Monthly Archives: January 2012

Use Training to Obtain the Benefits of SharePoint 2010

Posted on by
Reply

SharePoint Server 2010 represents an enormous change from SharePoint Server 2007. For global businesses and other large organizations implementing SharePoint Server 2010, capturing the benefits that accompany this evolutionary step forward for SharePoint more than warrants allocating resources (financial, staff and time) on training to ensure the best possible return on investment. We are of the opinion that it makes sense to provide training for SharePoint 2010 to both end users/readers/sub site owners and SharePoint administrators, site collection administrators, developers and designers. We offer video tutorial curricula for each of these sets of users in a hybrid offering for global businesses and other organizations.

Our video tutorials for SharePoint 2010 Training include demonstrations of the important operations that end users, readers and sub site owners will have to perform. These SharePoint 2010 end user training curricula are provisioned to corporate users on a DVD. We recommend that the content of this DVD be added to the SharePoint Farm, by using a sub site as a content repository. Once the content is available within SharePoint, then these users (who generally lack a deep interest in SharePoint, but need to learn ‘how to” procedures) can access video tutorial training in-context and on demand, two compelling reasons to include video tutorials in any training plan for SharePoint 2010. Finally, this training content can be replayed as frequently as required, thus ensuring user retention at some point fo training content.

With regard to training for SharePoint administrators, etc. (typically 10% of the user community), it is best to offer this set of users access to all of the video training content on our SharePoint-Videos.com website. On site unlimited access to SharePoint-Videos is described in our presentation of SharePoint User Training.

The important points that need to be noted here with regard to our unlimited site access video tutorial training plans is that out of context training makes the most sense for this class of users (meaning administrators, developers, architects). These users have a substantially higher level commitment to SharePoint 2010 as a technology. As well, these users need to have access to related procedures (for example, for SharePoint Designer 2010 or InfoPath 2010) ad hoc; therefore unlimited site access makes the most sense for them

Our pricing, per user, for hybrid video training curricula for SharePoint 2010 amounts to literally a significant fraction of the cost of an individual subscription. Therefore, it behooves organizations looking for a comprehensive training solution to contact us to discuss interests in greater detail. You may either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2012 All Rights Reserved

Online SharePoint Training is a Cost Effective Method of Obtaining Important Technical Training for Users at All Levels

Posted on by
Reply

Online SharePoint training from Rehmani Consulting Inc, offered on SharePoint-Videos.com makes sense for the entire range of users of Microsoft’s popular software tool. But for “citizen developers”, as defined by Gartner, our online training is particularly useful, especially where SharePoint 2010 has been implemented.

Why cite the full range of SharePoint users as a group that stands to benefit from online SharePoint training? The fact is that we presently offer instructional video tutorials on 9 aspects of SharePoint 2010 technology online. Shortly we will add video tutorials on an additional 3 aspects of SharePoint 2010, including Project Management, Records Management, and Building Taxonomies within SharePoint. The first aspect that we cover is “EU Training”, which comprises the technical procedures most likely to be used by SharePoint users on a daily basis. One hundred and five instructional videos, each of an approximate length of 2 minutes or less, are included in this online video tutorial curriculum for training SharePoint end users, readers and subsite owners.

Of the remaining 9 aspects of SharePoint 2010 technology, our online video tutorials are directed to the aforementioned “citizen developers.” Consistent throughout our presentations is an emphasis on presenting codeless development options, through SharePoint Designer 2010, or InfoPath 2010 for building important and useful applications for global businesses and other large groups using SharePoint.

Making our video tutorials available online streamlines knowledge transfer. Certainly training manuals, or even computer based learning approaches can still play their role in ensuring that a modicum level of technical understanding about SharePoint pervades an organization. However, the “anywhere an Internet connection exists” access to our video tutorial collection that is delivered by our online training repository, SharePoint-Videos.com, provides a repeatable, short, and to the point training component that can be counted on to bear the brunt of the training burden at no more cost than either an annual subscription charge, or a one time purchase of a DVD or two, as required.

We invite you to review our Online SharePoint Training options. We are confident that most users will find our offering to be comprehensive and, in sum, unique.

