#LoveMustRise South Africa!

The news has been inundated with calls to things that “must fall”.  Some of these are followed with violence and destruction of property amounting to hundreds of millions of Rands.  I find it curious that there is only talk of breaking things down.

Where is the talk in the media of building things up?  Of uniting a nation?  Of working together to make this country as great as it can be? Of forgiveness?  Of love for your fellow man?  Of building new systems?  Of building better businesses? Of better relationships?

There is a lot of negative talk on the airwaves in South Africa in the public and private domain.  I firmly believe it is a very small sector of the population being ignited to destabilize our amazing country.  I urge all South Africans to look past the hype to see who is pulling strings, and stop putting fuel on the fire.

Look around you – in your day to day life, do you see the violence and hate the media portrays?  Or do you see people just trying to make a living and get through the day?

That notwithstanding, fighting against something is like saying you’re going to war to win back peace.  It doesn’t work like that.  It’s funny how none of the “must fall” campaigners can explain what is it they do want.  What you resist persists.  It’s funny how people don’t want to heal the rage and anger in themselves, and instead project those fears onto others then wonder why the world is in the state that it is in.  Yes there have been atrocities, but there are FAR greater atrocities being carried out on this whole planet right now – stop being distracted by the media who is trying to divide us even further!

The only way things will get better, is if YOU get better.  Harbouring hate and anger and jealousy will manifest in terrible ways in your life, and make your experience on earth reflect just how you feel.  I know, I’ve been there.  It has taken me years to let go of all that, and my life has changed in ways I still can’t believe.

So more love, less hate.  More kindness, less judgement.  More empathy, less jealousy. More compassion, less anger.  More being part of positive change, less destruction of private property.  More celebrating of ideas, less breaking down of people who come up with them.  More listening, less talking.

Try for just one day to think only positive and loving thoughts – for just one day let go of the anger.  Because if 52 million people did that for just one day, think how different our world could be.  Be accountable for your part in the way the world works.  And focus on what you do want.

Filed under: Leadership
by Veronique Palmer via Views from Veronique

Thanks Microsoft: We Got Publishing Features Enabled

Those of you who know me realize that I can be a grouchy, cantankerous old cuss.:)

It seemed wrong to use a picture of myself, so I stole this from http://ift.tt/2e7M1Va

But every once in a while, I have a good experience that I really should share so that people don’t think I can only be grumpy.

Today is one of those days. But it’s a bit plus and minus.

I’ve had a support ticket open with Microsoft for exactly a month today about an Office 365 tenant where we couldn’t activate the Site Feature for SharePoint Server Publishing.

It was originally activated (we can’t track down the history), but wasn’t fully “there”. Some of the capabilities weren’t working. So I deactivated it and tried to reactivate. Every time, the dreaded “An unexpected error has occurred.” But a correlation ID!

I’ll admit it, I’m not enamored of Microsoft support. My experience over the years has been spotty at best and this case was not a good showing. We bounced back and forth to various people “out there”. (It’s the cloud, so it doesn’t matter where they are, right?)

When we hit a month to the day today, I decided I would highlight the – erm – challenges here to Adam Harmetz (@AdamHarmetz ) at Microsoft. I’m very careful how I use my connections at Microsoft, as I don’t want to be “that guy”. Sometimes I’m “that guy”, but I try not to be. Really, I do. Truly. Most of the time.

Well, within two hours, we had the problem solved. (Adam wasn’t awake when I sent the email.) I worked with two stellar guys at Premiere Support who *really* knew their stuff.

In the words from the follow up email from the engineer I worked with:

We found that the publishing feature was failing to create the PageNotFoundError page in the Pages library, so after validating that the page layout and content types were in good shape we grabbed a healthy page from a new publishing site, moved it over to the target site, and verified that the publishing web feature was able to be activated without a hitch.

Note that I’m not giving out the two stellar guys’ names. I don’t want them to be inundated with requests! But I know who they are.

So why does all this matter? Frankly, it doesn’t matter that much that I pulled some strings and got my problem solved. We had been working around it and would have solved it eventually through normal channels.

What really matters is the fact that Adam and Stellar Guy No. 1 are going to take this case and try to make things better with it. The way it all played out is a bad user experience. Yes, UX isn’t just something on a computer screen. Every aspect of our interactions with Microsoft affects our perception of the company and its products.

These days, Microsoft can take something like this and make changes to ensure they don’t happen again. A few years ago, I would have openly complained about the fact that they weren’t a learning organization; today they are, and a fast-learning one at that.

