It is officially summer here in Virginia which means it is time to dig out your grills. Can anyone suggest the best BBQ sauce for cooking your cell phone?  -  Dooley

Top News Stories
Five Tips for Securing SharePoint Data (VoiceAndData)
SharePoint’s ability to function as a data repository and a collaboration platform has made it popular with many organisations. SharePoint does include some basic security building blocks – like permissions and auditing – but successfully harnessing these, and addressing some of the gaps in native SharePoint, is critical for achieving effective data security. Not only can SharePoint store an organisation’s sensitive business data, it can help automate business processes around that data. When organisations begin to leverage SharePoint as a core business system, the importance of securing SharePoint data and applications comes into focus.

When is the Right Time to Call Yourself a SharePoint Developer? (CMSWire)
While attending Microsoft TechEd 2012 in Orlando, Florida, I participated in a Birds of a Feather (BOF) session in which we discussed one of the more controversial topics within the SharePoint community: at what point can you call yourself a SharePoint developer?

Is Office 365 Suitable for Small Companies? (WindowsITPro)
An interesting “The Register” article on June 15 titled “Office 365: This cloud isn’t going to put any admins out of a job” contained some assertions that I thought were valid and worth repeating and some that seemed odd; but such is the nature of commentaries. The discussion focused on Exchange Online and ignored SharePoint Online and Lync Online. It often happens that Office 365 is equated to Exchange, possibly because email is the primary reason for companies to consider moving to Office 365.

Microsoft’s Surface Tablets: What Experts are Saying (PCWorld)
While nearly a week has passed since Microsoft announced its Surface tablets, details about the slates remain sketchy. What isn’t sketchy, though, are the strong opinions of technology watchers about the new devices. Without doubt, the Surface tablets — one line running Windows RT, the other running Windows 8 — have their fans and detractors, but most acknowledge the move will be a game-changer for Microsoft, whether it’s successful or it falls flat on its face.

As Microsoft Retools, Ballmer has Chance to Rewrite his CEO Legacy (CNET)
A year ago, the influential hedge fund manager David Einhorn was calling for Steve Ballmer’s head. It was time to give someone else a chance, Einhorn, the president of Greenlight Capital, told an investor conference. “His [Ballmer's] continued presence is the biggest overhang on Microsoft’s stock.”

 

Around the Blogosphere
Are You Still Using WSS 3.0 or MOSS 2007? (Stefan Goßner)
In case that the answer to the question above is “Yes” – be aware that mainstream support for this product will end at October 9th, 2012 (see on the official support lifecycle page). Extended support will be provided till October 10th, 2017.

Overcoming One of the Biggest Challenges We All Face (SharePoint Solutions Team Blog)
As a SharePoint consultant and instructor for SharePoint Solutions I work closely with a variety of other SharePoint professionals and users from a variety of different organizations and industries. These professionals openly share their challenges with me–their victories, their failures, and their ongoing battles. The thing that would surprise most of them is that the single biggest challenge each type of user faces (in every type of organization) is the exact same challenge. Unfortunately, they each see the challenge only from their own individual point of view. Not only that, they each initially seem to be incapable of seeing the problem from the other person’s perspective–so they don’t realize it’s the exact same problem.

Adding Visual Awesomeness to SharePoint (SharePoint Joel’s SharePoint Land)
I’m sure you’ve heard that SharePoint has a boring interface. I was even recently told the default SharePoint looks ugly. Well, that is a matter of opinion, but if you have to look at it every day… I may begin to agree with you. What I don’t agree with is that it is too hard to change the interface. With master pages there are easy ways of changing it. I’m not saying I think it’s easy to create a master page, but swapping one out and changing the overall look and feel can be easy with a few different master pages to choose from. Essentially, one can download master pages from a variety of places, create your own. The way to think about a SharePoint Master page is to think of changing the chrome and navigation. It is essentially something that can change your overall design and contains the CSS for fonts and styles. Another way to think about it is changing the brand for a site.

