Some SharePoint® users still claim there is no big difference between this and the previous release, while others point to potentially huge differences in what they see as critical areas.

So who’s right?

Only an organization looking at the available options, paying attention or not paying attention, can make what will ultimately prove to be the right or wrong decision. Let’s look at some SharePoint 2016 potential pros and cons.

Potential Upside

Those aware of SharePoint 2016 as “hybrid at the core” should look into what that could mean for their businesses, but also beyond that to discover what else the new release is. With its Zero Downtime feature, better scalability, enhanced file management and, importantly, improved UX (user experience), SharePoint 2016 could enhance your communication and collaboration needs substantially.

The Need for Stability and Speed

Upgrading from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint 2016 is faster and simpler than upgrading from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013; and it’s ultimately more stable. More on that here. Also, search is faster and new and quicker ways to create site and site collections are also available.

File Management

When a document is moved to a different location, SharePoint 2016 ensures the links that pointed to that document will update automatically. Users are also able to name files using special characters, such as tilde, curly brackets and the ampersand, while also having file names longer than 128 characters.

Scalability

Slowdown is often an issue when SharePoint is scaled up for more users and/or content. SharePoint 2016 fixes the issue, which should be taken onboard if you’re growing quickly or anticipating growth and wish to avoid problems in the future. Maximum file size, list view threshold, limit on index items have all been increased so that large quantities of data will be easier to manage. With that in mind:

Zero Downtime

Zero Downtime is enabled when the server is set up with a MinRole topology, or rather a topology with high availability. More on that here. Software updates come without any compromise of service level agreements and the promise of minimized downtime and user disruption.

Hybrid

SQL Server 2016 has been touted as “the first database born in the cloud” and it backs that up with a complete database platform for hybrid cloud. Your business has the option to build, deploy and manage solutions across on-premises and cloud – with compute capacity, virtually infinite storage and “Always Encrypted” technology for data protection.

Enhanced UX

End User adoption is a big issue for many, so SharePoint 2016 introduces changes to the user interface to hopefully help solve the problem. Elements from Office 365, like the Office 365 ribbon and the App Launcher, along with a touch-friendly interface for mobile devices, bring SharePoint into the new age of mobility and provide work-from-anywhere flexibility.

Because your business is unique, you do need to get past all the hype and the sweeping statements about SharePoint 2016 and get down to the details. Only then will you really know if this investment of time and money has the kind of potential returns to make it worthwhile. Each positive and each negative is only really big or small based on your needs, strategies, and long-term goals.

Potential downside

Let’s make a nice, easy start and talk money. What does this investment cost? A good question if you’re ever going to evaluate the potential returns for your business. Items to consider would be, for example, migration of data and content, employee training and user-adoption of new elements, buying or upgrading licenses.

For an investment many describe as not much different than previous versions, the cumulative time-and-cost factor for the above examples may be a decider. But is this version really not much different?

Foundation

As most readers of Bamboo Nation will almost certainly know, SharePoint Foundation is the free, limited capability on-prem SharePoint deployment – and not available with the new release. This could be seen from the point of view that WSS/Foundation was initially designed to create an easy entry into the world of SharePoint; something that is now being covered by Office 365.

Single Server, anyone?

Installing software on a single server has been possible with SharePoint – until now. SQL needs its own server. You may have the option, though, of cloud server installation. Of course, the balancing question would be: What does SQL give my business? See the section above or read more here.

Customized Workflows

Companies with unique requirements (Are there really any without those?), and who have opted for third-party software apps, may find tools to be either incompatible with SharePoint 2016, or requiring upgrade license fees. Again, balancing out the pros and cons of ROI against time and cost is advisable.

SharePoint Designer and InfoPath

The word “depreciation” has been swirling around Designer and InfoPath for a long time, but it really boils down to the fact there is no new client version of either. Still, if you use Designer 2013 (Quick Tip: Visual Studio and PowerShell!) and InfoPath 2013, Microsoft will support them through 2026.

Excel Services

Excel Services and its associated intelligence capabilities will not be hosted on SharePoint Server; however, Excel Services functionality is part of Excel Online in Office Online Server. Learn more.

For more information on what’s deprecated or removed from SharePoint 2016, go here.

For more information on new and improved features in SharePoint 2016, go here.

To learn more about our SharePoint 2016 solutions, go here.

In Douglas Adams’ classic “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” a character relates a story in which a super-computer is asked to calculate:

“The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.”

And comes to the conclusion: 42.

The answer is incomprehensible because the beings who asked didn’t know what they were asking – and it is decided that another computer must be built to calculate the correct question.

And so to the question of SharePoint, the cloud, hybrid, social… Where are we going? How should we use the options we have? What is the answer to the ultimate question of collaboration, best practices and streamlining our organizations for maximum efficiency and ROI?

The conclusion is: UX.

