SharePoint 2010 is an extensible and scalable web-based platform consisting of tools and technologies that support the collaboration and sharing of information within teams, throughout the enterprise and on the web. The total package is a platform on which you can build business applications to help you better store, share, and manage digital information within your organization. Because you can build with or without code, the package empowers the average business user to create, deploy, and manage team websites, without depending on skilled resources, such as systems administrators or developers.
Using lists, libraries, and web parts, you can transform team websites into business applications built specifically around making your organization’s business processes more efficient.
SharePoint 2010 is composed of two primary components:
1. SharePoint Foundation 2010 is the free product that focuses specifically on the features and
functionality related to content storage, team collaboration, and document control.
2. SharePoint Server 2010 is the enterprise portal technology that includes all the features and
functionality of SharePoint Foundation 2010, as well as more advanced capabilities related to
business intelligence, search, content management, and data connectivity. For the purposes of
this book, we have chosen to focus specifically on the capabilities of SharePoint Server 2010.
In some cases, there will be overlap and features described in this book will also be available
within the Foundation version of the product.
