Dan Holme
Office & SharePoint Pro
Community Manager

If You Build It Right, They Will Come

I recently heard a director-level executive—a clear headed, intelligent individual—lay out a set of requirements for increasing user productivity. While you've heard me say that SharePoint is not a silver bullet, in this case, SharePoint and Office 2007 delivered exactly what she needed. Then, interestingly, she said, "I don't want to push SharePoint, because it may erode the use of [the competitive product we already have installed]." That comment took be a few moments to process, because it came out of left field from someone that I expect to be a strategic and practical manager. I'm editing out the name of the installed product because I think the product is lousy, and there's no point in rubbing salt in that product's wounds.

I explained to her just how SharePoint would help her meet her goals. SharePoint would deliver the entire set of requirements, most of which, on analysis, boiled down to creating collaborative solutions that users would actually be able to use easily, and would want to use. And yes, SharePoint would supplant some (or all) of the functionality that users were supposed to be getting out of the other product. But that's exactly the point. The other product has been sitting, mostly languishing, because it's just not user friendly. A solution that has to touch the 'masses' of end users and transform the ways they work must deliver clear value and must be insanely usable, otherwise it won't get adopted. There is a huge, clear story that SharePoint has to tell about its integration with über-familiar Office client applications such as Excel, Outlook and Word. And honestly, if the existing product isn't succeeding at delivering an effective and usable and adoptable collaborative platform, shouldn't it be shown the door?

Her problem, of course, is mostly political. Someone higher up made a decision a long time ago to use the other product. And, to be honest again, at the time the decision was made it was probably the right decision, as SharePoint would not have met the requirements at that point in time. But the 'ownership' of that decision is a tough thing to challenge, politically. How do you address such challenges in your enterprise? How do you get past the "it was a right decision at the time" to "we need a new decision now"?

Unfortunately, I won't have the answer for you here. That's a totally socio-political task that goes beyond the scope of a technical newsletter. However, I have two ideas that might be part of the solution. First: knowledge. Sometimes it really is just a matter of bringing the right information to light and my experience has been that the more you can stay focused on requirements and solutions, the better off you are. It's tough to argue with a proposal that clearly aligns the two. Second: consultants. Sometimes it's helpful to have an expert from outside facilitate a discussion, and share that information. I can tell you I've had more than a few engagements where I was basically clearing away the noise so that both sides could see that they were really heading in the same direction and that the solution was more readily identifiable when the requirements were agreed upon.

IT Connections Relocates to Vegas and Joins SharePoint and Windows Connections
Last week, I mentioned IT Connections. It's a brand new event that's focused on bringing both the IT Leadership (managers, directors, and CIOs) and the IT Professionals of enterprises large and small together, to solve problems. Too often, CIOs hear strategic and competitive guidance at their events, and IT pros drink the technical Kool-Aid at other events, and they aren't on the same page. IT Connections aims to solve that, by providing both strategic and technical deep dives, then bringing both the leadership and the IT pros together for panels and discussions around key technologies. This kind of opportunity can address just the type of challenge I described earlier. It allows the team to get expert, independent insight into both the ROI and implementation of technologies.

Last week, IT Connections got a big boost by being relocated to Las Vegas, November 10-13, where it will be co-hosted with Windows Connections, SharePoint Connections, Exchange Connections, and the Dev Connections events. One registration entitles you to attend any session at any of the events, so you can really mix up an incredible batch of knowledge to take back to your enterprise or, better yet, bring some of your team and take advantage of this great opportunity. You'll find more info here.

Joel Oleson Joins IT Connections
Also, I'm happy to announce that Joel Oleson accepted our invitation to present at IT Connections. Many of you will know Joel from his work on the SharePoint product team at Microsoft, which he left to pursue new paths earlier this year, and from his blog. He'll be presenting his fantastic SharePoint Governance session, which is squarely aimed at both leadership and IT Pros and is a perfect example of why it's important to bring the team to this kind of event.

Joel also published, this week, a great list of resources about list scalability—our topic last week.