SharePoint Integrated SSRS Doesn’t like SQL Developer Edition (Todd Klindt’s SharePoint Admin Blog)
If you’ve read my blog one or twice or heard me speak at a conference you know how much developers pick on me. It’s like junior high all over again, but I am getting stuffed in fewer trash cans, so that’s nice. This week the vast developer conspiracy found a new way to stick it to me. I was just minding my own business, installing the SQL 2008 R2 version of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) for a customer. After I got the bits installed I started configuring SSRS and I got this lovely message:

How to Publish a Post to a SharePoint 2010 Blog Directly from Microsoft Word (SharePoint Blank)
Longtime readers may recall that, a few years ago, I wrote a post detailing how to publish to a SharePoint 2007 blog directly from Word. Well, guess who just yesterday published his first post to a SharePoint 2010 blog and is here to tell you how easy it was? That’s right, this guy! (Miss me?) The first step in the process is to select the File tab in Word. Well, actually, that’s not true, the first step is to have created a SharePoint 2010 blog (or have had one created for you), and the second step is to have written the content of a blog post, so technically we’re starting at the third step, but that’s neither here nor there. For our purposes, we’re going to call selecting the File tab in Word from your already written soon-to-be blog post “step one” and go from there, shall we?

The Woes of Forefront UAG and SharePoint 2010 … and the Workarounds for Them (The Bamboo Team Blog)
Bamboo recently upgraded our portal security from Microsoft ISA (Internet Security and Acceleration) to Forefront UAG (Unified Access Gateway) 2010. This creates a centralized gateway which allows users to login once, and quickly access links to Microsoft Web applications including on-premises SharePoint and Exchange Web Mail while still providing powerful security… but it comes at a cost.

How to Create a SharePoint 2010 Project Without SharePoint Server (SharePoint 2010)
As a SharePoint developer, Visual Studio 2010 is essential for creating SharePoint solutions. One of the limitations of Visual Studio development for SharePoint, however, is that SharePoint must be installed on the same server as Visual Studio. If your development box is an Intel Core i7 (Ivy Bridge) with 16GB memory and SSD, everything is going to work great! But let’s face it… most of us are given older machines with, say, 4GB memory and an old fashioned hard drive which slows the pace of development to a crawl. Management just doesn’t understand why you need server-level performance to in order to develop.

 

SharePoint Job Listings*
SharePoint Engineer – Seattle, WA
The SharePoint Engineer will be responsible for providing Tier 3 / escalations support of customer environments that are based on either Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.   The SharePoint Engineer will demonstrate the value of our Network Operations Center functions to clients as well as assisting with building a team to offer world class service and support in a managed service solution.  These roles will serve as experts in SharePoint-based collaboration solutions and help to build knowledge and expertise within our practice.

SharePoint Web Developer / Secret Clearance Required – Honolulu, Hawaii
Seeking a Web/SharePoint Developer to support the design, development, and deployment of custom Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007/10 sites, web parts, features, and solutions for the United States ‘BILAT’ Program supporting the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD/I). The candidate will be responsible for meeting with Staff Officers, end users, and Senior Management to define requirements and to develop solutions using the SharePoint Object Model. The ideal candidate will possess effective communication and interpersonal skills to build and maintain working relationships with clients. The developer will also be expected to prepare and maintain related technical documentation.

 

Microsoft Updates
Vehicle Manufacturer Propels Customer Engagement with Digital Marketing Solutions (Microsoft)
Polaris Industries, a maker of recreational vehicles, wanted to better engage with customers to generate higher sales and revenues. The company implemented a solution that takes advantage of the Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 digital marketing platform along with technologies from Webtrends and GNet Group. Now, Polaris marketers use web-based dashboards to gauge the effectiveness of their marketing strategies. The solution integrates data from numerous channels to provide insights about the performance of each Polaris brand’s effectiveness in reaching consumers—much faster than before. For instance, Polaris produces real-time reports to measure engagement on its website and in other channels to improve engagement and optimize its marketing investments. Since implementing the solution, Polaris has achieved a double-digit reduction in “bounce rate” and cost-per-visit for its online ads.

