I am always amazed when I talk to clients who have on-site IT services and they have no idea what Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) is about, as a matter of fact I have yet to come across a client who even knows what WSS is!

Microsoft began including SharePoint with the R2 release of Windows Server 2003, then still in its infancy at version 2.0, this is the same version that is also currently included with all editions of Windows Small Business Server (SBS) 2003. Now you would expect that most businesses that are currently running SBS 2003 would be familiar with the “companyweb” portal (a WSS 2.0 portal) that is installed by default (go to http://companyweb within your SBS domain if you don’t believe me), but unfortunately this is not the case. Remember, WSS 2.0 is included with Server 2003 R2, and SBS 2003, so there should be no excuse for it not to be installed!

With the recent release of WSS 3.0 with Service Pack 1 (06-March-2008) a simple 100 MB download can now provide even the smallest of businesses with an enterprise level web portal. Some of the features of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 are as follows:

• Document Sharing
  • Document libraries enable users to work together on documents
  • Never have multiple versions of the same document again!
• Never have multiple versions of the same document again!
  • Implement a discussion board and link sharing to fuel communication among employees
  • Create surveys to see what works in your organization and to help improve processes
• Wiki Articles
  • Allows information to be shared easily and affectively
  • Group editing model encourages everyone to participate
  • Easily create a companywide knowledge base
• Group Calendars and Tasks
  • Create a group calendar to effectively portray schedules and deadlines
  • Create and delegate tasks in order to keep users on track

What all of this means to you is that by implementing Windows SharePoint Service 3.0 you enable your team to collaborate, communicate, and most importantly be productive; all with software that is downloaded for free!

Visit our contact page to get more information on how you can begin using SharePoint; you probably already have it installed!