When Should We Use SharePoint OOTB, Add Third Party Products, Or Build Custom Solutions? SPC14

Abstract For Reminder/Review Determining when to use SharePoint, build customizations that extend SharePoint, buy third party products, or to ignore SharePoint all together can be very challenging. It requires an understanding of SharePoint's strengths, weaknesses, and gaps as well as an understanding of how they apply to the business problems you are trying to solve. In this session, Richard Harbridge explores decisions other organizations have made, criteria they used to evaluate their options, lessons they learned, and how they approached these difficult decisions.

When should we use SharePoint out-of-the-box, add third-party apps or build custom solutions? Richard Harbridge Partner Technology Strategist Microsoft #SPC14 #SPC270 @RHarbridge

My Name Is: Richard Harbridge My Twitter ID: @RHARBRIDGE Microsoft SharePoint Certifications 10 6000+ Personal Connections On LinkedIn Partner Technology Strategist With Microsoft Presented 180 + Sessions Or Workshops In The Past 4 Years #SPC14 #SPC270 @ RHarbridge

From Here To Here Our Goal Today… #SPC14 #SPC270 @ RHarbridge

What Are The Big Takeaways? Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter?

Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? What Are The Big Takeaways? They enable your organization to get the most out of your SharePoint investments.

Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? What Are The Big Takeaways? Understand SharePoint, your technology, the ecosystem and the process.

What Are The Big Takeaways? Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? SharePoint is easy to extend and leverage . Integrating and knowing when is key.

What Are The Big Takeaways? Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? With clear needs and the right questions you can select the right tool.

Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? Why Do Solutions Matter? Enable your organization to get the most out of your SharePoint investments.

We All want to be better than average… Many organizations are successful, but what about those really successful cases? Solutions

Solutions should Be Rapidly deployed & Easy To Update! Do you have the ability to provide solutions and ‘applications’ fast enough?

Solutions should Be Available Anywhere At Any Time! Remote workers should have a great experience and access to solutions.

2005 2013 Solutions should Work On Any device! Solutions should work on many devices (BYOD) and many form factors.

Solutions should meet today’s demands! What about tomorrows demands? Are you ready for those?

That means you should leverage the latest & Greatest… It will be more and more challenging to meet expectations on legacy technology!

From Here To Here The Outcome… SharePoint Solutions are the best way to generate additional value from your SharePoint investments.

From Here To Here What To Watch Out For… Those solutions need to be rapidly deployed, adopted , and available anywhere and on any device.

Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? What Are The Big Takeaways? They enable your organization to get the most out of your SharePoint investments.

Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? What Are The Big Takeaways? Understand SharePoint, your technology, the ecosystem and the process .

Pros & Cons To Build vs Buy Buy Pros Cons Often covers most of the requirements Less flexibility and control Vendor does enhancements/upgrades Dependence on vendor delivery Lower total cost of ownership Locked in on cost and interoperability Build Pros Cons Addresses your requirements best Dependent on internal expertise/effort Full control and flexibility Higher risk of poor documentation Control over costs No economies of scale, higher costs Not So Simple!

Dynamics CRM Dynamics ERP Dynamics AX Dynamics GP Dynamics NAV Dynamics SL Exchange Lync Map the needs of the organization to the right technology …

SharePoint has multiple options… Online On Site Foundation Standard Enterprise Enterprise Standard 2010 2013 Foundation

It’s Big Ecosystem… “Worldwide more than 3.4 million developers work with SharePoint & Office.” “Well over 4,000 partners in the SharePoint ecosystem .” “There are over 1,000 products since SP2003 – there are at least 1,000 new products in development now . ”

SharePoint Is Part Of An Overall Enterprise Technology Plan

Pros & Cons To Build vs Buy Buy Pros Cons Often covers most of the requirements Less flexibility and control Vendor does enhancements/upgrades Dependence on vendor delivery Lower total cost of ownership Locked in on cost and interoperability Build Pros Cons Addresses your requirements best Dependent on internal expertise/effort Full control and flexibility Higher risk of poor documentation Control over costs No economies of scale, higher costs Not So Simple! It’s A Process!

Simple Assessment Framework Reuse Capability To Solve

Sort Of Simple Assessment Framework Will We Achieve The Capability Faster Through Purchase? Compare Development Costs To Purchase Costs

Not So Simple Assessment Framework Does it meet our security needs? Is the solution scalable?

The build or buy debate isn’t just between when to build or buy. It’s about how you build , and how you buy.