From the mighty powerhouse that is Microsoft and its in-house geniuses and innovators, to individual businesses and their need for improved collaboration, all can be brought to their knees by UX. Or User Experience.

Why? Because all technology is created for the user of that technology. It’s that simple. No matter what vision is experienced by the creator, what plan is mapped out for the future, what product is sold as the “way ahead,” only the user’s experience of interacting with it can decide if it has any future at all.

Luckily for Microsoft, a lot of attention is paid to the fact that the ultimate computer is the human brain; and that, located nearby, is a pair of ears. Excited by the potential of the cloud and confident in its ability to provide robust data security, Microsoft initially pushed the transition to cloud very strongly; but, while enthusing about the vast potential and ROI of the cloud solution, it also listened.

The softer step forward into, for example, hybrid innovation, helps businesses adapt and make their own choices their own way. And in their own time. Providing time to adapt is a smart move, particularly as some may decide that on-prem remains the solution for them, while others move to the cloud.

Many businesses are finding success in similar ways: listening to the needs of their teams and learning how to tailor SharePoint to their businesses, investing in solutions outside the box that work for them and their end users. Also, in the earliest stages, investing in a little time and training to facilitate an easier transition. Moving ahead this way is ultimately more rewarding for everybody involved.

Offering solutions that simplify processes, by giving UX priority consideration, and having experts on hand to listen to any issue, is also The Bamboo® Way.

For all the talk about the inevitability of the cloud as the future of communication and collaboration, nothing changes that one critical question:  Is migration to the cloud the best way forward for my business? Here are some points to consider – many of which have two sides.

Downside of Cloud

Trust

The “deal-breaking” element of the cloud solution really boils down to trust. Various changing factors can affect the trust-level with a provider and service-level agreements need to be carefully considered.

Individuality

You understand every element of your business, which problems to prioritize, and when and how you need to target issues. A provider doesn’t. And may not respond in a timely manner anyway.

Latency

This can be a problem for organizations using the internet to access their cloud data. The more your company depends on predictable, low frequency times, the more of a problem this could become.

Accessibility

Some countries restrict access to various types of internet content. A global company operating out of different countries can also experience bandwidth issues, causing other accessibility issues.

Regulations

Companies taking the cloud option may have to take government regulations into account when deciding how sensitive data is to be stored and used. Which government? And where? Good questions.

Upside of Cloud

Costs

From an up-front-costs perspective, huge savings can be made by not having to run and maintain in-house servers, or pay consultants. As a subscriber, there is potential to categorize these as operational expenses for tax purposes.

Anywhere, Anytime Collaboration

This is what it’s all about: Work offsite and stay in the loop, with no need to set up a VPN. In effect, anywhere you have a device, you have your office, with communication and collaboration functionality.

Hybrid

This is where your company gets to pick and choose from a combination of traditional and cloud options. The promise here is a seamless extension of on-premises data to the cloud.

Deployment

A deployment that could take months from an on-premises perspective, can be achieved with incredible speed and efficiency using the cloud option.

Updates

Automatic updates, as opposed to upgrades, can make a big difference, with updates taking place behind the scenes and not interrupting your work day at all.

Downside of On-Premises

Costs

Firstly, there is the cost of hardware and storage, including hardware and software maintenance; then licensing for necessary features, talented support personnel and, of course, the electricity bill.

Expertise

Hiring and retaining talent can be a big issue, especially where niche skills are required. The cloud option comes with top talent in place – although not necessarily on-hand to deal with your specific issues.

Deployment

Customization can slow the eventual move to upgrades of other software and systems. There is a slower cycle to release updates and many changes involve heavy IT intervention.

Scalability

Cost and cost-effectiveness is a real issue here. The cloud option offers scale of services in a way that is powerful, affordable and easy to accommodate.

Downtime

Outages happen across the board, but with the on-prem solution, it is up to you to deal with the issue or issues at hand and get things back on track, regardless of costs, time, maintenance, or anything else.

Upside of On-Premises

Costs

Potentially, the long term costs of on-prem: annual maintenance fees, one-time license fees, perpetual license models, are generally lower than the cumulative recurring costs of SaaS software. The oft cited break-even point is between two and three years. Consider options and variables carefully.

Security

You take responsibility for security, but you don’t have to worry about potential legal hassles from governments or providers. What’s yours is yours; you just have to be willing to take responsibility for it and rigorously protect it.

 User Access

What’s this doing in this section? Well, not being reliant on the cloud can be a big plus; particularly in areas where access is not reliable, or in places where it may not be desirable for your business.

Customization

You deploy according to your needs; build or buy solutions to tailor a complete system designed specifically for your business. Buying rather than building can also negate some powerful downsides in this area.

Trust

Let’s end where we started. In business, as in life, trust is key to so much. With on-prem you are compelled only to trust yourself and your own people. If you can do that, you’re in a very good place.

