Why Should You Migrate from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013 ?

The much awaited and highly anticipated SharePoint 2013, the popular web application platform finally arrives. Now, it is obvious for most organizations to question as to whether it would be a wise idea to upgrade to SharePoint 2013. Some are yet to understand if the upgrade will be beneficial for them in the long run. In order to take the right decision regarding migrating to the new version of this prominent web development platform, one needs to carry out a little research and grasp the nuances involved in the same.

The latest application platform comes with a good number of significant upgrades. The major difference between the two versions of the platform lies in the user experience offered by the two, which is quite a significant point for the businesses. Eventually, a migration from the 2010 version to the latter version is quite desirable. Here is a list of reasons on why it is so:

Better User Experience

The brand new version of SharePoint puts much emphasis on the social experience that users would like to have. The concerned discussion board has paved the way for an interesting activity stream, similar to that of Facebook. Though there is a similar feature in the 2010 version of this web development platform, the one in the latest version is certainly more user friendly, allowing users to be there in the loop with easily accessible continuous updates.

Increased Socialization

Additional socializing is facilitated by what is better known as the ‘Gamification’ of the community site template. As such, users can now participate by means of assigning points, badges as well as a leadership board, incorporating the ‘top contributors”. With these increased opportunities to take part in social activities, presented by the latest version, users will also be able to be a part of workplace discussions.

Easier Customization

The newly introduced features in the publishing site reduce the necessity of gathering good amount of SharePoint knowledge. Extreme expertise is no longer required in order to be able to design a site on this platform and carry out its branding successfully. Customization is easily available, which implies that the web application development platform can be used for specific purpose and requirements.

Integration with Other Products

Perhaps the best and the most beneficial feature incorporated in the SharePoint 2013 is its ability to integrate with the other Microsoft products. It works well with several programs and in particular, with Office 365, that has been recently released. Thus, the end users can be rest assured that the documents, images and files will be stored safely enough for others to access them. At the same time, all of these data will be compatible with any program used by any other party.

Advancements in Social Capabilities

The advancements made in the area of the SharePoint social capabilities are impressive apart from being quite beneficial. The enhancements revolving around mobile experience add to the overall significance of the platform.

Device- friendliness

The latest version is made much more device- friendly than the previous version. Since the program is accessible via a wide range of device, users can enjoy staying connected on tablets, Smartphones and so on, all the time. Users with an inclination for apps can also download these from external sites. With this, companies can also design apps and thereby, restrict the use completely to the private SharePoint 2013 files. Additionally, businesses have the chance of keeping track of certain things better such as that of employee travel, spending and work hours.

The above- mentioned features of SharePoint 2013, especially the ones relating to the user- interface and usability of the platform implies that a migration can be of real help. SharePoint 2013 is perfectly suited when it comes to offering the best- possible experience to the users. Hence custom SharePoint development becomes essential.

We provide SharePoint application development services. If you would like to talk to one of our certified SharePoint developers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

Impact of SharePoint 2013 on Healthcare IT

Healthcare organizations which were early adopters of Microsoft SharePoint platform gained quite comprehensively from the capabilities of the framework. The new SharePoint 2013 version promises much more in terms of enhanced functionalities to benefit them. The primary ones include App Marketplace, Business Intelligence, Mobile, Communities, Video Searches and Micro Blogging. Apart than the intended benefits one common purpose achieved by the functionalities is reduction in the cost of operations for healthcare setups using them. With optimized workflow engines replacing manual tasks, improved compliance with regulatory mandates and availability of customized solutions, Healthcare setups are likely to notice significant reduction in their operational expenditure.

SharePoint’s predominant use in the healthcare industry has been in content management and in document and activity based collaboration. The new version interestingly has shifted the focus on its adoption more towards social solutions - which in the current day context has a lot of relevance. For e.g. it has a major contribution to make in knowledge management. In the healthcare industry this is of critical relevance as it can lead to not only better care solutions but saving of millions of lives. Knowledge gathered through experience and shared through the social platforms enhances its utility and relevance in making better decisions and reducing chances of committing errors.