Please keep in mind that we offer corporate subscriptions for global businesses and other large organizations of literally any size. We welcome opportunities to present fine points of collections; for example, the suite of training that we offer on SharePoint Designer 2010. Therefore, please do contact us to discuss your interests. You may either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2012 All Rights Reserved

SharePoint Designer 2010 Tutorials Deliver High Value

Posted on by
Reply

SharePoint Designer 2010 delivers substantially higher value –at little to no risk– than earlier versions of this product. Not only is it safe to utilize SharePoint Designer 2010 for web site branding requirements, but this product can also be utilized to build workflows and much more.

Rehmani Consulting offers a rich set of SharePoint Designer 2010 Tutorials. We cover a wide range of topics with video instruction which can be reviewed as often as required to ensure that techniques have been mastered. On demand availability is a unique feature of recorded video instruction that should not be overlooked when alternative training options are under consideration for SharePoint Designer 2010. Just consider that classes do not need to be scheduled, notes need not be taken, when instruction is forthcoming from recorded video tutorials installed on computers and available online, either from the Internet or from a corporate Intranet. Ease of access is definitely a strong suite for video tutorial training.

Another unique feature is the fact that video training content can be utilized within the context of the workspace for SharePoint Designer 2010. There is no need to juggle the task of reading pointers from a user manual while navigating steps on screen. Rather, the instruction, itself is available on screen in the form of screen shots that directly correspond to the look and feel for the user interface for SharePoint Designer 2010. Therefore, we find that it is easier for students to absorb techniques from video instruction than is the case when a rich set of screen shots are not available.

Our video tutorial collection can be deployed as a supplement to instructor led training. In fact, combining a purchase of our SharePoint Designer 2010 tutorials with a purchase of an instructor led class will undoubtedly add considerable value to an overall training plan for this software. Keep in mind that we utilize universally recognized techniques. As well, our authors are all experts in their respective fields of expertise. With repeatable video tutorials on hand it is much more likely that students will retain the important points communicated by instructor led training.

Please do review our various SharePoint Video Tutorial Subscription Options. As well, please check out our DVDs for use by single users. These Video Training Collections for SharePoint may be just the ticket for your training needs.

We also offer corporate subscriptions for global businesses and other large organizations of literally any size. If you want to explore how SharePoint Designer 2010 can deliver great value to SharePoint, then please do contact us to discuss your interests. You may either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2012 All Rights Reserved

Enrich SharePoint 2010 Training with Video Tutorials to Deliver Value to Global Business

Posted on by
Reply

Two thousand twelve looks to be a year for the parsimonious buyer. Value is always an implicit objective for any business buying products or solutions. But value looks to be even that more important for global businesses and other large organizations using SharePoint in 2012. We completely believe that SharePoint training makes sense. Further, we completely believe that SharePoint training provides the best method available to global businesses to capture the highest value from SharePoint implementation, especially when an on demand video tutorial component is included in the overall training solution.

The perfect time for global business users of SharePoint to implement a multi faceted training program that includes video tutorials is coincidental with a decision to either migrate from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2010 or to implement SharePoint 2010 as a new foundation workspace for the enterprise.

SharePoint 2010 Training from Rehmani Consulting Inc covers 10 areas of SharePoint functionality (several of which include SharePoint Designer and InfoPath 2010):

Collections of these video tutorials are available for purchase on DVD media:

Each of these DVDs is available for purchase at a cost of $195.00 (single use only). Access to the entire set of our video tutorials for SharePoint 2010 is included in our SharePoint-Videos.com subscription offers

We also offer corporate subscriptions for global businesses and other large organizations of literally any size. If you are planning eithe a migration from SharePoint 2007 to 2010, or will implement SharePoint 2010 for a first time, then please do contact us to explore the range of access that we offer to a video collection of over 340 instructions on SharePoint. You may either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2012 All Rights Reserved

Get SharePoint Help As You Need It with Tutorial Videos from SharePoint-Videos.com

Posted on by
Reply

In part due to the very extensive set of features and capabilities built into Microsoft® SharePoint® users are often at a loss to determine what to actually do with this software. Microsoft speaks to this need with a short video, What Can SharePoint Do For You?.

What caught our eye about this video is that all of the capabilities claimed for SharePoint are described and illustrated visually, with references to global businesses that have achieved these specific benefits:

  • Productivity
  • Efficiency
  • and Agility

within the systems they have built with SharePoint and its features. In sum, this video illustrates how necessary it is to master the technical features of SharePoint, else how would one obtain the portrayed benefits?

