Contributed Editorial: The SharePoint Phenomena: Microsoft Executes Classic Platform Play

For the past several years, conditions have been ripe for a Microsoft platform initiative to consolidate and dominate disparate content management markets. The amount of unmanaged content inside organizations of all sizes has continued to explode, with much of it generated by Microsoft applications. Web technologies provide opportunity for organizations to create cost cutting, service enhancing portal systems. A typical portal is content driven, combining transactional documents, user generated content, line of business data, and more.

To meet these requirements, Microsoft re-organized a series of key technologies…web content management, e-forms, port let component web parts, records management, and site collaboration….into a single, extensible system of modular components, with .NET interfaces. Add to this a well honed go to market program for MOSS (Microsoft Office SharePoint Server) 2007, a vibrant solution provider channel, and hungry new independent software vendors (ISVs). The speed of the positive results surprised Microsoft and reshaped the content management markets.