29 July 2008
Beware the gaps in SharePoint
Report suggests software could result in user-generated chaos.
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) is an intranet tool that's gaining ground in the corporate environment, with large-scale deployments, an increasingly sophisticated user-base, and an army of third-party developers adding features.
SharePoint is viewed by many as the answer to demand for social media, while replacing an existing intranet that's underperforming.
For internal communications practitioners, SharePoint is viewed by many as the answer to employee demand for social media and collaboration style tools, while simultaneously replacing an existing intranet platform that's underperforming, clunky, dated and in need of a significant overhaul.
Customization concerns
But SharePoint is not without its pitfalls, so says a new report from Forrester. And, "out of the box" it requires a great deal of customization to fulfill communicators' dreams of a fully-fledged, social and glossy intranet platform.
Profits boom for Microsoft
SharePoint as a product has risen "from zero to hero" in the last 5 years, according to some Microsoft employees familiar with the project.
Writing for Channel Web, Kevin McLaughlin cites recent Microsoft financials stating the application drew US$1 billion in revenue, with revenue from SharePoint services predicted to be around $5 billion in the coming financial year.
For Microsoft partners, the software is "becoming a gold mine".
Considering deployments
Yet, some intranet specialists – and those interviewed for the Forrester report – are wary of SharePoint's limitations.
They point out that while SharePoint's compatibility and interoperability with third-party applications is commendable, and its Microsoft roots make it an obvious choice for many businesses, as a lone, off-the-shelf application, SharePoint may not be the one-stop solution you're looking for.
XDo careful due diligence
IPP business technology consultant James Dellow discussed the software with the Hub and says that the SharePoint platform has flaws and strengths, as does any software. But, as with any large software implementation, its deployment needs to be carefully planned.
You won't be able to just dump your existing intranet's content into SharePoint and flick the switch.
"If you don't think about how and where it's going to be used then it will cause problems when it comes to aspects such as increasing scale, and widespread deployment. Similarly, you won't be able to just dump your existing intranet's content into SharePoint and flick the switch. It really requires careful consideration and a lot of work."
Dellow also suggests considering other platforms for certain needs. "If you're looking at it from a purely content management need then ideally you should be looking at other platforms – even those from Microsoft – instead of SharePoint," he adds.
Fragmentation risks
In a case study for the Internal Comms Hub, Goetz Boue describes the SharePoint deployment at BSI Group, which successfully installed the software across a global intranet in order to connect and improve internal communication and collaboration among several fragmented business units. But fragmentation is also something to be mindful of when it comes to the planning of a SharePoint installation.
"There are many people out there foreseeing problems with SharePoint similar to those which they faced with Lotus Notes," adds Dellow, referring to a widespread problem with that software, which can result in hundreds of unmanaged sub-sites and intranet spaces.
As with Lotus Notes, "It can be too easy to create new sites ('"MySites" – pictured below). Together with new functions such as check-in and check out, and an interface that's quite different from previous versions, the need to customize aspects like the search function, and it's most certainly not a case of installing it on a server and off you go," Dellow says.
User-generated chaos?
Dellow's comments are supported by the Forrester research, which suggests you "decide what role SharePoint will play to prevent unplanned demands... and user-generated chaos."
Despite these concerns, and provided deployment is considered carefully and the limitations of the software itself are recognized, SharePoint can be a powerful tool, particularly when combined with the growing number of third-party applications developed for it.
"Sharepoint is growing rapidly because it's the first product from Microsoft that really is a universal framework," Ken Winell, senior vice president at PCubed, told Kevin McLaughlin at Channel Web. "Sharepoint is as substantial a product as the web browser, because of the way you can integrate other platforms tightly into it."
Have your say
What success stories have you had with developing your intranet? Do you struggle to get employees to use your site, or can they not get enough of it? How do you work with other functions to manage your intranet?
Perhaps you've recently deployed a Microsoft SharePoint-based intranet? We'd love to hear about it! Contact the Editor.
Discuss other intranet issues with other comms practitioners by joining the Internal Comms Hub members' group on the Communicators' Network.
Related resources
Overhauling the intranet at BSI Group
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