That doesn’t mean that my next support experience – or yours – is going to be perfect. But it does mean that it might be a bit better. I long for the day when there will be no need at all to pull strings to reach a good conclusion, and I want to help Microsoft get there.

by Marc D Anderson via Marc D Anderson's Blog

Considerations When Deploying SharePoint as an Extranet Site

Organizations deploy SharePoint as an extranet site for a variety of reasons. Regardless of the ‘why’, many variables need to be seriously considered in order to provide the most stable and secure transition to an extranet site. Organizations can, of course, deploy SharePoint as an Extranet site using custom Forms Based Authentication.  However, there are better, safer, and more impressive ways to achieve a similar goal.

When deploying SharePoint as an extranet site, consider the following actions as pitstops for success.

• Create a Customer Facing Login Portal

The SharePoint login portal was not built for external access. The overall look and feel is very bland, and the login does not include support for the features required to securely add new users to your SharePoint page.

When deploying SharePoint as an extranet site, consider using a fully branded login portal. Providing a consistent look and feel throughout your website improves usability and familiarity, and assures new and returning users that they are in the right place. Additionally, a customized web portal opens the door to additional features necessary for a successful extranet deployment of SharePoint.

• Automatic Registration to Your Local Directory

Let’s face it: your local IT Staff have quite enough to deal with already, and that is without the extra strain of manually registering vendors, business partners, or customers who request access to your SharePoint extranet site.

To successfully deploy SharePoint as an extranet site, self-service registration will substantially reduce the strain on local resources. In the long term, this addition will even save you money!

Proper implementation of automatic registration provides organization of new users into the appropriate group for privileging, and even opens the door to self-service functionality for improved usability and reduced IT strain. It’s a win-win!

• Managing Authentication Security

Of course, it is not enough for additional users to be registered quickly and securely. New users still need to be assigned the appropriate security polices for access management. On the surface, this can be a real hurdle to successfully deploy SharePoint as an extranet site. However, proper implementation of the previous steps will filter each new user to the appropriate OU in your directory.

From there, SharePoint administrators are only required to apply adequate authentication and security polices for each OU. This is much easier without sacrificing granularity or flexibility.

When deploying SharePoint as an extranet site, it is important to keep the following security considerations in mind:

• Password Policies
• Multifactor Authentication Requirements
• Increased Security for specific access scenarios (Risk-Based)
• Seamless Authentication to Linked Applications

When you deploy SharePoint as an extranet site, you may also want to provide users with access to additional resources. This could mean connecting to an additional SharePoint instance, or using local credentials for accessing other extranet applications.

With the appropriate implementation, organizations can also provide Single Sign-On access to additional applications and resources directly from SharePoint. Simply federate logins using industry standards or forms-based authentication, and new and existing users can access related web applications without the annoyance of multiple login prompts.

Remember, a successful User Experience can make or break a deployment of SharePoint as an extranet site. Streamlining the process not only helps reduce user frustration, but it improves the credibility of your organization and the resources you have to offer.

Partnering with the Right Solution – Bend, Don’t Break

Alongside the right authentication solution, SharePoint is a fantastic extranet platform. SharePoint is flexible enough to be used for resource management, collaboration, and even as a jump-off point for other applications. Not to mention, many organizations already have a significant investment in SharePoint for an enterprise-level intranet portal. Scrapping that investment for a new solution to support extranet access is unnecessary, and downright fiscally irresponsible.

Thankfully, many solutions exist to help you deploy SharePoint as an extranet site. In order to limit confusion, some solutions provide only limited functionality. Others provide a fully integrated authentication package for SharePoint which helps deploy SharePoint as an extranet site without the fuss.

Do not sacrifice your existing investments – deploy SharePoint as an extranet site today!

by Christopher R. Perry via Everyone's Blog Posts - SharePoint Community

October 2016 CU for SharePoint Server 2013 CU is out :Fix for Follow count web part issue is included in this CU

Microsoft has released the October 2016 CU for SharePoint server 2013 and it’s available for download from the below mentioned link .

http://ift.tt/2dbUtWM

As previously mentioned in my blog, the fix for the “Follow count web part” issue has been included on this CU. You can verify that by taking a look at the “Improvement and Fixes” section of this CU.

Improvement and Fixes: _ http://ift.tt/2dbYeuY

Please check this link to know in detail about the “Follow count web part” issue which got introduced in August 2015 CU. I’ve given a detailed explanation about this issue on a previous blog post .

So the bottom line here is , if you’re facing the “ Follow count web part “ issue in your environment where-in clicking on the “Follow count web part” throws you an error stating“Followed Count Web Part can’t be displayed because of null reference exception” then patching your environment with October 2016 CU should fix it .

