A robust CMS, or Content Management System, has become a must-have web solution for small to large scale enterprises, government entities, and educational institutions. Why? Simply put, a CMS allows easy management, additions and edits to web-driven content by multiple authors without the need for them to know technical HTML code. It also gives authors the ability to securely access and manage their website from virtually anywhere via a web browser. Popular CMS platforms like WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal have allowed smaller businesses and independent web authors the ability to create, manage, and publish web content quickly and easily. While simple and powerful (and often at little to no cost at start up), these platforms can’t integrate complex business systems and data that many institutions require. What if you need a web-based document management solution? What if you need a web portal or the ability to view live, server-side data? What if you need dashboard based visual reporting and performance tracking? Enter Microsoft SharePoint 2010. SharePoint has been Microsoft’s flagship CMS business intelligence solution since its debut in 2003. Its roots were forged with the FrontPage (Microsoft’s web authoring software) Office Server Extensions and “Team Pages” functions, which introduced bottom-up web collaboration. SharePoint has recently risen to prominence with the subsequent release of stronger, smarter, and more socially-integrated versions in 2007 and 2010. In terms of web business application, many consider SharePoint 2007 to be the release where SharePoint platform became essential and SharePoint 2010 where it became critical. What separates SharePoint from the rest of the pack is that it allows seamless integration between all of Microsoft’s Office products, live server-side data, and user driven web content across multiple feature sets. All this data can be viewed, managed, and edited real-time and by many collaborators through a polished user interface. Its strength is in its versatility and customization. Developers can create web applications tailored to whatever business process is necessary. SharePoint can basically be whatever you need it to be. As stated earlier, the release of SharePoint 2010 made it a critical business application on many fronts. It’s as strong and stable as it’s ever been, built on Microsoft’s rock-solid .NET framework. It’s also more accessible to develop for than ever with Microsoft Visual Studio. However, the most intriguing upgrade to SharePoint is its new social-friendly personality. Through the rise of modern web Apps and social media integration, your users and stake-holders now expect instant, accurate, interactive content and an easy way to view and share it. The days of waiting or mining for data are behind us. Your web site needs to be more than a static brochure or repository. It needs to live, breath, interact, and integrate exponentially with your organization as well as connect organically with your people. SharePoint 2010 gives you that performance. Powerful new features introduced in SharePoint 2010 provide these features:

• Enhanced Excel Services integration for business intelligence reporting
• Integration with PerformancePoint
• Built-in visual reporting for your dashboard
• Integrated SMS text messaging service
• An improved "performance tracking" mode
• Reworked performance scorecards to help you see how your company is doing at a glance
• Detailed analytic reports to understand the various influencers in your business's trials and successes

All this collaboration, data sharing, and detailed reporting means your organization can operate more efficiently, effectively, and intelligently than ever before. Through SharePoint 2010, ideas can be shared, information can be displayed, and solutions can be created in an open, integrated environment. This not only saves time, money, and resources – but also makes your internal processes more manageable and scalable as you grow. SharePoint 2010 is one of the best business partners you’ll ever employ.

Data Networks is a Microsoft Gold Partner with a Portals and Collaboration specialty. We can help you design, deploy, and manage your new SharePoint environment or assist in your SharePoint 2010 migration today. Contact your local Data Networks Account Executive at 800-283-6387 to learn more or arrange a meeting to discuss your SharePoint plans or contact us.