The extensive collection of over 350 video tutorials for all versions of SharePoint, including SharePoint 2007 and SharePoint 2010, available on SharePoint-Videos.com can be used with extremely positive results to provide the entire range of users at global businesses and other large organizations, meaning SharePoint end users/readers/sub site owners, administrators, site collection administrators, architects, designers and developers with just the SharePoint Help they need. We’ve found that end users/readers/sub site owners, in particular, have a rather immediate need for SharePoint help. We’ve written elsewhere in this blog on the same topic, but to recap, our findings indicate a rather low level of interest on the part of these SharePoint users in SharePoint itself. They need to do something online and, for that reason alone, they have an interest in learning how to do what they want with SharePoint. Therefore, the technical training must be immediately available and within the work context. There is no better way that we know of to meet this training need than with instructional videos that can be accessed from within SharePoint and played, replayed and re-replayed as often as required until the desired technical feature has been mastered by the SharePoint user.

For developers/administrators/designers/site collection administrators and architects, it’s a different story. These users have a commitment to the technology. Therefore, they need to be “fed” all of the training they need, regardless of whether or not an immediate need exists for training. We speak to these needs with subscriptions to our entire collection of SharePoint instructional videos as available on our website. Once provided with subscriber credentials to our site, these users will have an opportunity to spend all of the time they may require to learn techniques, and related techniques to derive greater benefit from SharePoint.

We speak with SharePoint users on training issues every day. If you are grappling with deciding what to do with SharePoint and care to hear more about what we are hearing from other global businesses and large user communities, then please either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2012 All Rights Reserved

Use Instructional SharePoint Videos to Train a Cross Section of All SharePoint Users

Posted on by
Reply

A common conundrum facing IT management is deciding where to allocate technology training budgets; is it more important to train users, or ought we to train internal administrators, architects and developers as a means of lowering our development costs? As we have written elsewhere in this blog, training budgets for SharePoint may be low, or even non existent; usually, this “no training dollars” condition arises from IT projects that either did not include ROI objectives, or failed to deliver on them. Now, with portfolio management a ubiquitous obligation for IT, regardless of whether or not a decision to implement SharePoint includes targeted, specific, cost savings, or not, rest assured that someone will scrutinize the project to determine value delivered.

There is not much to be said for “no SharePoint training budget” syndrome. Let’s focus, instead, on situations where funds are available for SharePoint training. Rehmani Consulting Inc has a perfect solution for the “how to spend” conundrum: we offer hybrid combinations of training that deliver needed instruction via SharePoint Videos that service the spectrum of user training, from end users/readers/sub site owners to SharePoint administrators, developers and architects.

For End Users:
The unique “always on” nature of SharePoint videos (meaning that, once installed on an intranet, within a SharePoint sub site, video training tutorials are available on demand and as needed) make them the perfect solution for the technical requirements of users who are not particularly enamored of SharePoint but who, nevertheless, must use SharePoint for specific procedures, but only as required.

For these users it is very important that technical instructional resources (such as training videos) be provisioned and available in context, and on demand, within SharePoint itself. These users will have little energy to research techniques out of context via books or even in person training classes.

Administrators, Developers, Site Collection Administrators & Architects
So-called higher level SharePoint users (including administrators, etc) have, by definition, more commitment to the technology and, therefore, can be trusted to venture out of context to find a required technique. As well, these users have training needs across a much wider range of topics and objectives; for example for continuing education, or for skills required for projects on hand that, nevertheless, will change over time.

For these users the ideal solution is to provide complete access to any of the tutorial videos available on SharePoint-Videos.com. Generally the number of these users will be proportionately much smaller than the community of end users–typically no more than 5-10%.

Our hybrid training solutions have been well received in the marketplace. If you would like us to elaborate on our description of our hybrid video training solution for global businesses and other large communities of SharePoint users, then please either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2012 All Rights Reserved

Expand Your SharePoint Branding Options with Training Videos from SharePoint-Videos.com

Posted on by
Reply

Andrew Connell, of Critical Path and Randy Drisgill of SharePoint 911 authored a set of training materials on SharePoint Branding, “Real World Branding with SharePoint 2010 Publishing Sites” published on MSDN in November of 2010. The authors note that “Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 publishing sites use Publishing Features to provide capabilities to create engaging web content management (WCM) sites. Frequently used as Internet-facing websites, these sites require the use of custom-designed user interfaces (UIs) to establish an online corporate identity.” This capability of SharePoint Server 2010 Publishing Sites represents a clear step forward for SharePoint from the otherwise limited capabilities offered by SharePoint Server 2007. Further, these new features remove many of the bothersome browser compatibility issues for SharePoint.

