Mike Walker's Blog

My CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Goes Social

2009-11-20T18:54:59-08:00

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is pushing the envelope in healthcare. We are using social technologies to raise the awareness of the facts of healthcare reform and key programs for our customers.

Personally I think it is great to see our CEO Mike Reitz embrace this new medium. It shows real vision in an industry that hasn’t been progressive in these types technologies.

Check him out on his Twitter, You Tube and Facebook pages.

2009 Gartner EA Tool Magic Quadrant Free Download

2009-11-19T15:57:52-08:00

Troux has posted the latest Gartner EA Tools Magic Quadrant for download for free. You can download it here:

http://www.troux.com/news/gartner09

New SharePoint 2010 Architecture Models

2009-11-17T09:26:06-08:00

Microsoft just posted recently some updated architecture models on MSDN.

Models

Models are 34-by-44-inch posters that detail a specific technical area. These models are intended to be used with corresponding articles on TechNet. These models are created by using Office Visio 2007. You can modify the Visio files to illustrate how you plan to incorporate Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products in your own environment.

Title	Description
Services in SharePoint 2010 Products Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167090) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167092) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167091)	Describes and illustrates the services architecture, including and common ways to deploy services in your overall solution design.
Cross-farm Services in SharePoint 2010 Products Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167093) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167095) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167094)	Illustrates how to deploy services across farms to provide centralized administration of services.
Topologies for SharePoint Server 2010 Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167087) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167089) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167088)	Describes common ways to build and scale farm topologies, including planning which servers to start services on.
Hosting Environments in SharePoint 2010 Products Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167084) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167086) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167085)	Summarizes the support for hosting environments and illustrates common hosting architectures.
Search Technologies for SharePoint 2010 Products Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167731) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167733) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167732)	Compares and contrasts the search technologies that work with SharePoint Products 2010: SharePoint Foundation 2010 Search Server 2010 Express Search Server 2010 SharePoint Server 2010 FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint
Search Environment Planning for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167734) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167736) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167735)	Walks through primary architecture design decisions for search environments.
Search Architectures for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167737) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167739) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167738)	Details the physical and logical architecture components that make up a search system and illustrates common search architectures.
Design Search Architectures for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167740) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167742) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167741)	Walks through the initial design steps to determine a basic design for a SharePoint Server 2010 search architecture.
Business Connectivity Services Model Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=165565) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=165566) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=165571)	Microsoft Business Connectivity Services are a set of services and features in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 that support integrating data from external systems into solutions based on Microsoft SharePoint Server and Microsoft SharePoint Foundation. This model poster describes the architecture of Microsoft Business Connectivity Services in SharePoint Server 2010 and provides information about how to create solutions that are based on the service. Use this model with the following article: Business Connectivity Services overview (SharePoint Server 2010)
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Upgrade Planning Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167098) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167099) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167100)	This model covers planning for an upgrade from Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010. It includes information about the following: Upgrade requirements: Hardware, operating system, and database Upgrade process: specific steps to follow before, during, and after the upgrade Use this model with the following article: Upgrading to SharePoint Server 2010
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Upgrade Approaches Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167101) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167102) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167103)	This model helps you understand the in-place, database attach, and hybrid approaches to upgrading from Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010. See the farm topologies before, during, and after upgrade Compare the advantages of each type of upgrade approach Use this model with the following articles: Determine upgrade approach (SharePoint Server 2010) Upgrade process overview (SharePoint Server 2010)
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 — Test Your Upgrade Process Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167104) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167105) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167106)	This model explains the methodology for testing the upgrade process before upgrading from Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010. Understand the goals for testing your upgrade process: customizations, hardware, timing, planning See specific steps to follow for testing your upgrade process Use this model with the following article: Use a trial upgrade to find potential issues (SharePoint Server 2010)
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 — Services Upgrade Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167107) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167108) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167109)	This model covers upgrading services from Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010. Considerations for specific services: Personalization, Search, InfoPath Forms, Excel, Business Data Catalog, Single Sign-on In-place upgrade with services Database attach upgrade with services
Getting started with business intelligence in SharePoint Server 2010 Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167082) PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167170) XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167171)	This model covers an overview of business intelligence in SharePoint Server and provides you with the following information. An overview of each business intelligence service and when you might use the service. Architecture for application of the business intelligence services and how they work together in a topology. A list of possible data sources for each business intelligence service.

Title

Description

Services in SharePoint 2010 Products

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167090)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167092)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167091)

Describes and illustrates the services architecture, including and common ways to deploy services in your overall solution design.

Cross-farm Services in SharePoint 2010 Products

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167093)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167095)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167094)

Illustrates how to deploy services across farms to provide centralized administration of services.