The use of SharePoint is business intelligence is expected to gather pace as we progress. Since there are information systems now taking care of activities which were earlier handled manually, it has resulted in an explosion of data – most of which is highly critical and can be harnessed in various ways to draw greater benefits. From using dashboards and reports to analyze collated data from diverse sources to using them for predictions activities; all this and many more complex activities can be made possible using the features offered SharePoint 2013. EHR adoption which is fast happening is only going to expedite the whole process.

Mobility has brought about a huge change in the healthcare industry. The entire healthcare delivery mechanism is likely to undergo a complete metamorphosis in the next few years. SharePoint, when it was developed in 2001, was not expected to be built for such times. As the world progressed towards the use of mobile devices, subsequent versions i.e. SharePoint 2007 & SharePoint 2010 were released to keep pace with the changing demands. However, the response from the industry was not that very encouraging and the versions were considered inadequate. SharePoint 2013 is expected to dispel such notions because this version is about creating access to meaningful information.However, the healthcare organizations currently using SharePoint applications have to be willing to upgrade in order to derive the benefits. The major differentiating features include the following:

• A contemporary view to render sites in HTML5 which can work with all the updated versions of browsers
• Provision to render the SharePoint sites across different mobile devices by the use of channels
• Capability to push notifications to mobile devices
• Availability of two new native apps: The SharePoint Newsfeed App and The SkyDrive Pro App. Thus users now will have the ability to not only follow people and feeds but also documents thus enabling them to be accessed more easily without having to go through the SharePoint interface. Plus, they will also now be able to store documents to be able to use them offline.
• Better view of MS Office tools like Word, Excel and PowerPoint

SharePoint, throughout its lifecycle has drawn flak for its user experience. The upgradations, although have brought in changes, have been found wanting. The 2013 version seems to have put forth solutions for the prevalent issues in usability. Besides, there are now modern applications available which are suited to be used for mobile, social and cloud capabilities. In healthcare industry, one of the main areas concern and focus is data security. So the CIO’s of the Healthcare enterprises have to look beyond the benefits of these additional features and figure out their impact on the security aspect of things. They also have to look at how third-party apps can integrate with these features. Migration will also be another area which will require their attention. You can hire developers from top SharePoint development companies in India who can help you build projects within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide SharePoint 2013 developmentservices. If you would like to know what makes us certified SharePoint developers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

Things to keep in mind while migrating from ColdFusion to Microsoft SharePoint

Being a ColdFusion developer, chances of not knowing much about SharePoint certainly stands high. Therefore, before you take the plunge to migrate from ColdFusion to Microsoft SharePoint, you must consider developing some basic knowledge of working amid the particular environment.

What is SharePoint?

Well, in simple terms, it is referred to an application of content management system that allows an access of data stored in MSSQL database. The incorporated search services of SharePoint keep it apart from just file storage in common folders and add the context of team collaboration and data file management that are usually generated by the Microsoft Office Suite.

So, what are the aspects that you must primarily keep in mind to ensure a successful migration of ColdFusion to SharePoint? Well, here is a look at the aspects that prominently focuses on the task of understanding the content management system application:

Exploring the site hierarchy of SharePoint and roles that are permission based

The application usually exists in the form of a structured site grouping referred to as site collection. In this respect, it is to be made clear that site permissions are usually linked to the Active Directory login of a user. All permissions to site collection typically begin at the top level and spread downwards to the created sites thereby, acceding to the permission of the parent level.

Here is a quick look at some of the principle permission levels related to sharepoint application development :

• Read – users can only have a view of the data along with the sites
• Contribute – Users can view, add, delete, and update the data along with the sites
• Design – Users can views, update, delete, add, approve, and customize the data as well as the sites
• Complete control – Users can exert complete control over the data alongside the sites.

Knowing Lists of SharePoint: Views and Items

The SharePoint List is often recognized as the foundation of a site related to the application. In simple terms, a List is nothing, but similar to a database table. The content management system application comes with a several template concerning a List i.e. task list, contacts, calendar, etc. Each of these features their own default columns; however, the application can be customized catering to the exact needs as well as interests. For instance, you can always go ahead and add a column to the particular list like customer ID, document library, etc. You can also consider the idea of creating custom lists featuring no pre-incorporated or defined columns and save them as templates, if you wish.

