SharePoint State of the Union

By Eric Riz

August 21, 2012 —  (Page 1 of 3)
It has finally happened: The cloak of secrecy has been lifted and the functional features and design aspects of SharePoint 2013 have been announced. People are now aware of the platform changes, the new interface, the app store, what will be removed in the next generation of the product, and the massive amount of new functionality that will be available.

Like any new software version, SharePoint 2013 will now be subjected to the feedback from the “market”; that is, people who will evaluate it and comment on whether Microsoft has helped—or hurt—their clients with the changes being made or introduced. In my view, it’s a “help” and a move in the right direction; the question is, how do you prepare yourself for this new world of Microsoft technology?

Now that word is out on potential release dates for 2013, the onslaught begins among IT managers and staff around the globe with the looming question: “When should we upgrade?” That is the genesis for this article, as it is truly a loaded question with multiple options and yet-to-be-defined theories on best practices. Though Microsoft has published an upgrade model for those playing with the 2013 preview, there is little guidance in the planning and governance of such as a process at this point.

What we do know is, as SharePoint has evolved extensively over the past 11 years, so too have the business requirements, features and benefits of each version. With SharePoint 2013 waiting in the wings, businesses will now be tasked with making the tough decisions about aligning SharePoint to their strategic plan and road map. Companies will once again be faced with the issue of knowing when to upgrade their environments and how to make the right choices regarding ownership, buy-in, training and rollout. The question is, where do you begin the cycle of evaluating what you have, or what you need to move forward with SharePoint? This article offers some suggestions on how to addresses exactly that.

Every American knows what the State of the Union is, the annual address where the President reports on the condition of the nation and outlines his or her legislative agenda and priorities for the coming year. From my perspective, this is the opportunity to have your own corporate SharePoint State of the Union, to bring your staff together and have the exact same conversation. I am coining that phrase here and now, and have already put together an abstract for conference talks in 2013, so stay tuned!



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