Determining Who the Solution Is for and How They Will Use It

It is important to have a general idea of the different types of users who will be accessing the SharePoint environment before moving into the testing and development phase, or there is a risk of having to "start over" when new requirements come to light. The users may all be internal to the company, all external to the company, or as is true in many cases, a combination of both.

If the users are all internal to the organization, the security requirements will typically be less stringent because it is assumed that internal users are trusted, and the threat of the anonymous Internet hacker does not need to be considered.

Where the users will be accessing the SharePoint solution from is also important. All SharePoint users may be full-time employees of the organization, but they may need access from anywhere in the world, and from Internet terminals as well as from laptops and home computers.

On the other hand, the SharePoint 2003 implementation may be client or partner focused, in which case the design may be significantly different. This chapter looks at some standard components of both internally and externally facing solutions.

A best practice in most IT implementations is to implement a solution in a phased approach, and it is helpful to determine who will be part of the initial phase of the implementation because these individuals will act as the vanguards of the solution. The initial users should be willing to learn a new technology and have the time to do so, as well as fill roles that will benefit from the new tools offered by SharePoint. Part II discusses these considerations in more detail and discusses some of the key items to review regarding the network environment in general.