Usually, the List consists of four default pages that are generated following the creation: a look

• NewForm.aspx – allows the users to add items maintaining a pre-generated approach to the list.
• DispForm.aspx – allows the users to review an item in read-only form
• Edit Form.aspx – allows the users to undertake editing of a integrated item with proper permissions
• AllItems.aspx – allows a display of all list items maintaining a view that is non-filtered

Adding to all these is the final feature of the List that is Stored Views. This actually refers to filtered displays of Items present in the list catering to the chosen criteria of a user.

SharePoint Pages and Web Parts

When it comes to displaying a web page in SharePoint, it is to be noted that a usual page is likely to consist of pre-defined aspects and Web Part Zones that allows an addition of a Web Part. What is a Web Part? Well, a code snippet that exhibits the contained data of SharePoint in a specific layout. For instance, you can have a calendar Web Part that specifically exhibits Items from a Calendar List of the content management system application, offering you the options of exhibiting contents as a list of events or in the form of calendars offering monthly, weekly, and daily views. Building a page featuring multiple Web Parts allow you to put forward a design enabling a view in the form of dashboard quite quickly.

Once, you get all the necessary permissions within the environment of SharePoint, you can easily go ahead and experiment with the migration. Being a ColdFusion developer, you now have the choice of creating ColdFusion applications within SharePoint in a way like never before.

We provide sharepoint bespoke development services. If you would like to know what makes us expert sharepoint developers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

Huddle vs. SharePoint: A Comparative Analysis in Three Collaboration Scenarios

Most enterprises, nowadays, complete projects through distributed teams. So businesses often look for customized content management and enterprise collaboration to enable the members of a distributed team to communicate and stay connected without any interruption. As innovative collaboration software, Microsoft SharePoint is used by many companies to organize data, people and projects. Microsoft has further released SharePoint 2013 with a set of advanced features that enable a business to stay connected with employees regardless of their physical location.

However, each enterprise also has options to choose from several SharePoint alternatives. In comparison to other content management and collaboration systems, Huddle is more widely used by enterprises across the world. In addition to allowing organizations to share files with their team members and partners across the firewall, Huddle also facilitates content collaboration through posting comments, assigning tasks, and getting approvals. Also, an organization can create individual user profiles to connect with each team member or partner according to his role in the project.

Comparing Huddle and SharePoint in Three Common Usage Scenarios

1. Easy to Use and Deploy Collaboration Tools: Unlike SharePoint, Huddle offers as set of administrative and collaboration tools that are easy to learn and deploy. The tools further make it easier for users to distribute site administration tasks among team members without increasing the collaborative platform management overheads. On the other hand, the use of SharePoint requires enterprises to increase the collaborative platform management overheads. Further, SharePoint must be implemented in an exact and planned way to avail its advantages.

But Huddle comes with a well designed user interface that performs seamlessly across multiple workspaces. The SharePoint security features vary based on the way the platform is deployed by an organization. But Huddle allows users to implement security at multiple levels including application, data center, physical and network. So an organization can share files and data among its employees in a more secure environment.

2. Options to Integrate Third-Party and Custom Applications: Most enterprises, nowadays, use custom applications developed by third-party vendors to optimize their business process. So an enterprise will definitely expect the collaboration software to support these applications. In comparison to Huddle, SharePoint is more effective in integrating the third-party and custom-developed applications. In addition to the administrative tools required for these third-party application integration, Huddle further lacks the collaboration feature.

So the enterprises using third-party applications have to opt for SharePoint. Also, SharePoint offers some advantages as a web application development platform. Each enterprise has option to choose from several partners dealing in SharePoint web parts and applications. Also, a company can hire developers to build custom SharePoint applications according to its business process. However, the integration of third-party application may have an adverse impact on SharePoint security.

3. Availing the Advantages of Enterprise’s Existing Cloud Infrastructure: Many reports have already highlighted the constant increase in the popularity of Cloud computing. Many enterprises are also investing in Cloud infrastructure to meet the latest trends in technology and user demand. Huddle supports a multi-tenant cloud architecture that helps enterprises in reducing the initial investment. Microsoft has further made SharePoint 2013 ready for Cloud environments. But the SharePoint Cloud administration can be complex depending on the configuration and security of the site.