Rehmani Consulting Inc is pleased to offer a unique set of our own on SharePoint 2010 Branding authored by Yaroslav Pentsarskyy. It’s worth noting here that Yaroslav is the author of SharePoint 2010 branding in practice: a guide for web developers, which is well received and available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Our SharePoint Branding collection on SharePoint-Videos.com includes 10 unique instructional videos authored by Yaroslav. Video tutorial topics include:

  • Branding Sites for Multiple Browsers
  • Branding SharePoint publishing sites
  • Branding search pages
  • Adding interaction to SharePoint pages using JavaScript
  • Branding out of the box web parts
  • Essential site branding: Working with master pages
  • Creating extended SharePoint 2010 themes
  • Creating basic SharePoint 2010 themes
  • Using third party controls for site branding
  • Modifying the look and feel of site pages

A subscription is required to view any of the above SharePoint video tutorials. We offer a range of subscriptions from individuals: Learn about our individual SharePoint Training through video tutorials options to corporate subscriptions: Learn about Group Subscriptions. It’s worth noting that individuals can also purchase the entire SharePoint Branding video tutorial curriculum on a DVD for a one time charge of $195.00: Learn how to purchase our SharePoint 2010 Branding DVD.

This collection also includes a webinar offered by Yaroslav, . It’s worth noting that this webinar is available, as well, for free viewing. Our own Asif Rehmani participates along with Yaroslav Pentsarskyy in this webinar.

If you are looking to leverage the considerably enhanced opportunities for branding your business with a visually attractive SharePoint website that is consistent with websites with cvreative attractive appearances, then you should check out our SharePoint Branding video tutorial collection. We welcome opportunities to elaborate on these points. Please either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2012 All Rights Reserved

Video Tutorials Add a Valuable Dimension to SharePoint Training – On Demand Access

Posted on by
Reply

IT training for software like SharePoint usually includes in person, instructor lead classes, and study materials. Add a video tutorial component to offer a new dimension — on demand access.

SharePoint end users, readers and sub site owners usually aren’t looking for theory when they seek help with SharePoint. These users just want the facts, meaning right-to-the-point step by step procedures required to complete activities like adding documents to libraries, or building lists in SharePoint. Providing these users with on demand access to pithy video tutorials is a solution that benefits not only users, but the support teams that have to field SharePoint help calls on a regular basis. Further, these on demand SharePoint training aids can be repeated as frequently as required to empower staff to solve problems in the future by themselves.

Rehmani Consulting has put together instructional video tutorial curricula for end users, readers and SharePoint sub site owners tailored to satisfy their needs for SharePoint help precisely when/where the need arises. These curricula are a subset of our complete catalog of instructional videos for SharePoint, which presently includes in excess of 350 titles.

On demand availability can also provide substantial benefit to SharePoint Administrators, Site Collection Administrators, Developers and Architects as well as Tier I, II and II SharePoint support teams. In fact, and with specific regard to SharePoint support, on demand availability is very useful, particularly for Tier I support fielding incoming requests for SharePoint help from end users, etc. After all, the nature of incoming SharePoint help calls cannot be known in advance; therefore, immediate access to a comprehensive collection of SharePoint training videos is an ideal solution and a perfect complement to teams of support staff.

We usually position our video tutorial collection for SharePoint as a complement for in person training, rather than an alternative. In fact, we do not recommend replacing in person training with our collection; after all, each training tool–in person classroom training and video training for SharePoint–is targeted to a different aspect of user education and preparation: in person training fosters the maximum level of interactivity between student and teacher that can be delivered. Video training tutorials, on the other hand, provide recordings of proven, effective techniques that can be replayed as frequently as required. In sum, the two tools are differentiated with little, if any overlap.

Of course, recording in person training sessions can transform them into reference material that can be reviewed, as required; however, recordings of in person training tend to be lengthy. Students may be hard pressed to drill into specifically the point of instruction required to fix a SharePoint issue of immediate concern. Video tutorials for SharePoint are specifically designed to support procedures. These videos offer little theoretical discussion. Therefore, finding a specific procedure is an easier chore with video tutorials.