Happy SharePointing !!!  Thanks for reading this post .

by Vignesh Ganesan via Everyone's Blog Posts - SharePoint Community

Using SharePoint for Your Workflow Management to Be in Full Sail

In the life of any midsized company, there comes the moment when day-to-day workflows start to slip from its employees’ attention, and this is a disturbing sign they actually need to be structured. That’s not an easy moment as in a split second the dilemma arises: to choose a complex and expensive workflow management tool or to stay with the familiar, cost-effective and agile email? What to do if your email-based system turns to be exhausted but custom solutions are too complex? Let SharePoint be your ship captain to bring you to the right decision.

Sinking in the email ocean

Not so long ago, email was the only way of corporate communication. Even now employees use emails heavily. Actually, there is no need to dump it. Email systems are known to be our reliable partners delivering information non-stop. Moreover, using email doesn’t require any specific programming skills or investments.

So we can easily do with email only until our email boxes become rather similar to an uncontrollable whirlpool when it comes to more complex processes. We should admit that email is quite inadequate to handle sophisticated workflows. It doesn’t allow to track workflows in their entirety or define their status of completeness, as well as get back to their previous stages. 

A cruiser in the river

Wishing to break free from this email slavery, we enter the world of diverse enterprise systems, which provide rich functionality and are claimed to handle processes of any scope.

On the one hand, complex solutions are really efficient owing to their wraparound character. Having some innovative software on board, you can use it like a magic stick to deal with a huge amount of data, to follow thoroughly every stage of your workflows and employees’ performance, to get comprehensive reporting.

On the other hand, any enterprise system should be thoroughly tailored. No complex solution can be deployed without assistance. Thus you need to plan extra investments to hire external consultants and developers.

However, even having extra forces on board doesn’t guarantee bright results. Complex solutions usually require strict, built-in workflow logic that can be different to the one you are using. This can lead to a workflow slowdown or even a workflow break (e.g. when the system requests data that you don’t have).

The end of such an implementation looks sad as your workflow ship becomes a huge luxury cruiser in the river that risks to run aground. Having made a brave step forward toward the innovation, you would be cruelly pushed back to renew that close email or Excel friendship.

Riding workflow waves

When email is no more capable to cover your workflow management needs and specialized software leads your business to even more difficulties, SharePoint is what can show you a good way out of this puzzle. On the IT market since 2001, SharePoint proved its effectiveness many times as a first-aid workflow kit for midsized companies. Though not a universal solution, SharePoint can still accommodate your individual workflows when customized either by in-house developers or external IT consultants.

As a web application, SharePoint doesn’t tie users to PCs as it’s also available on mobile devices. An integral part of Office 365, SharePoint Online can be a great solution for Cloud advocates. A special Workflow Manager add-in for SharePoint developed by ScienceSoft is another useful tool to manage workflows on your site. It allows users to see the list of website workflows, filter lists by name or workflow instances by status and definition name, to resume and suspend workflow instances, to view error notifications, etc.

Heading for procurement

To illustrate how SharePoint helps all the involved departments, we use the example of procurement workflows. Unless your company is among those relying heavily on procurement, such as large retail, wholesale, construction or manufacturing players with complex workflows, SharePoint can streamline your processes to let you reduce expenses as well as save your employees’ valuable time.

FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION OF SHAREPOINT FOR PROCUREMENT WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT

Features	Email	SharePoint	Specialized procurement system
Automated procurement order (PO) creation & approval	A user can only send a PO to a supplier	A user can create PO templates; create POs and approve the manually after the system sends a notification	A PO can be created and approved automatically
Vendor management	A user contacts a vendor manually, subject to human errors	The system notifies workflow participants when communication is needed	Multiple VM tools are available (vendor information monitoring, vendor assessment and comparison, vendor performance evaluation, etc.)
Financial settlement & reporting	No financial or reporting mechanisms available	Users can audit the documenting lifecycle: user actions, document changes history, etc.	The system provides built-in financial and reporting tools
Automatic notifications	To notify, a user sends an email manually; calendar appointments are available	Once enabled, automatic notifications assist you at every stage of an internal workflow	Internal and external notifications are possible (e.g. automatic tender notifications)
Shared document storage	Documents can be only attached to an email and saved in any folder on a user’s PC or server	Users are able to create, store, share documents and folders with relevant colleagues	Sophisticated information sharing based on roles and business rules

The table above shows us strong automation capabilities offered by a specialized system. However, an enterprise solution requires a very strict compliance with built-in workflow structures and does not allow its users to skip any of the workflow steps.

We can add some other explicit characteristics, which highlight SharePoint advantages as compared with specialized systems:

• Simplicity – SharePoint is easy to use. Neither difficult trainings for users, nor external consultants’ help are required.
• Flexibility – SharePoint enables users to be more flexible when following a workflow. No strict rules are imposed to successfully fulfill the process. 
• Total cost – SharePoint offers moderate pricing as compared with any specialized system (taking into consideration licenses, implementation and customization price).

