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Many people have heard about SharePoint, some people even use it or consider utilizing SharePoint for business applications development. However, there is a lot of confusion about what SharePoint is and how SharePoint may benefit one’s business. SharePoint is one of the following:
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Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS 3.0), which is a free component in Windows 2003 server. WSS 3.0 is based on ASP.NET 2.0 and requires .NET Framework 3.0.
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Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) — The next iteration of Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (SPS).
Business users are aware that SharePoint is a powerful platform and it can be used to develop different applications, but most of the time it is limited to just a document management system for Legal or HR Departments. There are other useful applications that can be easily created using SharePoint, like these below:
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Change Request Management software,
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Expense Reimbursement Request system,
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Employee Scheduling and Collaboration,
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Room and Equipment Reservations,
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and even Board of Directors Management software!
Yes, an Executive Board may use a SharePoint based solution to track tasks required by the Board, keep member information, manage a calendar of meetings and activities, host discussions about key issues, and store mission, financial, business, meeting schedules, and other information.
Not only we develop applications using SharePoint, but also we are often asked to integrate some legacy desktop software with a SharePoint portal. One of the popular examples is the integration of legacy HR management software with SharePoint. The goal is to update SharePoint directory (which is available via web) with the data coming from HR management desktop software. In this case, SharePoint becomes a web-enabler of legacy software, which allows external users to access and work with software through browser.
SharePoint can also be integrated with different web applications to enhance or extend their functionality. It is performed through web parts— special wrappers around external web pages or even sites. This puts SharePoint development one-step further — almost any business process can be built in SharePoint with the use of drag-drop-configure web parts technology. This technology eliminates the need of custom coding and expensive development resources.
Interested in SharePoint solution development? Read more about SharePoint services we offer.
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