Chapter3.Understanding Organizational Uses of SharePoint Technologies | Microsoft SharePoint 2003 Unleashed (2nd Edition) (Unleashed)

Chapter 3. Understanding Organizational Uses of SharePoint Technologies

IN THIS CHAPTER

Determining Who the Solution Is for and How They Will Use It
Defining the Goals for the Implementation
Network Upgrades May Be Required
Sample Windows SharePoint Services Implementations
Primary Uses of Windows SharePoint Services
Sample SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Single Server Implementations
Sample SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Server Farm Implementations
Standard Uses of SharePoint Portal Server 2003
Expanding SharePoint by Integrating with Other Applications
Leveraging Complementary Microsoft Products with SharePoint 2003
Leveraging Third-Party SharePoint Add-ons

SharePoint 2003 technologies provide a versatile framework and powerful set of tools that can be used to enhance many different business processes. The extent of what SharePoint can do is limited only by the creativity and imagination of the developers and users. Whereas Chapter 1, "SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services Technology Primer," and Chapter 2, "What's New in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services," provide an overview of the features of SharePoint 2003 products, this chapter explores several different standard SharePoint 2003 configurations that organizations are implementing and some common ways they are benefiting from the document management and collaboration features offered.

Because SharePoint can be configured in an almost unlimited number of ways, when you take into account different types of databases, different server farms, and combinations of Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (not to mention third-party add-ons), this chapter discusses only the most commonly encountered configurations.

This chapter also serves as a foundation for the following section, Part II, "Planning and Implementing a SharePoint 2003 Environment," by giving real-world scenarios and applications of the SharePoint products. In addition, this chapter provides some insight into how organizations are leveraging third-party applications to further enhance the value of the SharePoint 2003 solutions.