What Exactly Is SharePoint?
Trying to define SharePoint in a short definition is not an easy task. According to Wikipedia, “SharePoint is a browser-based collaboration and document management platform from Microsoft.” The important word in that sentence is “platform.” The term SharePoint refers to both Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS).
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (Wss)
Often referred to as a free product. WSS is licensed as part of Windows Server; as long as the user has a client access license (CAL) for Windows Server, he has a license for WSS. WSS is a platform for building Web-based solutions. WSS provides a long list of features including but not limited to the following:
Storage and Web presentation
Authorization/user management
Interface to the Windows Workflow Foundation
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and Web Services that can be extended by developers
Collaboration tools and functionality
For more information regarding WSS functionality and deployment see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/sharepoint/default.aspx.
| For more details on the Windows Server 2003 licensing, see http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/overview.mspx. |
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (Moss)
Built on top of WSS, MOSS extends the functionality of WSS to include more robust document management, search, and content management functionality. Unlike WSS, MOSS is not a free product and requires both a server license and a CAL for each user. MOSS comes in two versions: MOSS 2007 Standard and MOSS 2007 Enterprise.
Which version you choose for your business depends on your specific needs. For more information, see http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/ fx101758691033.aspx.
| Although some of the topics addressed in this book relate to users with WSS 3.0, the primary focus of this book will be on leveraging the “out-of-the-box” functionality in MOSS 2007. |
MOSS 2007 Standard
The standard version of MOSS offers all of the functionality available in WSS but adds many features to help organize and manage data across your company:
Portal templates for building your Internet/intranet site
User profiles, social networking, and My Sites
Parts for aggregating information
Enterprise search
Web Content Management (WCM)
Additional built-in workflow templates
An example of the Collaboration Portal template can be seen in Figure 1.1.
MOSS 2007 Enterprise
The enterprise version of MOSS provides all of the functionality available in the standard version, but includes additional features:
Business Data Catalog (BDC)
Forms Server
Excel Services
Additional Web Parts