Topologies for SharePoint Server 2010

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167087)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167089)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167088)

Describes common ways to build and scale farm topologies, including planning which servers to start services on.

Hosting Environments in SharePoint 2010 Products

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167084)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167086)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167085)

Summarizes the support for hosting environments and illustrates common hosting architectures.

Search Technologies for SharePoint 2010 Products

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167731)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167733)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167732)

Compares and contrasts the search technologies that work with SharePoint Products 2010:

SharePoint Foundation 2010
Search Server 2010 Express
Search Server 2010
SharePoint Server 2010
FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint

Search Environment Planning for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167734)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167736)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167735)

Walks through primary architecture design decisions for search environments.

Search Architectures for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167737)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167739)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167738)

Details the physical and logical architecture components that make up a search system and illustrates common search architectures.

Design Search Architectures for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167740)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167742)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=167741)

Walks through the initial design steps to determine a basic design for a SharePoint Server 2010 search architecture.

Business Connectivity Services Model

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=165565)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=165566)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=165571)

Microsoft Business Connectivity Services are a set of services and features in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 that support integrating data from external systems into solutions based on Microsoft SharePoint Server and Microsoft SharePoint Foundation. This model poster describes the architecture of Microsoft Business Connectivity Services in SharePoint Server 2010 and provides information about how to create solutions that are based on the service.

Use this model with the following article: Business Connectivity Services overview (SharePoint Server 2010)

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Upgrade Planning

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167098)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167099)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167100)

This model covers planning for an upgrade from Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010. It includes information about the following:

Upgrade requirements: Hardware, operating system, and database
Upgrade process: specific steps to follow before, during, and after the upgrade

Use this model with the following article: Upgrading to SharePoint Server 2010

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Upgrade Approaches

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167101)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167102)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167103)

This model helps you understand the in-place, database attach, and hybrid approaches to upgrading from Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010.

See the farm topologies before, during, and after upgrade
Compare the advantages of each type of upgrade approach

Use this model with the following articles:

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 — Test Your Upgrade Process

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167104)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167105)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167106)

This model explains the methodology for testing the upgrade process before upgrading from Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010.

Understand the goals for testing your upgrade process: customizations, hardware, timing, planning
See specific steps to follow for testing your upgrade process

Use this model with the following article: Use a trial upgrade to find potential issues (SharePoint Server 2010)

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 — Services Upgrade

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167107)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167108)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167109)

This model covers upgrading services from Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010.

Considerations for specific services: Personalization, Search, InfoPath Forms, Excel, Business Data Catalog, Single Sign-on
In-place upgrade with services
Database attach upgrade with services

Getting started with business intelligence in SharePoint Server 2010

Visio (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167082)

PDF (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167170)

XPS (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=167171)

This model covers an overview of business intelligence in SharePoint Server and provides you with the following information.

An overview of each business intelligence service and when you might use the service.
Architecture for application of the business intelligence services and how they work together in a topology.
A list of possible data sources for each business intelligence service.

SharePoint 2010 Development Resources

2009-11-05T19:16:40-08:00

Paul Andrew posted a number of small but interesting “code snippet” articles around SharePoint 2010 development that can help you getting started once Beta 2 is public:

IASA Group releases Certified IT Architect Professional (CITA-P)

2009-11-03T12:40:43-08:00

IASA has released another competing architecture certification to the industry. IASA has spent 7 years developing this program with industry experts all around the world. You can find a great deal of details in their program overview along with their detailed certification presentation.

Below is a summary from their certification website:

IASA is using its 250 item Skill Set library, The CITA (Certified IT Architect) Certifications provide a consistent and reliable body of knowledge for IT Architects. In fact, IASA delayed the launch of an IT Architect Certification from its conception in 2004 until 2009 because the creation of that body of knowledge was key. Without a body of knowledge that can be used to certify an IT Architect, certification has no professional value. It took IASA to almost 5 years to construct a rich body of knowledge and to launch the certification.

The diagram below illustrates the IT Architecture body of knowledge: the IT Architecture Foundation pillars (Design, Quality Attributes, Human Dynamics, Business Technology Strategy and IT Environment) and the 3 IT Architecture Specialization (Software, Infrastructure and Information).

Resources

Thanks SPC09 and all of the Exhibitors!

2009-10-25T13:34:36-07:00

Kudos for Microsoft and all the Exhibitors that contributed to the success of this years SharePoint Conference. A lot of really great sessions and surprisingly close to 8,000 people this year. Close to double the size of last year and very close to the size of TechEd (9,000). Will the SharePoint conference surpass TechEd, I think it just might. SharePoint is application platform more than ever.

