How NOT to write a SharePoint RFP or RFQ

How NOT to write a SharePoint RFP or RFQ

So your organization needs some IT Development done.

Let’s say an intranet, public facing portal or similar project. Let’s also say you’re the lucky middle manager or staffer that gets tasked with managing the outsourcing of the project.

“No big deal,” you say to yourself. You’ll Just:

Office for iPad: Can “Real” SharePoint Be Far Behind?

Office for iPad: Can “Real” SharePoint Be Far Behind?

The business world is buzzing with the news about Microsoft’s release of Office for the iPad. At JFD, we were already pretty excited about the potential of Office 365, especially when we experienced its seamless integration with the online version of SharePoint. Allowing the iPad to integrate with Office 365 points out just how rapidly Microsoft’s cloud offering is growing up… I can’t wait to see how they integrate the iPad with SharePoint Online!

The 3 Most Common Mistakes in Office 365 and SharePoint Deployments

The 3 Most Common Mistakes in Office 365 and SharePoint Deployments

Today it’s all about the cloud, and why not? The benefits to supplying your organization with a high-quality implementation of Office 365 closely integrated with a SharePoint Intranet and Microsoft Exchange are irrefutable. Having these three powerful application environments skillfully implemented and professionally maintained by Microsoft eliminates an enormous amount of technical headaches while saving most organizations considerable cash.

What Goes Up Doesn’t Always Come Down

What Goes Up Doesn't Always Come Down

…And it Could Cost You

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Office 365 with SharePoint Online, I really do.  In fact, in my last two blogs, I’ve been singing the praises of benefits of how seamless and painless these environments can be.  But (I’m sure you could hear a “but” coming) a few experiences this last week have given me cause to curb my enthusiasm and pay very careful attention to the subtle differences between putting something on the cloud versus building something on the cloud.

SharePoint: Cloud or On-Prem? We Say Both.

SharePoint: Cloud or On-Prem? We Say Both.

 

Q: What’s better, SharePoint on the Cloud or On Premise?  A: Both!

One of the hottest topics in the world of SharePoint today is whether to locate your next instance of SharePoint on the “Cloud” or “On Premise”.  If you search the web you’ll find hundreds of blog articles providing detailed analysis of the pros and cons of either approach.  Fortunately, the answer is easy. It’s not an either/or situation…  it’s “both”.

There’s Real SharePoint Adoption and then there’s just adding “Social”.

There's Real SharePoint Adoption and then there's just adding "Social"

People are doing some pretty crazy things in order to try to drive much higher rates of adoption for SharePoint in the enterprise.  Over the last year an enormous amount of attention has been given to weaving various types of social communication systems into the SharePoint environment.  The theory seems to be that since these types of communication systems are popular as stand-alone systems, blending them into a SharePoint environment will provide a reason for more employees to enter the SharePoint environment.

Working in the Cloud is better than Going Up in Smoke

Working in the Cloud is better than Going Up in Smoke

Everyone Is Talking About the Cloud

There’s no doubt, that for many organizations there are compelling financial advantages for moving some, or all, of your systems to the cloud.  This is especially true in the case of SharePoint installations.  The cost of supplying and managing SharePoint to a large body of employees is lower on the cloud, and the capabilities are adequate, except…

Is Your RFP a Recipe for Disaster?

Is Your RFP a Recipe for Disaster?


Just like cooking, building the perfect company portal is a TWO step operation. Developing the recipe, then following the recipe.  Unfortunately too many “cooks” charge and start cooking.  Without a recipe to follow you’ll likely end up something inedible.

If Your Feet aren’t on the Ground, Your Head Should be in the Cloud

If Your Feet aren't on the Ground, Your Head Should be in the Cloud


If you’re in senior management and considering the question of implementing your SharePoint intranet in the Cloud versus using your own servers (or dedicated hosted servers), I’ve got good news.  It’s easy to make the right choice if you briefly consider the following factors.

Will You Show Me Yours If I Show You Mine?

Will You Show Me Yours If I Show You Mine?


