When Will SharePoint Earn Respect Beyond File Management?
With SharePoint 2007 being implemented for over a year now by many firms, most of its’ respect comes from being a file management tool. Most firms experienced a lot of growing pains getting it up and running and there were many frustrated people working through some of the basics of implementing or upgrading SP07. Although, the disdain has lessened, it is still mainly respected as a “file” management system. With my own recent experience, active directory problems proved to be too much for some corporate-wide initiatives.
One aspect that I greatly appreciate with SP, but will likely never be realized or respected extensively, is its handling of XML data. There are great opportunities to build the corporate knowledge base with this in mind, but many seem to be struggling with the basics, such as integration, search and stand-alone functionality.
For those firms being a year out with SP, there should be great potential in applying/using XML data. Does anyone know of a good/documented example of SharePoint getting respect and use beyond a file management system?
I am not sure what you mean about respect beyond file management as most of the projects and companies I have done projects with have used SharePoint extensively…
Techticles.com
May 15, 2008
Thanks for the comment; I’ll try to clarify my position a bit more. I certainly realize that many are doing more with SP, but still feel its’ respect comes mainly from being a sound CMS. Most firms don’t install SharePoint with the purpose of making their data dynamic with lists, web parts (with DB connects), or replacing the intranet with SP, or creating the social enterprise.
Employees (basic users- not power users like us) usually create a PDF, DOC or XLS file and link to it, as is typical of what you will find in aging, corporate intranets. There are many options with SharePoint to ameliorate the “lifespan” corporate info will take once it is locked away in a PDF or DOC, as you know. It is challenging to change the way people work with data and think about data, as would be required to take full advantage of what SP has to offer; not to mention training. Although, I am not biased toward SharePoint, as you claim to be
, I think very favorably of it. In my last gig we tried SP as our corp. wiki, but it didn’t cut it. I don’t know of any other firm being documented that they use SP as their corp. wiki. Anyway, that is just one example. I hope I was able to clarify my position (opinion).
starrydynamo
May 15, 2008