 Summary

It has been pointed out that current debates about cloud providers can be compared to “back-in-the-day” debates about hosting providers. Or, if you are able (and willing), to go back so far that you find yourself wearing a Miami-Vice jacket, complete with padded shoulders and rolled up sleeves (male or female), you may recall heated debates about mainframe vs desktop.

The move to cloud may seem inevitable, and is being pushed as such, but what history really teaches us is that each potential way forward needs to be studied rigorously and debated thoroughly, with current needs and future goals carefully structured as part of a well-planned strategy. If you find yourself needing help to form a well-planned strategy or find yourself mired in the details of a new or existing on-prem environment, check us out here.

Some SharePoint® users still claim there is no big difference between this and the previous release, while others point to potentially huge differences in what they see as critical areas.

So who’s right?

Only an organization looking at the available options, paying attention or not paying attention, can make what will ultimately prove to be the right or wrong decision. Let’s look at some SharePoint 2016 potential pros and cons.

Potential Upside

Those aware of SharePoint 2016 as “hybrid at the core” should look into what that could mean for their businesses, but also beyond that to discover what else the new release is. With its Zero Downtime feature, better scalability, enhanced file management and, importantly, improved UX (user experience), SharePoint 2016 could enhance your communication and collaboration needs substantially.

The Need for Stability and Speed

Upgrading from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint 2016 is faster and simpler than upgrading from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013; and it’s ultimately more stable. More on that here. Also, search is faster and new and quicker ways to create site and site collections are also available.

File Management

When a document is moved to a different location, SharePoint 2016 ensures the links that pointed to that document will update automatically. Users are also able to name files using special characters, such as tilde, curly brackets and the ampersand, while also having file names longer than 128 characters.

Scalability

Slowdown is often an issue when SharePoint is scaled up for more users and/or content. SharePoint 2016 fixes the issue, which should be taken onboard if you’re growing quickly or anticipating growth and wish to avoid problems in the future. Maximum file size, list view threshold, limit on index items have all been increased so that large quantities of data will be easier to manage. With that in mind:

Zero Downtime

Zero Downtime is enabled when the server is set up with a MinRole topology, or rather a topology with high availability. More on that here. Software updates come without any compromise of service level agreements and the promise of minimized downtime and user disruption.

Hybrid

SQL Server 2016 has been touted as “the first database born in the cloud” and it backs that up with a complete database platform for hybrid cloud. Your business has the option to build, deploy and manage solutions across on-premises and cloud – with compute capacity, virtually infinite storage and “Always Encrypted” technology for data protection.

Enhanced UX

End User adoption is a big issue for many, so SharePoint 2016 introduces changes to the user interface to hopefully help solve the problem. Elements from Office 365, like the Office 365 ribbon and the App Launcher, along with a touch-friendly interface for mobile devices, bring SharePoint into the new age of mobility and provide work-from-anywhere flexibility.

Because your business is unique, you do need to get past all the hype and the sweeping statements about SharePoint 2016 and get down to the details. Only then will you really know if this investment of time and money has the kind of potential returns to make it worthwhile. Each positive and each negative is only really big or small based on your needs, strategies, and long-term goals.

Potential downside

Let’s make a nice, easy start and talk money. What does this investment cost? A good question if you’re ever going to evaluate the potential returns for your business. Items to consider would be, for example, migration of data and content, employee training and user-adoption of new elements, buying or upgrading licenses.

For an investment many describe as not much different than previous versions, the cumulative time-and-cost factor for the above examples may be a decider. But is this version really not much different?

Foundation

As most readers of Bamboo Nation will almost certainly know, SharePoint Foundation is the free, limited capability on-prem SharePoint deployment – and not available with the new release. This could be seen from the point of view that WSS/Foundation was initially designed to create an easy entry into the world of SharePoint; something that is now being covered by Office 365.

Single Server, anyone?

Installing software on a single server has been possible with SharePoint – until now. SQL needs its own server. You may have the option, though, of cloud server installation. Of course, the balancing question would be: What does SQL give my business? See the section above or read more here.

Customized Workflows

Companies with unique requirements (Are there really any without those?), and who have opted for third-party software apps, may find tools to be either incompatible with SharePoint 2016, or requiring upgrade license fees. Again, balancing out the pros and cons of ROI against time and cost is advisable.

SharePoint Designer and InfoPath

The word “depreciation” has been swirling around Designer and InfoPath for a long time, but it really boils down to the fact there is no new client version of either. Still, if you use Designer 2013 (Quick Tip: Visual Studio and PowerShell!) and InfoPath 2013, Microsoft will support them through 2026.

Excel Services

Excel Services and its associated intelligence capabilities will not be hosted on SharePoint Server; however, Excel Services functionality is part of Excel Online in Office Online Server. Learn more.

For more information on what’s deprecated or removed from SharePoint 2016, go here.

For more information on new and improved features in SharePoint 2016, go here.

To learn more about our SharePoint 2016 solutions, go here.