Microsoft's New "I'm a PC" Ad Campaign
I'm a FAN!! Microsoft recently entered the second phase of its expensive ad campaign, which began with the very funny if completely "random" Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld ads. The new ads have a much clearer message for the viewing audience who "woke up" from the first round.

I love learning from good communication, and I think this is a great example. If you're a student of communication, read Microsoft's press releases about the ad campaign and what it's trying to get across. I think the first of the new TV ads, and the new press ads, are spot on. They center around the line "I'm A PC," taken squarely out of the "I'm a Mac" ads. The ads highlight the incredible diversity of the global market for Windows. They cleverly undermine the snobby, sarcastic, and competitive Mac ads (which I also liked, but got very weary of) and deliver the message that more than 1 billion people use Windows-based PCs (not to mention the thousands who use Vista on their Macs). Future ads will extend the campaign's tag line, "Life Without Walls", to further highlight the concepts of community and the breadth of devices we use every day that are powered by Windows.

Check out the ads on Microsoft's site or YouTube. I'm so impressed that Microsoft managed, by almost all accounts, to reclaim the conversation and to begin to center it on substance and humanity rather than style. I know there are a lot of companies and political parties that could learn from that achievement. And the ad campaign has reduced my Mac-induced false inferiority complex! I can now work anywhere on my laptop or my smart phone listening to my ultra compatible MP3 player without shame. Now if we can only get PC makers to make sexy PC hardware—more on that next week.

If it's done right, people will use it. Period. A billion PC users. Millions upon millions of SharePoint users. They're talking with their wallets and demonstrating that a technology meets their needs. And isn't that what it's all about?

Until next week, all the best!

Dan Holme
danh at intelliem dot (top level commercial domain)

Events and Resources

Tracking Changes in the Modern Windows-Centric Regulatory Environment Live Web Seminar--October 7, 2008, 12:00 PM EDT.
Today's networks play a vital role in all types of business throughout the world. To meet the demand, IT pros and vendors have become skilled at designing, deploying, and operating complex networks. As compliance and governance requirements become more common, however, IT professionals will need to ensure that their Microsoft-centric networks are up to the challenges of monitoring and change management. Register today!

Leverage Your SharePoint Investment to Improve Document Management
Learn how you can use document imaging and capture solutions with SharePoint to reduce physical storage at your company and the risks that accompany storage of critical documentation. Hear a live case study of how a medical group improved its enterprise content management through a document-management system that'is tightly integrated with SharePoint. View this on-demand seminar now!

Post Your Free Listing in the Technology Resource Directory
Get visibility for your product, service, or training solution by adding your listing to the Technology Resource Directory. Powered by Windows IT Pro, this online and print directory will give your business exposure to buyers researching and comparing products. Don't miss your chance to be listed in this comprehensive directory for IT and developer professionals. Basic listings are FREE! But hurry - deadline for listings closes Oct. 9.

The Impact of Messaging and Web Threats
This white paper discusses why a layered, integrated defensive strategy is the most effective approach to dealing with spam, viruses, Trojans, worms, and other forms of malware. Read this paper to learn about the trends you can anticipate in the messaging threat landscape.

Last Chance to Get Specialized SharePoint Training!
Whether you're an IT pro or a developer, master SharePoint with help from the world's most respected SharePoint experts in three SharePoint workshops built just for you and presented straight from your desktop! On September 30 and October 1, Windows IT Pro and OfficeSharePointPro.com bring SharePoint MVPs Dan Holme, Michael Noel, and Andrew Connell direct to you to share their real-world perspective, experience, and expertise and help you build a better SharePoint infrastructure, develop more effective SharePoint applications, and enable more powerful collaboration. Choose the info-packed sessions that are right for you. Registration closes September 29, 2008. Sign up today!

Get SQL Server 2008 at SharePoint Connections
Don’t miss SharePoint Connections, the premier event for Microsoft IT Professionals, in Las Vegas, November 10-13. Every attendee will receive a copy of SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition with one CAL.

Access Expert SharePoint Solutions for only $5.95!
With the online Monthly Pass, you can have all the SharePoint solutions in Windows IT Pro right at your fingertips, including access to the more than 10,000 articles in our content archives! You'll also receive a full digital copy of the latest issue of Windows IT Pro!