SharePoint 2003 Eases Integration

Like other big enterprise information portals, SharePoint can aggregate virtually any enterprise application interface into a single view. However, the portal's low price also makes it affordable for midsize deployments. SharePoint Portal 2003 as tested costs $5,619, which includes one server license and five client access licenses.

The newest version of the portal allows for single sign-on and includes powerful integration capabilities. Also included are Web Parts components, which act as controls and use XML to interface with other applications. Web Parts are available right from the start, allowing users to create highly customizable interfaces by dragging any component into a portal page. SharePoint also allows users to search for documents, people and work teams through user profiles.

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MARIO MOREJON

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Technical Editor

Within the portal environment, users can have personal sites called My Sites, build topic affinities, tailor information for specific audiences, index documents for searching and receive news and links.

With Microsoft InfoPath, SharePoint Portal users can easily create forms within their personal Web sites. The data collected from forms can be fed into applications or stored within a library in a SharePoint site.

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SharePoint Portal Server resides on top of Windows 2003 Server and uses SQL Server as a data store for document management. The Portal Server takes advantage of SharePoint Services file system to provide basic team collaboration functionality.

Microsoft's multitier channel program offers resources for business development and training, extensive marketing assistance and access to software for development and support. Numerous technical resources are also available at MSDN and TechNet. Microsoft declined to disclose the average margin.

CHANNEL PROGRAM SNAPSHOTS
>Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003

COMPANY: Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, WA
425.882.8080
www.microsoft.com
DISTRIBUTORS: Business Technology Associates, Inetium, Software Express
TECH RATING:


CHANNEL RATING:

Note: Vendors can earn up to five stars for technical merit and five for their channel program. If the average of these two scores is four stars or greater, the product earns CRN Test Center Recommended status.

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