Sure, we’re all involved in the world of SharePoint… We love it…  But what if a few of us decided on a change of career?  Let’s say a few of us got together and decided to start a coffee shop…

SharePoint Santa: 5 Branding Improvements I’d Like To See Under My Tree

SharePoint Santa: 5 Branding Improvements I'd Like To See Under My Tree

 Dear SharePoint Santa,

Many people agree that the appearance and user interface of SharePoint need to be augmented and customized in order to meet their marketing and operational requirements.  While this is especially true for Public Facing sites, it’s equally important for many corporate Intranets.   Unfortunately, the common method for Branding SharePoint, (lots of custom CSS) is expensive to implement and typically lost upon migration to the next version.

Can Great Branding Eliminate the Need for Training?

Can Great Branding Eliminate the Need for Training?

We live in a fast-paced world today.  In fact, that’s a tremendous understatement.  Anyone involved with the SharePoint platform, or for that matter, the world of IT in general, realizes that we work in an industry that breaks a second into 1000 parts.

If Talk is Cheap, Why is Training So Expensive?

If Talk is Cheap, Why is Training So Expensive?

 Low Value Boot Camps

At this moment in time, SharePoint training typically takes the form of a 2 day off-site “boot camp” style cram session.  The effectiveness of these boot camps is disputed.  Recent surveys attempting to identify the root cause for SharePoint’s abysmal adoption rate (22%), often target poor training as being the main culprit.

Want Real Adoption? Implement SharePoint Upside Down

Want Real Adoption? Implement SharePoint Upside Down

The Routine

Most organizations implement SharePoint in the same step-by-step manner:

1. IT department buys the product and the licenses
2. Install the platform
3. Deploy a site for each department manager
4. Migrate the content of shared drives into these new sites
5. Move into “maintenance” mode.
6. Training

Also, each department manager most likely got a SharePoint ‘team site’.  They may have also received a memo about their new site, providing them with their username, password and a link to the site that they now ‘own’. Unfortunately, Managers tend have no idea what to do with their new site and it’s not their fault.

Top 5 Intranet Branding Mistakes

Top 5 Intranet Branding Mistakes

It seems like there’s a never-ending stream of blogs, books and videos on how to Brand SharePoint. Even so, the amount of misinformation and misunderstandings surrounding this topic is truly amazing.

Answer to SharePoint Adoption: Surprise! It’s Not Yammer!

Answer to SharePoint Adoption: Surprise! It's Not Yammer!

Want SharePoint Adoption?

Get Corporate Communications involved.

If you are familiar with SharePoint, then you are well aware that lack of adoption is an almost universal issue in the community.  Several high-caliber studies indicate adoption rates as low as 22% (and that’s using the measurement of one visit per day!)

Non-Destructive SharePoint Branding

Non-Desructive SharePoint Branding

Branding has always been a fun topic for me, this is especially so when it comes to Branding SharePoint.  I have a pretty varied background, but the time I spent in corporate operations gives me a tremendous appreciation for what SharePoint can do in the right hands. You can make miracles every day.

4 Keys to SharePoint Adoption: Key #1

4 Keys to SharePoint Adoption: Key #1

 

Key #1: Valuable Content

In this Four Part Blog Series, we will focus on, what we think are, the most important solutions to achieving a higher SharePoint Adoption rate inside an organization.

Migrate Without Losing Your SharePoint Branding

Migrate Without Losing Your SharePoint Branding

 Is this even possible?

Well, yes and no.  Yes, if you branded a very specific way.  No, if you brand the way most people do.

Looks Stellar, but is Problematic

It’s pretty much understood that most people, especially senior management, take issue with the appearance of out-of-the-box SharePoint. The companies with the budget might immediately throw a developer or two at the problem. They’ll ask them to make SharePoint look more like a “website”. If the appearance of their intranet is especially important to them, they’ll even hire an outside company to “brand” their intranet. While the result often looks stellar, if not done correctly, it can be even more problematic when it comes time to migrate to a newer version of SharePoint.

Intranet Training: Every Cube is a Classroom

Intranet Training: Every Cube is a Classroom

 New Strategies in Intranet Training

There’s a new strategy emerging for training employees in technical intranet procedures. I’m speaking, of course, about online training and support provided as a series of brief video snips. Bite-sized training modules that are easily searchable inside your existing intranet are proving more compelling and cost-effective than the traditional intranet training model.