Chapter 3. Understanding Organizational Uses of SharePoint Technologies

IN THIS CHAPTER

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

• Defining the Goals for the Implementation

• Network Upgrades May Be Required

• Sample Windows SharePoint Services Implementations

• Primary Uses of Windows SharePoint Services

• Sample SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Single Server Implementations

• Sample SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Server Farm Implementations

• Standard Uses of SharePoint Portal Server 2003

• Expanding SharePoint by Integrating with Other Applications

• Leveraging Complementary Microsoft Products with SharePoint 2003

• Leveraging Third-Party SharePoint Add-ons

SharePoint 2003 technologies provide a versatile framework and powerful set of tools that can be used to enhance many different business processes. The extent of what SharePoint can do is limited only by the creativity and imagination of the developers and users. Whereas Chapter 1, “SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services Technology Primer,” and Chapter 2, “What's New in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services,” provide an overview of the features of SharePoint 2003 products, this chapter explores several different standard SharePoint 2003 configurations that organizations are implementing and some common ways they are benefiting from the document management and collaboration features offered.

Because SharePoint can be configured in an almost unlimited number of ways, when you take into account different types of databases, different server farms, and combinations of Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (not to mention third-party add-ons), this chapter discusses only the most commonly encountered configurations.

This chapter also serves as a foundation for the following section, Part II, “Planning and Implementing a SharePoint 2003 Environment,” by giving real-world scenarios and applications of the SharePoint products. In addition, this chapter provides some insight into how organizations are leveraging third-party applications to further enhance the value of the SharePoint 2003 solutions.