SharePoint Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is SharePoint?
- Why would you use it?
- What other benefits are there?
- How do you use it?
- Do I need the VPN to Access SharePoint?
What is Sharepoint?
SharePoint is the newest service from the IT division. SharePoint is currently being piloted to IQP and MQP groups and project teams will be the primary target audience for this new service.
Why would you use it?
The primary benefit of SharePoint is the ability to have a document library that maintains multiple iterations of a single document as separate versions as well as allowing users to "check-out" documents when they are being edited to prevent multiple people making edits at once.
Students are welcome to use as many or as few of these features as they wish for their project. There is also the ability to connect most of these repositories directly with Outlook 2007. You can open Word and Excel 2007 documents directly from the application without actually going to the web page. SharePoint also allows you to subscribe to an RSS feed for most components to find out when new items are available as well as setting up e-mail alerts.
What other benefits are there?
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Picture Library - allows you to have a single repository for all pictures and diagrams that you may end up using in your final paper or any posters
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Discussion Board
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Wiki Pages - allows you to use wiki pages to create dynamic and easily edited pages
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Shared Contacts - You can store all contact information for anyone related to your project such as project sponsors and other important people
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Shared Calendar - You can populate a calendar with all team related dates and times so there is a single reference point for all schedule information
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Task list - The task list allows you to create tasks, set its completion levels, and assign it to a particular person.
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Blog - The blog will allow you and your team members to create journal entries about your project as you go forward, complete with the ability to do commenting on those entries.
How do you use it?
Students interested in using SharePoint in their projects should contact the WPI Helpdesk and we will work with project teams to teach them how to use the software. The main site is located at https://home.sharepoint.wpi.edu.
Do I need the VPN to Access SharePoint?
No, you do not need the VPN to access SharePoint. SharePoint is encrypted with SSL encryption so your data is secure when transferring it over the network. This is the same encryption used by banks and other financial and commerce websites.
Maintained by itweb.Last modified: Nov 03, 2009, 03:49 UTC
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