Not only did my team and I find a wealth of great content at the conference but had a blast at all the after events. There was something going on every night. The one big social was the 80’s party which had Huey Lewis and the News and 80’s stuff to play with(goofy 80’s sun glasses, classic arcades & XBox arcade games)

The networking socials were a hit as well, a few I went to was at the Mandalay poolside (PointBridge), Eye Candy x2 (Intelligent Effects and SharePint), Ghost Bar (CreativeMaven) and House of Blues (Catapult).

Thanks to dinnouti for all the great pictures.

RBA Consulting went all out with a suite at the Hardwood Suite in the Palms Casino! This suite that is famous for having stars from Hollywood stay has a half court basketball court, a pool table, professional locker rooms, built in bar, extra large jacuzzi tub, two master bedrooms, three extra large beds on the court that you can pull down, and two large lounge areas. Its about 10,000 square feet and two stories. If you want to stay there it will only set you back 25k…

On top of all this a good friend of mine got married in Vegas, Congrats Rob!

Forrester: Mapping out Your Organizations Road to SharePoint Success Session

2009-10-25T13:32:25-07:00

This was a great session that talked more about setting the expectation of what SharePoint really is, a Application Services Platform.

Great quote:

There isn’t one role but it takes a “village” of people to make it happen.

Making SharePoint Implementations Successful

In the presentation he went through the many roles it takes to successfully deploy a SharePoint platform. Thus, you must organize to capitalize. Below are the key roles needed:

Operations Manager
Solutions Architect (This is more of an EA role)
Network Analyst
Security Analyst
Librarian and records manager (I think of this more as an Information Architect)
Human Factors / UI Designer (I would call this UX Engineer or User Experience Designer)
Community Leader
Application Architect (Deep architect resource that know the bolts of SharePoint very well)
Collaboration Manager
Other IT Roles

Technorati Tags: SharePoint,Goverance

Twitter on SharePoint

2009-10-25T13:25:27-07:00

'MyPeeps' - What's on your mind? eGov 2.0 Kit 'My Peeps' templates enable social sharing of information within government entities and allows optional promotion of this information to public facing social networking sites. This solution’s major advantage is that it is hosted on-premise for “government-only” social networking and all information is kept internal unless otherwise tagged to be posted to Internet sites like Twitter or Facebook.

You can get it here:

http://egov.codeplex.com/

Technorati Tags: SharePoint,Social Computing

Using SharePoint as a Project Management Portal

2009-10-25T13:21:18-07:00

Dux and the folks over at Bamboo Solutions gave a presentation on using SharePoint as a Project Management portal. You can see not only from this presentation but from the Microsoft side the significant investments they are making to enrich the Microsoft Project management solution set.

Here are a list of examples:

Visual Studio Team System native integration with SharePoint
Project and Portfolio Service Merging in 2010
Project Server now riding on the SharePoint 2010 platform natively
Office Integration in general

In the presentation which is also summarized on Dux’s blog here:

http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-cms/spc09-the-future-of-sharepoint-project-management-005854.php?utm_source=MainRSSFeed&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=RSS-News

SharePoint can deliver to an organization is the ability to address project management challenges, such as inefficient communication among stakeholders, poor information management practices and undefined project collaboration standards that compromises project success.

Benefits of using SharePoint for Project Management

Centralize project information and communication in a SharePoint site
Automate project processes like change control process by utilizing built in SharePoint workflows
Efficiently interact with project information on a SharePoint site by integrating it with common Microsoft Office tools such as Word, Excel, and Outlook
Enable alerts to send automated reminders to project stakeholders
Define and monitor project tasks in the enhanced project task list which now shows task dependencies and a “Microsoft Project-like” Gantt view interface

To read the full article go to the full blog entry here.

Technorati Tags: SharePoint,Project Management

The Business Case for Social Media

2009-10-25T13:01:20-07:00

WebworldTech posted a great recap of a session I was in and thought I would share his great thoughts. You can find his post on The Business Case for Social Media here: http://blog.webworldtechnologies.com/?p=27

Value Proposition Highlights

Quality of dialog
Reduced storage costs due to centralized /de-duplicated storage
Communal information – tap in to corporate knowledge better
More rapid peer-to-peer computing
Collaborative problem solving
There’s a lot of BI that you can’t easily abstract with a chart or a spreadsheet – it’s a question that gets answered by SOMEBODY and that’s social networking to solve that
Decreased time-to-value for new employees

Technorati Tags: SharePoint,Social Computing