SharePoint 2010 at Work

Chapter 2. Empower the Power User

Kerri Abraham

Many companies have a blanket “No SharePoint Designer” policy due to the risk the tool poses to the SharePoint environment. However, the real risk to the platform is not Designer, but a lack of development discipline. More than just opinion, this chapter introduces a model for empowering users that does not compromise the IT department’s need for strict oversight. By combining basic configuration and project management theory with the features of OneNote, a SharePoint library, and a few content types, it is possible to provide users with the opportunity to build powerful solutions and preserve judicious control for IT.

SharePoint Designer: To Allow or Not To Allow? That Is the Question

The SharePoint Designer lockdown debate is a heated one to be sure. What is perhaps most interesting is that this topic rarely falls into that standard SharePoint response, “It depends.” There seem to be two distinct camps: those in favor, typically SharePoint professionals who understand the tool and praise its ability to add another layer of sophistication to business solutions, and those against, mostly in IT departments where great effort is made to lock down and prohibit its use.

Does a SharePoint Designer lockdown in a workplace where strategic goals of engaging employees and enhancing the work environment make sense? What message is sent to users who strive to learn every aspect of the platform’s capabilities but are continually blocked from the tools ...