Summary

This chapter provided an introduction to the SharePoint product line and an overview of the range of features available to provide comprehensive document management and collaboration features.

The SharePoint products are tightly integrated with Windows Server 2003 and Office 2003, which provides an incredible array of features without requiring extensive training or reconfiguration of the network infrastructure. This allows the organization to leverage its investment in Microsoft technologies as well as the skills that its employees have developed in using these products, making a SharePoint implementation both cost and time effective.

The basic capabilities of Windows SharePoint Services were presented, and it was shown how the average Microsoft Word user can easily create a document workspace for collaboration purposes and then configure the workspace to include specific participants, and how other documents can be created or added to the workspace. The basic tools provided meet the document management and collaboration needs of most companies, and customized Web Parts can be added or created for more advanced needs. Third-party SharePoint add-ons are proliferating, and emerging almost daily to meet the needs of more demanding organizations.

Basic management tools were also summarized to give an idea of the level of control the administrator has over individual sites and the different virtual servers. Some of the more advanced configuration options of SharePoint server farms were provided to give a sense of the flexibility and scalability of the product line.