Q: What is SharePoint 2010?
SharePoint 2010 is the next wave of SharePoint technology formerly codenamed SharePoint “14”.
Q: When will SharePoint 2010 ship?
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 will enter Beta in 2009 and is targeted for general availability in the first half of 2010.
Q: SharePoint 2010 no longer has ‘Office’ as part the branding. Will SharePoint continue to be part of Office System?
SharePoint is and will continue to remain a core server product in the Office family. The name change is to reduce confusion with Office client products. SharePoint will continue to offer rich integration with Office client to help end users get the most out of their SharePoint and Office deployments. We will also fully support Internet browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox but for the richest experience, we recommend Office 2010 as the client of choice for SharePoint 2010.
Q: Did the capabilities change as reflected by the new workload names?
With SharePoint 2007, we used many of the industry terms to describe the capabilities of SharePoint such as Collaboration, Portals, Enterprise Content Management, Enterprise Search, Business Process and Forms, and Business Intelligence. While using the industry terms made it clear the different generic capabilities that SharePoint offered, the industry names did not call out the uniqueness or integration that SharePoint provides. Rather than being a loosely coupled collection of servers or features with only a brand name being the integration point, SharePoint is an integrated solution for solving a multitude of business needs across different experiences both inside and outside the firewall. The new workload names call out the differentiation of SharePoint and highlight the integration across the SharePoint workloads.
Q: What’s new in SharePoint 2010?
We’re making investments across workload areas and the platform to drive even further productivity for end-users, developers IT professionals, and to increase the partner opportunity. You can see a sneak peek of some of the exciting features here.. Be sure to check out the videos and sign up for SharePoint Conference 2009 to learn more.
Q: Are you showing all the features in SharePoint 2010?
The videos and feature lists on the website represent a very small subset of the features we are delivering in SharePoint 2010. Over time, we will disclose more features so consider the features you see on the site as a small sneak peek into what’s coming in SharePoint 2010.
Q: How can we sign up for the SharePoint 2010 Beta?
We will announce our Public Beta availability later this year and will have more information to share on how customers and partners can participate.
Q: What will the ‘2010’ version of SharePoint Online provide?
At this time, it is too early to provide the detail offering of the next release of SharePoint Online. Stay tuned and look for the upcoming details at SharePoint 2010 website..
Q: What is the future direction for Windows SharePoint Services?
Windows SharePoint Services will continue to be a strategic SharePoint product offering. We will provide details of the next version at a later date.
Q: How will the licensing change for SharePoint 2010?
At this time, it is too early to disclose specific licensing details for the next release. We will announce any updated content at SharePoint 2010 website
Q: How can we learn more about SharePoint 2010?
In addition to the information on our SharePoint 2010 website, we will share extensive product details at our upcoming SharePoint Conference 2009. Be sure to sign up early to secure your spot and learn first-hand about SharePoint 2010.What about FAST? FAST Search for SharePoint is a new product that provides high end search integrated with SharePoint Server 2010. It will feature an outstanding search user experience out of the box, granular control of user experience and relevance, powerful content processing capabilities, and platform flexibility and scaling to handle the most challenging search applications. FAST Search for SharePoint is not part of the Tech Preview; it will be available with the public Beta. The FAST Search Site template is included with the technical preview, but will not function without FAST Search servers. Please wait for the Public beta before evaluating the new FAST additions to SharePoint 2010.
Q: How do I get ready for SharePoint 2010 today?
The best way to get started with SharePoint 2010 is to get a great SharePoint 2007 deployment today. Use your software assurance benefits such as SharePoint Deployment Planning Services to help get deployed on SharePoint 2007. Run the Upgrade Checker in SharePoint 2007 Service Pack 2 to scan your SharePoint 2007 systems to see how ready your system is for upgrade to SharePoint 2010. For a comprehensive list of readiness resources and the right steps to take today, check out the SharePoint 2010 Get Ready website.
Q: How is the SharePoint Business Momentum?
SharePoint continues to sell at double digit growth year over year which points to the value that customers are seeing with the product and the rich partner ecosystem that helps sell, service and deploy SharePoint. We have seen new growth areas including Internet facing sites (Viacom, Chesapeake Energy, Marines, Swiss Airlines, Ferrari, Kroger), secure Extranets and the growth of the SharePoint Online business. With SharePoint 2010, we expect to see the continued and accelerated growth of SharePoint and we thank our customer and partners for betting their businesses on SharePoint.