Windows SharePoint Services Version 3 learning & SBS 2008

As soon as we found out about the Microsoft Small Business Specialist Primer book being updated and released last December, we put in an order for some.

The book is going to be used to facilitate training here in the shop for those wanting to attempt the 70-282 exam: Designing, Deploying, and Managing a Network Solution for a Small- and Medium-Sized Business.

We were also interested in the new section for the 70-631 exam: TS: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Configuring. Since we have some up coming client demands for customizing SharePoint installations to their particular needs, this section was of particular interest to us.

To date, there has been a dearth of Windows SharePoint Services Version 3 (WSSv3) information out there. Yes, there are some documents one can download from Microsoft's Web site, but they really did not flesh out the how and why of WSSv3.

So, we were pretty excited to receive the SMBNation books in mid to late January.

One should be prepared, 70-631 gets three chapters devoted to it. So, it will give a really good medium to big picture of working with WSSv3 with some finer technical details. There are exam preparation questions at the end of each chapter to facilitate one's knowledge building endeavors.

So, to dive deeper into WSSv3, the various install scenarios, and customizing WSSv3 sites, we need something more.

We recently received these two books:

• Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Version 3.0 Inside Out (0735623236)


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• Mastering Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (0470127287)


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So far, the Microsoft book is by far the clearest and most organized of the two.

Our reading method is to work through the Microsoft chapter while augmenting what we read with the detailed information that can be had from the Sybex version. Both have very detailed information, but the MS book tends to be a little more intuitive in its layout and presentation.

Together, the two books are both technically excellent, providing good methodology for installing, configuring, and securing WSSv3 sites. Both come with CDs that provide an electronic version of the books, as well as multiple utilities, templates, and more.

For clients who discover WSSv3's abilities, the sky is the limit! WSSv3 is a sweet spot for revenue growth in our company. Having someone on staff who can work magic with site presentation as well as providing an excellent grasp on bringing the various WSSv3 components together specific to a client's needs is worth their weight in Gold.

One of the benefits we see with the new SBS 2008 Premium Edition that contains a stand-alone server license and SQL 2005 license is a dedicated database server for SharePoint. For busy internal and/or externally facing WSSv3 sites, having the ability to dedicated RAM and CPU power to the site can provide a very solid foundation for promoting an upgrade to SBS 2008 Premium.

Even smaller clients that utilize volumes of data for their business via VPN will see a huge benefit in dropping the VPN bandwidth overhead for access to their data on WSSv3 via a Remote Web Workplace SSL secure session.

In our opinion, all three books are highly recommended. For the MSBS Primer, check out SMBNation, for the other two, visit your favourite local technical book seller or online merchant.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

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