| Introduction |  | |
Notes/Domino | | |
SharePoint | | |
Verdict |
SharePoint Portal Server 2003
Microsoft's SharePoint Portal Server 2003 ships in two versions, providing a distinct advantage over most of its competitors. The first, Windows SharePoint Services, is a cut-down version of the full server and is included with Windows Server 2003. It is targeted at the team level, for groups of users who want to create sites where they can share documents and start discussions. It also gives users a taste of the technology and features available in the full product.
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| [Click to enlarge] SharePoint sites can be administered and customised by end-users as well as administrators. |
Developing sites within SharePoint Portal Server is quick and easy. Within a few minutes, you can create a site for a new project or initiative and start populating it with information imported from Excel spreadsheets and InfoPath forms.
There are a number of different templates and tools built into SharePoint that can be used to quickly create a discussion board or document library, for example, and instead of developing an "application" per-se, SharePoint is based on the concept of creating Web sites and Web pages.
Within those Web pages, you can drag and drop a number of "Web parts". SharePoint includes some off-the-shelf Web parts you can add to your pages, but there are also other software vendors which have jumped on the bandwagon and created Web parts specifically for SharePoint. You can also develop your own Web part, but this will require using Visual Studio and a solid knowledge of .NET programming.
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| [Click to enlarge] There are a number of default templates that ship with SharePoint for creating contact lists, event lists, tasks and more. |
For workflow applications, there is a bit of a gap when it comes to SharePoint. This is due in part to the availability of a separate Microsoft product, BizTalk Server, that can be used to integrate systems. For anything more than basic workflow, you will need to use BizTalk server to complement your SharePoint development. This means that the two products combined offer a powerful, integrated platform, but SharePoint probably couldn't stand on its own as a true collaborative suite as far as workflow is concerned.
That said, there is still a lot you can do with SharePoint that does not require BizTalk, and for the majority of business users, it will be plenty! Tight integration with Microsoft Office and the Microsoft solution stack means that users can leverage the platform without a tremdous amount of additional training, and development of new sites and features can be delivered to users. This makes the platform more flexible and malleable as business requirements change over time.
| Product | Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003 |
|---|---|
| Price | A Client Access licence starts at $116; a copy of SharePoint through the Select Licensing Program is $6601 for one processor licence. Prices do not include Software Assurance |
| Vendor | Microsoft Australia |
| Contact | 13 20 58 |
| Web site | www.microsoft.com/sharepoint |
| Interoperability |  |
|---|---|
| Strong support for integration and interoperability; vibrant third-party community for add-ins and complementary technology | |
| Futureproofing |  |
| Solid platform, integration with Microsoft product stack and core strategy should ensure support in the future | |
| ROI | |
| Easy to install and configure; sites are easy to setup and use | |
| Service | |
| E-mail, Web and telephone | |
| Rating |  |
| Introduction | | |
Notes/Domino | | |
SharePoint | | |
Verdict |
3%
2%
You should be comparing IBM Team Workplace (Quickplace) to Sharepoint.