Somewhere in the midst of Bill Gates announcing his upcoming reordering of priorities, a barrage of pressure from competitor Google and preparation for the upcoming double-header release of the company's two flagship products (Windows and Office), Microsoft has managed to create the 3 ^rd generation of SharePoint Products and Technologies.

 

Due to launch in October 2006, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 have experts across the globe buzzing with excitement which was clearly evident by the sea of vendor booths and technical learning centers spread across the Tech Ed floor.

 

SharePoint Products and Technologies are quickly becoming the nexus of Microsoft Office, sitting at the center – ready to receive, organize, protect and serve-up files from any of the Microsoft Office 2007 applications.

 

SharePoint Products and Technologies has constantly evolved over the last several years, partly due to a very active community and user-experience program.   While at Tech Ed I had the pleasure of speaking with Lawrence Liu, a product manager on the SharePoint team and also the SharePoint Products and Technologies community lead for Microsoft.   While speaking with Lawrence, I asked him how the community has helped to shape the SharePoint Product group – here's what he had to say:

 

"Community involvement is extremely important to the SharePoint product group for 3 key reasons:

1. Helps people to learn about SharePoint more readily and to implement and manage SharePoint-based solutions more effectively.  
2. Provides Microsoft with targeted feedback on how to improve the product.

3. Promotes the development of even more innovative add-ons and solutions for SharePoint ."

 

When asked about the future of  the SharePoint Products and Technologies community Lawrence shared his vision:

 

"A dynamic, self-sustainable, and adaptive gathering place - both online and offline - for people with common interests in SharePoint products and technologies, who aspire to be successful in using, developing, selling, implementing, administering, and operating SharePoint-based solutions."

 

 

We truly are witnessing a "New world of work" – no more is Microsoft the closed off company of the past.   Constant interaction with customers has allowed Microsoft to quickly adapt to the needs of users operating in a digital lifestyle that is rapidly changing.

SharePoint Products and Technologies has been quoted by Bill Gates as on track to "Become to the server as Office has become to the desktop".

 

One thing is certain, Microsoft are very focused on delivering user focused products that will revolutionize the way we share and access information across the enterprise.   The future looks bright for the Information Worker as Microsoft gets serious about collaboration.