Highlights:
• Create web sites for information sharing and document collaboration; benefits that help increase individual and team productivity.
• Provides team services and sites to Microsoft Office System and other desktop programs.
• Serves as a platform for application development.
• Includes such IT resources as portals, team workspaces, e-mail, presence awareness, and Web-based conferencing,
• Enables users to locate distributed information quickly and efficiently, as well as connect to and work with others more productively.
Group Collaboration Features:
• Microsoft Office System integration: Deep integration with Microsoft Office System programs allows teams to collaborate using the familiar tools they use every day.
• Document collaboration: Document workspace sites created using Microsoft Office Word 2003 take advantage of platform features by providing a document collaboration space.
• Check-in and check-out: Documents can be reserved by individual users for updating purposes.
• Document versions: Document changes are tracked and assigned different version numbers for auditing and rollback.
• Browser-based customization: Changes can be made in a Web browser by dragging Web Parts onto personal or public pages, and then customizing them. Themes can also be applied using a browser.
• Presence integration: Users can determine the online status of site members quickly by sending e-mail or an instant message, adding the member to a contact list, and viewing current free/busy status.
• Alerts: A user or site manager can add an alert to a list or list item so that they receive an e-mail notification when changes are made.
Team Community:
SharePoint sites provide places to capture and share ideas, information, communication, and documents. The sites facilitate team participation in discussions, shared document collaboration, and surveys. Site content is accessible from both a Web browser and through clients that support Web Services. The document collaboration features allow for easy check in, check out, and document version control.
Individual Empowerment:
SharePoint site members can find and communicate with key contacts and experts, both by e-mail and with instant messaging. Site content can be easily searched, and users can also receive alerts to tell them when existing documents and information have been changed, or when new information or documents have been added. Site content and layout can be personalized on a per-user basis, and Web Parts can be used to present targeted information to specific users on precise topics.
Microsoft Office System programs use SharePoint site content. All of a site's collaborative content—for example, documents, lists, events, task assignments, and membership rosters—can be read and edited within Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003. Picture editing of Web-based photo libraries is also possible. Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 allows SharePoint site event calendars to be viewed side-by-side with personal calendars, and it also creates meeting-specific workspaces to augment group appointments.
Management Enabler:
SharePoint site managers can customize the content and layout of sites to ensure that site members can access and work with important and relevant information. Members' participation can also be monitored and moderated when necessary. Security and task responsibilities are both flexible and easily accessible. Well-designed lists and entire sites can be saved as templates and reused by individuals, teams, or business units across an organization.
Integrated Windows .NET Development:
In addition to the Web Part infrastructure, Windows SharePoint Services servers, sites, and site contents are exposed by a comprehensive Windows .NET–based object model and industry-standard Web services. Site customization and enhance data-driven site content is possible, even to non-programmers, by using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003.
