What is SharePoint?

The most successful individuals in an organization rely on the talents and knowledge of others to help them get their jobs done. SharePoint facilitates this work style in an enterprise class software platform that provides organizations/users with a secure, central repository for efficient, ubiquitous and instant collaboration. Users can search for organizational resources, manage content, create and manage workflows, and enable business intelligence for making better informed decisions, among other solutions.

SharePoint 2010 is Microsoft's current version of the SharePoint platform. SharePoint 2010 elevates SharePoint from its previous dominant use as a file sharing service, to a fully functional enterprise platform for managing information and applications. At its core, SharePoint is a web application platform for the management, scaling and provisioning of key business applications. To enable immediate "out-of-the-box" usage, SharePoint contains a variety of predefined applications to address common business processes and requirements. For more specific business requirements and solutions, SharePoint offers a range of tools and features that allow administrators, developers and users to customize their environment and functionality.

What are the Different Versions of SharePoint 2010?

SharePoint 2010 is available in three (3) different versions, each of which can be classified as Foundation, standard or Enterprise. The five versions are:

SharePoint 2010 Foundation (free version)
SharePoint Server 2010 Standard Client Access License (licensed version)
SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise Client Access License (licensed version)

Licensing add-ons for Internet are available for both the Standard and Enterprise versions of SharePoint Server 2010.

The previous version of the product is known as SharePoint 2007 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS). The "free" version of SharePoint 2007 is known as Windows SharePoint Server 3.0 (WSS 3.0).

What are the Different Core Areas of SharePoint 2010?

SharePoint 2010 is divided into six (6) core areas or "pillars":

Sites – Focused on building and managing internal and external websites
Communities – Focused on creating a social collaboration environment
Content – Focused on managing your information and documents
Search - Focused on providing primary search capability for internal/private information
Insights – Focused on mining and compiling data for business intelligence
Composites – Focused on integrating proprietary systems

What Are Some Common Uses for SharePoint 2010?

Some common uses for SharePoint 2010 include:

An intranet portal for your company
A public facing Internet web site with content
An extranet solution for partners and customers
A team site for one or more of your departments
A project site for your development team
A forms-based help desk and trouble ticket system
A document management system that is regulatory compliant
A personal site for each employee for storing personal data and creating links to information relative to job responsibilities
A digital dashboard for storing and presenting business intelligence key business indicators (KBIs)
A place to search for and locate any type of information
A record management system for securely storing legal information
An email archival system with search and e-discovery capabilities

Interested in learning more about SharePoint?

View our "What is SharePoint" web seminar
Review other SharePoint related web seminars.
Check out our SharePoint related whitepapers

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Frequently asked questions

How do I know what type of training I need?
Take a look at our SharePoint curriculum map. We've organized courses both according to specialty and career progression.

Why choose ASPE for SharePoint training?
Our training services are designed around creating fast-paced classroom experiences that mirror the real world. With realistic labs and practice, employees get back to work fast ready to employ new skills. Many other trainers focus heavily on vendor-based content, certification training, or rote learning. Although those can have value, our primary mission is providing practical business and tech skills that team members can employ immediately. We think this approach is the most valuable and sets us apart from competitors.

Is it really that important to migrate to/rely on SharePoint?
SharePoint is about business communication. It's the decision of each individual organization how much to utilize it. No one would claim SharePoint is a silver bullet, but it can be quite powerful when leveraged correctly, clearing the way for effecive collaboration and better effeciency. If you are wondering whether a SharePoint rollout would aid your organization but just aren't sure, our training advisors are happy to discuss it with you and give you an honest assessment of your situation.

How can I be assured that training on SharePoint is really worth the investment?
Sometimes employees attend technical training but never really feel like they've leveraged what they learned. That's what our real-world training model is all about: making sure skills are practical, approachable, and utilized. For clients who have more complicated situations or who want extra assurance that the training investment is worth it, we offer pre-training assessment and post-training coaching options to make sure your teams' new skills get integrated with the supervision of an expert.