The Technology

SharePoint is a browser accessed Microsoft platform with many capabilities to help improve the efficiency and management of data within an organisation.

It can be hard to define what SharePoint is because it has such a wide range of functions, and although you may not need all the features; you can mix and match those you do to get maximum benefit. The different capabilities of SharePoint 2010 can be broken down into six main areas:

Sites

SharePoint provides a single managed infrastructure for all your business web sites. You can create all kinds sites to share and publish information using site templates, a user friendly interface and tools.

See also:

Extranets,Intranets, Websites

SharePoint Video - Sites

Communities

SharePoint helps you work together the way you want, enhancing collaboration and communication within teams, departments and organisations. The environment can be set up with permission and controls to keep your information secure whilst allowing your business to work in more productive and creative ways.

See Also:

SharePoint Video - Communities

Content

Document and record management is easy and efficient with SharePoint. You can enhance your content control, creation and storage all in one place with keyword metadata, versioning, retention scheduling, and workflows. SharePoint help you maintain up to date, easily found and relevant information within your business.

See also:

Document Management, Records Management

SharePoint Video - Content

Search

Searching with SharePoint is fast and accurate. It searches not just document titles but also document content. It can be integrated with other systems and permissioned controlled so people only see what they should see. Your staff can always find the most relevant up-to-date information when they need it, reducing the time spent searching through files and folders - they can intuitively find data, documents or people quickly.

See also:

Search

SharePoint Video - Search

Insights

SharePoint can make displaying and interpreting Business Intellegence simple - with powerful features like interactive dashboards and scorecards, people can use the information in databases, reports, and business applications to address specific needs.

See also:

Business Intelligence

SharePoint Video - Insights

Composites

SharePoint 2010 Composites provides building blocks that you can use to assemble and connect solutions without the need for code. From simple sites to complex applications, you can rapidly respond to specific business needs with custom solutions.

See also:

Workflows

SharePoint Video - Composites