SharePoint 2010 as a Full Service Public Internet Portal

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) is a very comprehensive portal product and its feature set should make it a prime candidate for the development of full service public internet portals for public sector organisations, nevertheless for some reason the uptake has been low.

However with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites, things are about to change

MOSS 2007 has comprehensive support for enterprise content management, document management, workflows, application integration, forms, intranet sites and public internet sites. So what exactly has held back MOSS 2007 in the public internet site sector?

• One of the main reasons is likely to be lack of support for AA accessibility. Many public sector organisations need this and although there are tools to assist in making MOSS 2007 web sites as accessible as possible in reality it is difficult because most of the standard web parts and controls just are not AA compatible and need replacing
• MOSS 2007 web site and page templates are also fairly difficult to customise and the task of creating a fully branded site can be very time consuming
• Another possible reason is that although the Business Data Catalog and other MOSS 2007 functions offers integration capabilities with other systems, they were largely read only and limited in their functionality

So how does the new “SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites” version stack up?

Well for starters there has been significant uptake already. In fact although still in beta, the US Olympic Committee is using SharePoint 2010 to drive the Web site that delivers statistics, photos, news, and other information to the many journalists covering the Winter Games in Vancouver. For more details see: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10463102-56.html

Another example is a major London Council that is currently re-developing its full Internet site in SharePoint 2010 for public release in Q3 2010. It will be an all encompassing full service fully integrated web site with functionality for the general public including:

• Fully AA compliant web pages (all content editable by the council)
• Authentication integrated with council’s current authentication provider, enabling the public to login and:
  • Pay their business rates
  • Pay their council tax
  • Access their benefits account (for housing benefit etc)
• Obtain access to the councils Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system allowing them to
  • Request recycling pickup
  • Report graffiti, potholes and fly tipping
  • See the status of any incidents they have reported and similar incidents reported by others
• Obtain access to the councils Geographic Information System (GIS) system enabling them to:
  • Locate properties close to themselves. For example show me all dentists within 2 miles of my house or all schools in the borough
  • Get information on what days refuse will be collected in a certain area
  • Display maps of the borough with search and zoom facilities
• Provide data driven web sites providing information on all the councils services including:
  • Schools: with details on location, size, headmaster and so on
  • Libraries: with all details such as location and opening hours
  • Leisure facilities and Parks
  • Business and service directories

All in all, this site takes full advantage of many of the new SharePoint 2010 features including:

• AA accessibility support
• Improved authentication provision
• The new Business Connectivity Services (BCS) integration capabilities

This will be the first large scale public sector Internet site to be based on SharePoint 2010. Which is impressive given that the product has not even been released yet; it is scheduled for release on 12 May 2010. Other councils and public sector organisations are already looking to follow suit.

Ballard Chalmers have been appointed by the prime contractor to carry out the major SharePoint development work for this site, but for political reasons we will all have to wait until the other side of the next general election before it can be seen live on the Internet!

For more information on SharePoint 2010 for public portals (and any enquiries regarding SharePoint), website and intranet development, support and hosting services, please contact us at andrew.chalmers@ballardchalmers.com or call 01342 410223.

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