SharePoint = Business Platform
Here’s a good article from Loraine Lawson at IT Business Edge discussing how SharePoint 2007 is Microsoft’s move to lock customers into the Office 2007 suite.
As I’ve said before, the critical difference between SharePoint 2007 and prior versons is that SharePoint 2007 is a “business platform”. Businesses and organizations can build their business structure on the SharePoint platform fairly easily. At a minimum, groups and departments can build out their processes and content storehouses much more robustly than using file shares and email. All through a web browser without needing developer skills. 80% of an organization’s needs can be met this way. More complex business processes can also be implemented on SharePoint, by use of either 3rd party add-ons or coding.
For years Microsoft has had the mantra of “Solution Selling” - problem was, not all of their products were “business solutions”. They were usually “technical solutions”.
Since SharePoint has shifted the solution to a business solution, I fully expect SharePoint to become the common business platform in most organizations - just like Windows on the server and Office and Windows on the desktop.
Microsoft is even following the “Internet Explorer for free” model with SharePoint, providing Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) for free. This allows most organizations to try and benefit from SharePoints basic collaboration and workflow capabilities. If they need more firepower, like web-based InfoPath forms or integration with other databases and systems, they need to move up to one of the licensed versions.
Microsoft has really upped the ante with this release and it is hitting the sweet spot for many organizations. If other web portal/collaboration products want to compete, they are going to have to meet and exceed the SharePoint 2007 feature set AND make it easy for regular (re: non-IT) business people to use their product.
