SharePoint 2010 For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Introduction

With everyone connected via internal networks and externally with the Internet, more organizations are using websites — both inside and outside their organizations. Think about where you work. Your company probably has at least one website on the Internet, and probably several more, such as a brochureware site, an e-commerce site, and product microsites.

Internally, Human Resources may have its own self-service portal. Your department may have a website for posting documents to share with others. Another group may post reports to a site. Nowadays, websites are ubiquitous.

Websites have some really great things to offer. They’re standards-based, which means it’s easy for them to talk to each other. They’re easy to search. They can be visually stunning or plain Jane. They require nothing more than a browser to interact with — even on a mobile phone!

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, the product, and SharePoint Online, its cloud-based cousin, take advantage of the best of the web to help you be more productive at work. Not just you, but also your coworkers, department, division, and even your Information Technology (IT) department.

Take everything you know about websites and then add to that the ability to manage and search documents, publish reports and business information, track contacts, display information from other databases, and collaborate using blogs, wikis, and discussion boards. You can use SharePoint’s websites to store, track, secure, and share all the ...