 

SharePoint Events*

• June 25-27, Denver, Colorado – SharePoint Fest
• June 26, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• June 26, Online – Business Critical SharePoint:  ECM for the Enterprise
• June 27, Online – SharePoint Portal Solutions – Aligning Business Process, User Needs and Content
• June 27, Online – Responsive Web Design for SharePoint 2010
• June 28, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Time Tracking & Management Webinar
• June 30, Dayton, Ohio – SharePoint Saturday
• June 30, Adelaide, Australia - SharePoint Saturday
• June 30, San Diego, California – SharePoint Saturday
• July 7, Toronto, ON – SharePoint Saturday
• July 10, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• July 10, Online – Bamboo Knowledge Management Webinar
• July 11, Online – SharePoint as a Platform in a Highly Regulated Environment
• July 12, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Workflow Conductor Webinar
• July 17, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• July 17, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Community Central Webinar
• July 19, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• July 19, Online – Webinar: NewsGator Gives Benco Dental Social Bite
• July 19, Online – Integrating Office 365 With the Rest of Your Enterprise – Best Practices & Common Pitfalls
• July 24, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Project Management Central Webinar
• July 26, Online – Bamboo SharePoint Time Tracking & Management Webinar
• July 28, New York, New York – SharePoint Saturday
• July 28, Louisville, Kentucky – SharePoint Saturday
• September 25-27, Chicago, Illinois – SharePoint Fest

 

SharePoint Training*

• June 25-29, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint 2010 Core Technologies – Mindsharp
• June 26, Online – Project Management Central End User Training – Bamboo Solutions
• June 26-27, Arlington, Virginia – Introduction to SharePoint Foundation 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• June 26-29, Arlington, Virginia – Introduction to SharePoint Server 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• July 3, Online – Workflow Conductor Designer Training – Bamboo Solutions
• July 9-13, Online – SharePoint 2010 Foundation Developer – Mindsharp
• July 10-13, Nashville, Tennessee – InfoPath 2010/SharePoint 2010 Workflow Deep Dive – SharePoint Solutions
• July 10-13, Online – SharePoint 2010 Power End User – Mindsharp
• July 13, Online – Bamboo Select – Bamboo Solutions
• July 16-20, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint 2010 Advanced Developer – Mindsharp
• July 16-20, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint 2010 Designer – Mindsharp
• July 17-18, Chicago, Illinois – Introduction to SharePoint Foundation 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• July 17-20, Chicago, Illinois – Introduction to SharePoint Server 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• July 18, Online – Project Management Central (3.0) Application Administrative Training – Bamboo Solutions
• July, Online – Project Management Central (3.0) Application Administrative Training – Session 2 – Bamboo Solutions
• July 19, Online – SharePoint Re-Design And User Adoption Seminar – Mindsharp
• July 23-27, Online – SharePoint 2010 Core Technologies – Mindsharp
• July 24, Online – Project Management Central End User Training – Bamboo Solutions
• July 24-26, Dallas, Texas – Introduction to SharePoint 2010 for Server Administrators – SharePoint Solutions
• July 30-Aug 3, Online – SharePoint 2010 Power End User – Mindsharp
• July 30-Aug 3, Online – SharePoint 2010 Foundation Developer – Mindsharp
• August 1-3, Minneapolis, Minnesota – SharePoint Information Architecture – How to Optimize Findability in SharePoint- Earley & Associates
• August 7, Online – Workflow Conductor Designer Training – Bamboo Solutions
• August 7-10, Washington, DC – InfoPath 2010/SharePoint 2010 Workflow Deep Dive  – SharePoint Solutions
• August 14-17, Dallas, Texas – Introduction to SharePoint Server 2010 – SharePoint Solutions
• August 21-23, Nashville, Tennessee – Introduction to SharePoint 2010 for Server Administrators – SharePoint Solutions
• August 22, Online – Project Management Central (3.0) Application Administrative Training – Bamboo Solutions
• August 24, Online – Bamboo Select – Bamboo Solutions
• August 28, Online – Project Management Central End User Training – Bamboo Solutions
• August 28-30, Toronto, ON – SharePoint Information Architecture – How to Optimize Findability in SharePoint – Earley & Associates
• August 28-31, Chicago, Illinois – InfoPath 2010/SharePoint 2010 Workflow Deep Dive – SharePoint Solutions

* Please contact Chris Dooley (chris.dooley@bamboosolutions.com) to be included in SharePoint Daily™.

 

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