On the other hand, Huddle comes with agile administration tools that are effective in managing users and adopting Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC). The users also have option to use the Huddle Activity Stream to view the files or information on each accessible workspace. The feature further makes it easier for the members of a distributed team to access business data regardless of their current location. However, an organization needs to deploy SharePoint in a planned and exact way to avail the advantages of its existing Cloud infrastructure.

While comparing SharePoint and Huddle, one must keep certain key points in mind. SharePoint is a complete platform, whereas Huddle is only an application. So as a platform, SharePoint allows users to perform a variety of activities. But Huddle can be used only by focusing on specific scenarios. At the same time, it is also important to evaluate the two according to the technological infrastructure of the organization. Despite offering improved collaboration, Huddle still requires users to create additional overheads, and thus carry more risk. Custom sharepoint development teams can help you build projects within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide sharepoint webparts development services. If you would like to know what makes us expert sharepoint developers india, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

SharePoint - Most secure platform for Collaboration & Information Sharing

SharePoint was launched by Microsoft in 2001 as a web application platform that can be used to manage intranet content and documents. But the latest version of SharePoint comes will a set of advanced features that complement the information sharing need of all enterprises. Regardless of the size and business model of the business, it can migrate to SharePoint 2013 to avail several advantages. Along with manipulating websites, pages, lists and libraries, a business can also use the platform to view history of different versions of a page or document, and manage user permissions. Also, a user can easily create, copy, delete or rename the pages, sites, libraries and list to meet his specific requirements.

Most companies, nowadays, develop projects through distributed teams. As the members of a distributed team can work from various regions, it becomes essential for each business to empower and connect its employees. With Microsoft SharePoint 2013, an organization can easily edit, access and publish a variety of content and document to optimize the user experience. Further, businesses can leverage custom sharepoint application development to meet the frequent changes without changing its existing policies and work process. The updated version also comes with a set of enterprise-class management tools that allow organizations to seamlessly share information over the internet along with their intranet and extranet.

Why Use SharePoint 2013 for Enterprise-Level Information Sharing?

Enhanced Business Connectivity Services: The improved business connectivity services make it easier for you to enable SharePoint 2013 and Office 2013 clients to access the information stored on other platforms. Along with supporting a variety of apps and OData Business Data Connectivity (BDC) connections, the latest version also comes with improved external lists that can work seamlessly with other SharePoint lists. Also, you can use the event listener and subscriber to get notifications, whenever any changes occur to the external data.

Build Customized Websites: Each business wants to design an internal-facing intranet site or public-facing website that is flawless. Along with choosing the best features for the site, developers also have to customize the website to meet the client’s information sharing needs. The latest version of the platform further makes it easier for programmers to design, publish and brand a SharePoint site without investing any extra time and effort. A web designer with knowledge in HTML, JavaScript and CSS can easily develop a customized SharePoint site. The easy-to-use feature further allows businesses to develop customized sites to suit their work process and data access system.

Protect Your Business Information: In addition to making data available over external and internal firewalls, a business frequently explores options to protect the information, data and content. SharePoint 2013 comes with the eDiscovery functionality that is designed to protect business. You can use the functionality to run eDiscovery queries across different Exchange servers and SharePoint farms. Further, the discovered data can be preserved and exported easily from the Exchange mailboxes and SharePoint sites. So the users can keep accessing and searching for the documents without compromising the security of your site and information sharing system.

Claims-Based Authentication: While choosing an information sharing technique, it becomes essential for an organization to concentrate on authentication and identity management. The updated version of SharePoint development services comes with enhanced authentication that makes it easier for businesses to use claims-based authentication. Also, the latest version uses the Open Authorization 2.0 (OAuth 2.0) web authorization protocol to support authentication for a variety of apps, and server-to-server communication. The authentication features are also available for Lync Server 2013, Exchange Server 2013, and the apps listed in the App Catalog or SharePoint Store.

Provide More Relevant Information: While initiating a search, each user wants to obtain the latest and most updated information. So an enterprise level information sharing system must be effective in providing the most relevant information to the users in a much easier and quicker way. The SharePoint Server 2013 comes with enterprise search feature that includes the capabilities of SharePoint Server 2010 including query processing and targeting search results. The feature will make it easier for data administrators to provide users with the most relevant information without causing any delay.

