SharePoint 2010: Advanced CMS for Larger Businesses, But is it ...

Microsoft?s SharePoint 2010 is a powerful tool for community collaboration, automated Web site generation, and a robust content management system (CMS). ?The newest iteration of the product has ?so many new features, it makes a very compelling argument for its use in even a small business. ?But is it right for YOUR company?

We have built a number of SharePoint destinations for clients over the years, some have been small businesses using Small Business Server, and some have been within a large enterprise. ?In our research of the latest CMS tools we found that while there are a lot of online articles advocating SharePoint and it?s use by small businesses, we have found none that discuss why it might NOT be the right choice for some scenarios.

At First it is Gloriously Simple

SharePoint comes bundled in the Standard and Premium versions of Small Business Server, and it is a?separate?application when using Windows Server 2008. ?The default installation of SharePoint ?makes it easy to get started . ?You can add users, create communities, and start making Web sites with the wizards and default templates. ?It can be gloriously simple. ?But soon you find you need certain things that you can?t find in the templates, or with the easy to reach administration settings.

Square Pegs, Round Holes, Banging Ensues

While using the default install of SharePoint, you will discover what your actual business needs are for this tool. ?And you will discover that SharePoint does not lend itself to easy customization. ?Not without a fight anyways. ? SharePoint has a pretty rigid way of working (square peg), and your business has organic and unique requirements (round hole). ?Forcing SharePoint to do what you need may take a LOT of time and resources to get results (banging ensues).

Off the Sunlit Path, in the Dark, There Be Wolves

Once you stray from the paths of the wizards and default templates, you get into the dark fast. Your business requirements will require customization. ?Unfortunately, beyond simple customization the issues can be profound. ?The solutions to these issues frequently require technical expertise. ?In fact it usually takes a fair amount of expertise just to understand where the issues are occurring. ?The expertise needed to solve the problems may require advanced knowledge of scripting languages, ASP development and Windows system administration. ?Many small businesses do not have these resources handy.

Persona Non Grata

One of the positive features of SharePoint is the superb control of users and the granularity of access levels available within. ?However, to be invited to this party, each user has to be part of your Windows domain. ?This means that any user you wish to collaborate with (maybe an external vendor) needs to have a Windows user account in order to log in. ? Most company IT policies will not allow creation of Windows user accounts for ?non-employees, and there is a cost for every user account (typically $35 to $50 per user).

So if you want to set up a community or password accessible site between you and your external vendors, it is not feasible with SharePoint. ?There are some third party tools that can provide non-domain accounts, but these are expensive, ?and targeted to larger installs?requiring?advanced expertise.

Also, it has to be noted that user administration in SharePoint is usually the most hands on and time intensive task in SharePoint.

Source: http://mediazure.com/sharepoint-2010-advanced-cms-for-larger-businesses-but-is-it-right-for-you/

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