SharePoint assists its users throughout workflows. Even if the system depends on human actions, it enables users to follow their personalized processes and doesn’t let them forget about any step included in the workflow.

A short implementation period is not to be left aside. A fully functional complex system requires a considerable amount of time (1+ year) to be implemented. Are you ready to wait so long before your workflows get adjusted? With SharePoint workflows can be set much quicker (just in 2-4 weeks).

Sharepoint on board

By implementing SharePoint workflows, you opt for a smooth management of your business processes. SharePoint’s flexibility and user-friendly interface will allow employees to continue working in the familiar Windows environment, staying focused on accomplishing business tasks, not on system requirements or limitations. SharePoint will be your workflow companion to protect you from a workflow chain rupture and assist you at all stages.

Our SharePoint consulting team is always ready to answer your questions and help you get the most of your SharePoint site.

This article originally appeared on ScienceSoft Blog and has been republished with permission.

by Sergei Golubenko via Everyone's Blog Posts - SharePoint Community

SHAREPOINT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER - Week 39

Hi Everyone,

Its SharePoint Newsletter time, we have some great learning, news from the community, and with a week to go until the BIG ONE, a little reminder to get yourselves over to the Collab365 24 Hour Global Conference.......Read on..

[Sponsored Link] Join Office & SharePoint Live! for No Hype, Independent SharePoint and Office 365 Training This December

Today, organizations expect people to work from anywhere at any time. Office & SharePoint Live!, taking place December 5- 9, 2016 at the Royal Pacific Resort in sunny Orlando, FL, provides leading-edge knowledge and training to administrators, developers, and planners who must customize, deploy and maintain SharePoint Server on-premises and in Office 365 to maximize the business value.

Whether you are a Manager, IT Pro, DBA, or Developer, Office & SharePoint Live! brings together the best the industry has to offer for 5 days of workshops, keynotes, and sessions to help you work through your most pressing collaboration projects.

[Sponsored Link] Lightning Tools is Awarded for Code Quality by Rencore!

Lightning Tools are very pleased to let you know that they are the first SharePoint independent software vendor (ISV) to be awarded the SharePoint Code Quality certification by Rencore. Three products from Lightning Tools have undergone extensive analysis by the Rencore team for code quality which measures for Functionality, Reliability, Usability, Efficiency, Maintainability, and Portability and they are:

• DeliverPoint
• Lightning Conductor
• Data Viewer Web Part

For the past ten years, Lightning Tools has been proud of its customer support processes, bug tracking and quality of code as well as the features that their products offer. Lightning Tools became a customer of the SPCAF tool shortly after its initial release and were delighted that their code already met a high standard when it was analysed. They’ve spent the last 18 months ensuring that the quality of their code adheres to the standard expected by the team at Rencore.

Read more HERE

Don't miss the Collab365 24 Hour Global Conference next week!!

We are really close now to the 24-hour, Collab365 Global Conference which kicks off on 19th October at 7pm UTC with a fantastic Keynote from Mark Kashman.

Following that keynote is a further 23 hours of amazing content, providing some real learning opportunities. Get yourself registered, block out your diaries and we will see you there - Register Here

As if that is not enough towards the end of the 24 hours at 3pm UTC on October 20th, we have the fantastic SharePoint Tournament, your chance to compete in our multiplayer, live, head to head SharePoint quiz. There are 50 questions across 5 categories of SharePoint, with a prize pot of $1000 provided by Concept Searching and ourselves it has to be worth giving it a go....Read More

News and Posts from the Community

• An amazing way to keep informed and up to date is to visit Collab365.Today as it brings together posts from many other sites and blogs across the wider community.
• Hybrid is talked about more and more these days. Nico gives us a summary of all Hybrid SharePoint features that MS released for SP2013 and 2016 - http://ift.tt/2e8RLhK
• Fix the SharePoint Installation error 1603 with Jeff - http://ift.tt/2dIXL2O
• Stefan Bauer gives some great guidance on how to version new SharePoint Framework Projects. - http://ift.tt/2e8UNT2

Can you help our members??

• Judy to publish an Infopath form to a public website? -Here
• Emo to implement an Accordion menu in SP 2013 - Here

That's all for now folks, have a fantastic week and don't forget to join in with our journey around the globe at the Collab365 Global Conference next week.

Thanks
Fraser

by Fraser Beadle via Everyone's Blog Posts - SharePoint Community

Trouble with outgoing email on SPJSBlog.com

Hi everyone!
I have had a problem with the outgoing emails on my blog for about a week. I have reset it now, but as there have been little outgoing emails last week, you might want to check the forum if you are waiting for feedback on a questions.

Sorry for the inconvenience,
Alexander

by Alexander Bautz via SharePoint JavaScripts