Dynamic Web Content Management: Along with making the enterprise data accessible to authorized employees, a business also needs to explore options to make his website more engaging and interactive. SharePoint 2013 comes with a set of enhanced features that make web content management easier for an organization. The features further make it easier and simpler for developer to design publishing sites. Also, the features can be used to optimizing the process of developing and processing web content. The enterprise search option makes it further easier for a business to share dynamic web content to the users accessing these publishing sites.

Microsoft has further designed SharePoint 2013 by keeping in mind the growing popularity of mobile devices. This updated version offers optimized viewing experience to users, regardless of their choice of mobile platforms. Some of these features further enhance usability of the mobile device along with the productivity of the user.

We provide sharepoint webparts development services. If you would like to know what makes us expert sharepoint developers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

3 Major deployment challenges in SharePoint

In the recent times, there has been a tremendous rise in the Enterprise adoption of SharePoint. A survey conducted by Global 360, an organization dealing in document management, has found out that among the 886 respondents, 90% make use of SharePoint, wherein, SharePoint 2010 is being used by 8%. Strikingly, 67% of the SharePoint users extend it across the enterprise, implying that SharePoint is not limited to the IT department but can render support to the other departments too. Study also reveals that SharePoint webparts development is on the rise.

The survey also brings to light the manner in which SharePoint is used by organizations. It mainly gets started in the form of a content repository and then transforms into a more dynamic component. It is seen that 67% of SharePoint users have extended it for document workflow management while 66% have used SharePoint for web content and portal management. Again, 56% of the respondents have leveraged SharePoint for rendering support to business processes. 27% of the organizations which were surveyed are of the opinion that more than fifty percent of the documents that are stored within SharePoint are utilized for supporting vital aspects of business.

In spite of the widespread adoption of SharePoint coupled with enhancements in workflow, search and social networking within the platform, there are certain deployment challenges, as the survey highlights. Let us discuss three of the major challenges here.

User-experience is not so out-of-the-box

Out of the survey respondents only 17.6% are of the opinion that SharePoint renders an exceptional out-of-the-box user experience while at the same time sufficiently catering to their requirements. On the other hand, 78% respondents have described SharePoint as more or less adequate to inadequate, stating that the platform calls for additional in-house development and design.

The biggest challenge in case of implementing SharePoint, as opined by 21% of the respondents, is the absence of conveniently usable, intuitive interface suitable for business users. Undoubtedly, an insufficient user interface generally points at trouble. As stated by the Global 360 report, general user experiences frequently give rise to slow user acceptance, lesser productivity by users looking for workarounds to applications which fail to cater to their needs and soaring costs to customize and rollback applications.

Creating business applications takes effort and time

So far as SharePoint is concerned, there have been advances in the domains of offline access, social media, ERP integration and better CRM. However, going by the Global 360 report, there is still a huge difference between the delivered output and what is possible to be achieved.

Out of the 60% of survey respondents who have found SharePoint user experience insufficient, 47% are into creation of custom applications across the SharePoint environment. This involves lots of time. 30% of the respondents stated that the foremost challenge in SharePoint implementation is the time and effort involved in development of the business applications.

As per the report, a number of organizations who intend to reduce time, expertise and resources required for integration of custom apps within SharePoint are going for third-party applications in order to add content management, business intelligent and process management features to SharePoint.

Getting IT as well as business users over the same page

Outside of work, employees are exposed to increasingly interactive Web apps like the different apps of Google and Facebook. This has led to increased expectation with respect to the enterprise applications. Owing to this, IT is required to involve users within SharePoint deployment planning, as the Global 360 report states.

This may not be always convenient, as there is every possibility of disconnect between the business and IT users of an enterprise. However, user feedback obtained early will in due course speed adoption as well as cut the costs of deploying SharePoint, as stated by the Global 360 report. It notes that while customizing, purchasing or planning SharePoint business applications, there should be a concerted effort by the IT organizations to connect with the business users who have been targeted with respect to the application.

The survey majorly based in North America and Europe brings out the manner in which SharePoint users have adopted the platform as well as the deployment challenges that they regularly face. If these challenges are overcome, SharePoint will become a more efficient platform for businesses.

