subject: Microsoft SharePoint 2010 launched [print this page] Microsoft SharePoint 2010 launched Microsoft SharePoint 2010 launched
The long-awaited Hosted Microsoft SharePoint 2010 has finally been released, offering businesses a fresh collaboration tool.
In an event held in New York yesterday (May 12th), the company also unveiled Office 2010, meaning businesses will now have access to a wide range of new solutions.
The firm noted that the beta for Microsoft SharePoint and Office 2010 was the biggest it had ever conducted, with three times as many participants in comparison to the 2007 versions.
Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division, said: "Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 define the future of productivity.
"With the 2010 set of products, organisations will save, innovate and grow as their people benefit from working across the PC, phone and browser."
Microsoft added that hosted SharePoint services would allow developers to rapidly respond to business needs through custom applications and solutions.
A recent survey of SharePoint users by Metalogix software found that 46 per cent plan to upgrade to the new version.
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 has received some significant praise in the wake of its launch.
While Office 2010 may have got more attention at the joint launch recently, it is SharePoint that could be more valuable to businesses, according to the Seattle Times.
The paper's technology reporter Sharon Pian Chan has explained how the service has gained huge popularity very quickly, becoming the fastest product to reach $1 billion in sales in Microsoft's history.
She also pointed out that many companies are using hosted Microsoft SharePoint as an effective collaborative tool, with big names such as Starbucks and Del Monte taking advantage of it.
Looking at what is on offer in the latest version of the service, she said: "Since the last release in 2007, Hosted SharePoint 2010 has added features for social networking, enterprise search and cloud computing.
"The new SharePoint turns My Sites, a feature for individual employees to set up a personal website in a corporate network, into sites that look more like Facebook and LinkedIn."
It was recently suggested by a research analyst at Forrester that hosted Microsoft SharePoint could drive more businesses towards software as a service.