The Outcome… From Here To Here You need to understand what you have and what’s available and re-evaluate constantly .

Each build vs buy decision should be evaluated even when it appears self-evident. From Here To Here What To Watch Out For…

Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? What Are The Big Takeaways? Understand SharePoint, your technology, the ecosystem and the process .

What Are The Big Takeaways? Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? SharePoint is easy to extend and leverage . Integrating and knowing when is key.

How Do We Build On SharePoint?

SharePoint and IT The Main Point of Implementing SharePoint: SharePoint eventually allows Business Users to develop and implement business solutions that use technology without IT’s direct involvement. Enable Solutions

Users Build Apps

Users Build Lists To Solve Problems To Replace Excel Spreadsheets To Track Complex Input From Multiple People To Centralize Storage and Retrieval of Content To Provide Validation, Easy To Use Online Forms To Reduce Duplication of Effort

How Do We Build On SharePoint?

SharePoint and IT Secondary (But Important) Points: SharePoint’s integration with technologies you already use and it’s extendibility are invaluable. When I Say “SharePoint Integration” You Probably Think Of This... Exchange Lync

When Not To Use SharePoint? If you are building a solution on SharePoint it must leverage/benefit from being built on SharePoint. If an Office App can do the job better and closer to where the user works. If the data should not be stored in SharePoint. When there is a better fit to purpose. (Examples: CRM, ERP, Azure)

Data Cloud Services Business Applications Files Cloud Services Business Applications Files LOB Application Browser Service Application The Value Of The Office App

When Not To Use SharePoint? If you are building a solution on SharePoint it must leverage/benefit from being built on SharePoint. If an Office App can do the job better and closer to where the user works. If the data should not be stored in SharePoint. When there is a better fit to purpose. (Examples: CRM, ERP, Azure)

Database Tables vs SharePoint Lists The top discussion points I often hear… Hybrid Solutions - It doesn’t have to be an either/or. Complex Relationships – Many to Many = Database. Edit in datasheet – Access Services in 2013 can do this bulk processing too – but has better scale. Workflows – Access Services in 2013 also has Macros which is effective for basic scenarios. Search – You can index external data too! Ease Of Use - Excel makes reporting accessible for end users regardless of where the data is stored.

When Not To Use SharePoint? If you are building a solution on SharePoint it must leverage/benefit from being built on SharePoint. If an Office App can do the job better and closer to where the user works. If the data should not be stored in SharePoint. When there is a better fit to purpose. (Examples: CRM, ERP, Azure)

SharePoint is not a Silver Bullet … SharePoint is not a Silver Bullet at NothingButSharePoint.com

When Not To Use SharePoint? If you are building a solution on SharePoint it must leverage/benefit from being built on SharePoint. If an Office App can do the job better and closer to where the user works. If the data should not be stored in SharePoint. When there is a better fit to purpose. (Examples: CRM, ERP, Azure)

How Do We Build On SharePoint?

What Will We Use To Build? End User Power User Casual Developer Full Time Developer Web UI Yes Yes Yes Yes SharePoint Designer Yes Yes Yes Access Services Yes Yes Yes Yes InfoPath Yes Yes Yes NAPA Yes Yes Visual Studio / Lightswitch Yes Yes

What’s Required For The App? Easy To Improve? Works Across Devices? Available Anywhere? Easy To Deploy? Developer Skills Required? SharePoint OOTB “App” Yes Yes Online Yes SharePoint App Yes Yes Online Yes Yes Office App Yes Yes Online* Yes Yes Access Services Yes Yes Online Yes Search Driven App Yes Yes Online Yes InfoPath Form Yes Yes Yes *Could be available offline based on how it’s built.

The Outcome… From Here To Here SharePoint is a platform that makes it easy to extend and leverage for business challenges.

Sometimes it can be easier to start simple with a more basic solution to validate/identify needs . From Here To Here What To Watch Out For…

What Are The Big Takeaways? Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? SharePoint is easy to extend and leverage . Integrating and knowing when is key.

What Are The Big Takeaways? Why Is This So Difficult? Building Solutions Buying 3 rd Party Solutions Why Do Solutions Matter? With clear needs and the right questions you can select the right tool.

Understanding The Question Process clarify or commit. confirm you’ve understood. Confirmation Questions ……………………….……… ……………………….

Understanding The Sales Process clarify or commit. confirm you’ve understood. Close ……………………….……… ……………………….

There Is A R eason T his L ooks S imilar

How Do We Buy 3 rd Party Products?

Let’s Discuss A Scenario