Interview with Torsten Weidner, Head of Microsoft Solutions at INFO AG

Where does the particular attraction of Microsoft Office Share­Point Server lie?

Nowadays it is expected that intuitively operable internet appli­ca­tions simplify the collab­o­rative work performed by department-transcending project teams. To name just one example, the individual project teams are often split up in terms of space but have to work jointly on documents. We put solutions into effect on the basis of Microsoft Office Share­Point Server precisely due to these challenges – in perfect inter­action with Microsoft Office desktop appli­ca­tions.

In other words websites instead of WORD documents. Is that all?

By no means. The integrated Document Management functions ensure struc­tured document filing company-wide. Each document can be provided with metadata and simul­ta­ne­ously assigned to different categories, even though it has only been filed in the system once. The full-text search optimized by Microsoft – and as a result meanwhile extremely performant – finds all of the persons, documents and data within the overall system.

What other advan­tages does Microsoft Office Share­Point Server offer?

In inter­action with corporate data deposited in Microsoft SQL databases, Microsoft Office Share­Point Server enables simple access to complex reports. Extensive varia­tions for depiction stemming from different sources of infor­mation can also be harbored behind that, ones that can be drawn up specific to a target group: for instance as a management version or as a detailed analysis for use on the department level.

Can workflows be depicted in Microsoft Office Share­Point Server, too?

Yes, as a matter of fact it’s relatively easy. With a few clicks you can depict processes in clearly struc­tured Web-form dialogs taken from precon­figured templates. Typical examples in this context are order forms or the classic appli­cation for a vacation. The forms are created using Microsoft Office Infopath and are very easy to work with.

And what answer does Microsoft have for increasing demands in the matter of commu­ni­cation?

Microsoft Office Commu­ni­cation Server supports the widest variety of commu­ni­cation channels and converges them in one system. eMail, instant messaging and even telephony and telefax can all be used out of any Microsoft Office appli­cation. Concretely that could mean finding a document via a Microsoft Office Share­Point Server search, working on it and obtaining all necessary infor­mation about it at the same time via instant messaging or IP telephone – with one mouse click directly out of the document itself. The contact infor­mation regarding a document’s author is displayed using one of the well-known colors for traffic lights so that the right route for commu­ni­cation can be chosen in a targeted way.