Users considering implementation of Microsoft's Sharepoint Portal
Server 2001 collaboration tools should consider possible
integration problems with enterprise environments, writes Antony
Adshead
A report from Ferris Research highlights the strengths and
weaknesses with the software - mainly the weaknesses - which it
says makes Sharepoint difficult to integrate with other suppliers'
databases and directories.
The report, Microsoft Sharepoint Server: Industry and Competitive
Impact, says users should not rush in just because they are a
Microsoft shop and collaboration software from the Seattle giant is
an easy option.
Specifically, the report says that Sharepoint Portal Server will
not run with SQL databases from IBM, Oracle or Sybase and that
users will be stuck with the Web Storage Database that is bundled
with it. Also, the report claims, Sharepoint will only integrate
with Microsoft NT Domain Directory or Windows 2000 Active Directory
which would necessitate users of other suppliers' directories
duplicating that layer.
The report warns that these problems would make it very expensive
for users to reverse out of a Sharepoint deployment.
Eric Woods, Ovum research director in knowledge management, was
sanguine about the Ferris findings. "I don't think it's a great
surprise that Sharepoint is aimed squarely at Microsoft shops. It
would have been more shocking if it had come out with a
cross-platform solution.
"Sharepoint is not an enterprise content/document management
solution and Microsoft is not claiming that it is. It offers no
real competition to the likes of FileNet or Documentum.
Sharepoint's main value will be raising the base level of
functionality available to Microsoft Office users in terms of basic
document control, advanced search tools and portal development.
The main disappointment for me is that there is very limited
integration with Exchange in the initial release. So Sharepoint
users will have to decide where their 'home' is - Outlook or their
portal interface - unless they do some significant integration
work."
Garry Tugwell-Smith, product manager for Sharepoint Portal Server,
said, "The Ferris report appears to deliberately concentrate on
Sharepoint Portal Server as a document management application.
Sharepoint Portal Server also provides out-of-the-box portal
deployment, best-of-breed enterprise-wide search capabilities and
is tightly integrated to applications such as Office, Windows
Explorer, as well as being accessible via standard browsers."
- n Microsoft has announced new versions of its developer toolkit
- Digital dashboard Resource Kit - for Sharepoint Server 2001 and
SQL Server 2000 and a Web Part Gallery containing 100 components
for connecting content to portals.
www.microsoft.com