bamboo Solutions
• January 24-25, Nashville, Tennessee – Exploring SharePoint 2010 – New Features – SharePoint Solutions
• January 24-27, Nashville, Tennessee – Applying MOSS Core Features – SharePoint Solutions
• January 24-27, Nashville, Tennessee – SharePoint 2010 Upgrade and Planning – SharePoint Solutions
• February 1, Online – Knowledge Base Accelerator Application Administration – Bamboo Solutions
• February 13-17, Cleveland, Queensland, Australia – Professional SharePoint Server 2010 Administration – Intelligent Decisioning
• February 16, Online – Project Management Central End User Training – Bamboo Solutions
• February 21, Online – Project Management Central Application Administrative Training – Bamboo Solutions

* Please contact Chris Dooley (chris.dooley@bamboosolutions.com) to be included in SharePoint Daily™.

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