We provide sharepoint bespoke development services. If you would like to know what makes us expert sharepoint developers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

5 Safety Concerns of Using SharePoint on Mobile Devices

The growing popularity of smartphones and tablets has encouraged many companies to upgrade their existing software by including specialized features and functionality to target the new users. Microsoft has upgraded SharePoint with loads of features to target some of the most popular mobile operating systems including Windows, iOS and Android. The mobile capabilities have made it easier for many application developers and resellers to optimize their users’ mobile experience without putting any extra time.

At the same time, these features have enabled users to access a variety of content on their mobile devices anytime and anywhere. Most companies, nowadays, allow their staff to access corporate resources through their mobile devices to reduce project cost. With more and more users accessing SharePoint 2013 on their handheld devices, it has become essential for companies to keep the mobile experience of their employees and customers safe and secure.

So the IT department often finds it a daunting challenge to completely control the way the corporate resources are being accessed by various stakeholders. Many companies even look for the best techniques to prepare a comprehensive SharePoint mobile security plan. However, you can always concentrate on some common mobile security measures to ensure that your employees and clients will access SharePoint content without compromising the security of sensitive corporate content. This can help you unleash the powers of custom sharepoint development while keeping security strengthened.

5 Common Security Guidelines for Using SharePoint on Mobile Devices

Securing Content when the Mobile Device is Lost or Stolen: In comparison to computers, the chances of a mobile device being lost or stolen are much higher. So you must make a policy to protect the sensitive documents and data of your company, in case a user’s mobile device is lost or stolen. If a person is allowed of access corporate resources on his smartphone or tablet, he must be asked to protect his mobile devices through a lock or pin. Also, you must explore options to remotely wipe out the documents and data stored on the mobile device. As the security features vary from one mobile device to another, you must implement policies by targeting the major mobile operating systems.

Protecting Users’ Login Credentials: Most mobile devices allow users to store their username, password, and similar credentials. Some devices even use cookies to store the login credential of users. So you must train your staff about the most effective way to protect their credentials. After completing a task, the user must sign out of the corporate website. Similarly, they must disable all options that allow them to remember their passwords or keep them signed in. It is also important to delete cookies on their mobile browser on a daily basis. These measures will make it difficult for unauthorized users to access the corporate resources in case the mobile device is lost or stolen.

Protecting Communication between Server and Mobile Device: Most users access the data and documents of their organization through their mobile web browsers. So you must implement a strategy to secure the communication between your SharePoint Server 2013 and mobile web browsers. You can always keep the communication secure by enabling SSL. You can even consider using Forefront Unified Access Gateway (UAG) or any other reverse proxy server to keep the communication secure. By securing the communication, you can further minimize the chances of your corporate resources being hacked.

Activate Exchange ActiveSync Protocol: As a communication protocol, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync is effective in optimizing the device-side security. The protocol is presently available for Windows phones and other third-party mobile devices. You can further administer the device security by administering a comprehensive policy. Normally, the mobile devices of users access the SharePoint Server 2013 through a public-facing URL. So the SharePoint data and documents will remain inaccessible in case a mobile device is lost or stolen. Also, you can use the protocol to remotely wipe a variety of data from the mobile device. The protocol also enables you to prevent unauthorized access by displaying a lock screen that will force the users to enter a complex password.

Impose Multiple Authentications: Microsoft has further updated SharePoint 2013 with multiple authentication modes and methods. However, all authentication methods and modes may not be supported by each mobile device. So you have to make a comprehensive list of mobile devices that your employees use for accessing the corporate resources. Based on the supported mobile devices, you have to understand and implement the relevant authentication modes. Also, you have to decide the files, documents and resources that you will allow your staff to access on mobile devices. If you have made SharePoint sites, it will be easier to decide the mobile devices that can be used to access the resources externally. The external access restrictions will also have a impact on the authentication methods selected by you.

It is also important to review the guidelines for using SharePoint on mobile devices to make the security arrangements stronger and more effective. At the same time, you should also explore the latest security measures recommended by Microsoft to keep your corporate resources secure and inaccessible.

We provide Sharepoint development services. If you would like to know what makes us expert SharePoint developers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.