Chapter1.SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services Technology Primer

Chapter 1. SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services Technology Primer

IN THIS CHAPTER

• The Challenge of Managing Documents and Data

• New Collaboration Challenges

• Providing Knowledge Management and Collaboration Tools with Portals

• Meeting Market Demands with SharePoint

• Comparing Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003

• An Overview of Windows SharePoint Services' Capabilities

• Exploring the Capabilities of SharePoint Portal Server 2003

• Integrating SharePoint 2003 with Microsoft Office Products

• Scaling SharePoint Portal Server 2003 by Creating Server Farms

• Backward Compatibility with SharePoint Portal Server 2001

• Single Sign-on with SharePoint Portal Server 2003

• Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Management Tools

Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003 are the second generation of software products that are dramatically altering the way in which users collaborate with each other and access and manage the data critical to their organizations. Windows SharePoint Services provides the basic engine and tools to create and manage websites and collaborative spaces, and SharePoint Portal Server 2003 extends the functionality to the enterprise and provides additional features and management tools.

These products extend the functionality of Microsoft Office and the Microsoft Windows products (server and work station) by making it easy to create custom websites and portals that provide document management, content searching, and collaboration features. These websites and portals can be configured and customized to meet the needs of individual users, workgroups, departments, and organizations.

This chapter provides an overview of the issues that many organizations encounter as a result of the evolution of technology and the digital workplace, and the lack of a practical solution to the knowledge management and collaboration needs of the typical company. The features and benefits offered by the SharePoint 2003 products are extensive, and this chapter provides an overview of the primary features offered by Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003.

Readers who have experience with previous versions of the SharePoint Products might want to jump to Chapter 2, "What's New in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services," because it provides an update of what has changed since the first release of the product and what has been added. Chapter 3, "Understanding Organizational Uses of SharePoint Technologies," gives more specific examples of how organizations can benefit from the wide array of features.