Outlining the Top Concerns for Hybrid SharePoint
As you all know, I’ve been working on a blog and video interview series on the AvePoint site for the last few months on the topic of Hybrid SharePoint, and recently concluded the first segment of that series, entitled “Top Hybrid Concerns.” Each of the blog posts is paired with interviews I did with Microsoft’s Bill Baer (@williambaer), which were captured at the conclusion of this past spring’s CollabTalk research project, in conjunction with the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. Microsoft was the lead sponsor of this effort to measure the size and scope of the hybrid SharePoint space, with several major ISVs and SIs participating, such as AvePoint, PixelMill, B&R Business Solutions, Rencore, and others. While there had been a number of studies published around the broader topic of cloud adoption, there was no data around the specific topic of SharePoint, and how many customers were using hybrid solutions, or planning to move to a hybrid configuration. Following the study, AvePoint was interested in building off of this great content — which led to my interviews with Bill, and subsequent blog series.
The Blog Series
This first segment is taken almost entirely from the CollabTalk research results (which you can still download for free here), with some additional suggestions/topics that Bill and I felt needed to be highlighted. In the blog posts, I didn’t want to simply summarize what Bill and I discuss in each video — I wanted the posts to be resources for organizations that have these concerns about moving their on-prem SharePoint environments to the cloud, helping them to mitigate any risks, and be aware of their options. Each post provides:
- An overview of the problem
- Why the topic is important
- Microsoft guidance
- How AvePoint can help
- Additional community resources
There are currently 10 posts in this series — but it’s not a Top 10 list. Bill and I discussed a few other “long-tail” topics that may find their way into the series at some point, so be sure to subscribe to the AvePoint newsletter for updates. For now, included in the series are the following:
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Third-Party Solutions
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Security and Compliance
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Migration
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Administration Complexity
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Moving Customizations
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Connecting to Legacy Data
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Demonstrating Value
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Organizational Disruption
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Customizations & Branding
- Top Concerns with Hybrid SharePoint: Performance
The Next Series
The next video interview and blog series will include a number of different faces and topics discussing hybrid opportunities for your SharePoint environment, with expert advice from names and faces you’ll recognize, such as Mark Kashman (Microsoft), MVP Asif Rehmani (VisualSP), Regional Director John Peluso (AvePoint), MVP Mark Rackley (PAIT Group), MVP Paul Stork (Don’t Pa..Panic Consulting), and more. I’m also working on some additional materials to help you with your hybrid SharePoint planning efforts, building off of the Microsoft Fast Track materials and AvePoint guidance, giving you additional resources to help you along the path.
Additionally, I’m talking with a couple of the original research sponsors about putting together a refresh on the hybrid study — to examine the data trends one year later. If you’re interested in co-sponsoring this effort, please contact me. I hope to have it off the ground by end of January, with the results available in mid-March. Be sure to watch for it!