We welcome opportunities to elaborate on these points. If you are planning an enterprise implementation for SharePoint and understand the value that training will deliver to your plan, then please either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2012 All Rights Reserved

SharePoint Training is an Essential Component of Builds that Deliver High Return on Investment

Posted on by
Reply

We have noted some pundit “chatter” on the topic of the level of interest in purchasing SharePoint training on the part of global businesses and other large organizations that either use SharePoint or plan on using SharePoint over the next near term (meaning looking out 1-3 years). What we’re hearing is that the level of interest has gone down, and significantly so. We think that these predictions need to be placed into proper context. Further, once these predictions are properly framed, it will be apparent that nothing much has really changed; rather, the persistent nagging need for high return from precious dollars spent on technology implementation is really calling this tune and, we add, rightfully so.

A common theme of most of the posts on this blog has been to describe and characterize efforts that make sense to establish SharePoint as a mission critical application for global businesses and other large organizations. The fact is that mission critical business applications deliver very high value, which is typical of any essential process or feature of a business or organization’s core operations. Accordingly, there is little or no dispute about whether or not it makes sense to purchase technical training on mission critical technical operations. Typically it is impossible to capture the high returns promised by mission critical applications without technical training. Therefore, we think it’s safe to say that training is inseparable from an effective implementation of any mission critical technical process or business feature. Further, where a global business or other large organization is entirely convinced of the value, in dollars and cents, to be realized from a successful implementation of essential technology there will be no equivocation whatsoever about paying a fair price for training. After all, the dollars and cents savings to be realized from purchasing technology are almost always after all costs (including training) have been factored into the equation.

We think the real issue driving pundit chatter is the proportionately low number of technology purchases (inclusive of SharePoint technology) that manage to achieve mission critical status for the customer. The fact is that technology providers and their customers often fail to plan purchases around the tangible value that will be added to the business or organization via the inclusion of the new technology. Dollars and cents saved should always be the prime motivating factor for proceeding on a technology acquisition like SharePoint. Further the cost of training should be an integral part of the complete price proposal; after all, as we have noted above, training and the introduction of mission critical technology must be inseparable.

Rehmani Consulting Inc is committed to empowering global businesses and large organizations, as well as individuals and smaller groups with the SharePoint training they need to plan, build and implement mission critical applications. We offer a rich range of methods of purchasing video training on SharePoint from us, all the way from individual to corporate subscriptions. If you would like to hear more about how our video training can be offered within your SharePoint plan, then please either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate with suggestions and tips for including a video training component in your SharePoint plan that will provide the training that your organization should have to effectively deploy SharePoint within a hybrid combination of on site data and off site processing.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2012 All Rights Reserved

Business Connectivity Services Facilitate Business Adoption of SharePoint Hybrid Deployments

Posted on by
Reply

Back in October, 2011, Redmondmag.com posted an interview with Jared Spataro, Senior Director of SharePoint Product Management at Microsoft. Jared noted that “this idea of a hybrid deployment is one of the biggest differentiators in the enterprise space.” As we see it, deploying Sharepoint through a hybrid combination of on premise and off premise work spaces is kind of like “having your cake and eating it too”. “Cake” equals restricting corporate critical data to an entirely on premise location. “Eating it too” equals communicating with that on premise data, as required, from the cloud.

How does Microsoft facilitate hybrid deployment for SharePoint? The glue connecting on premise date with off premise process is Business Connectivity Services, BCS. Jared notes that BCS “stands for “Business Connectivity Services.” The easiest way to think of it is that it is a mapping between an interface — a “list” is what it is, actually, in SharePoint — and data that lives someplace else. And it allows you to have a read-write connection between the lists in SharePoint and the data that sits in the back.” Pretty powerful stuff.

Rehmani Consulting Inc offers 11 video tutorials on Business Connectivity Services. All of our tutorials on this subject are authored by Raymond Mitchell. Topics covered by this video tutorial collection on BCS include:

  • Administration and Security
  • BCS Profile Pages and Search
  • Creating BCS Actions
  • BCS Associations
  • Advanced Options for External Content Types
  • Creating External Content Types
  • External Data Columns
  • Business Data Web Parts
  • Introducing External Content Types, and
  • External Lists

One can see that our collection of BCS video tutorials includes technical demonstrations for most, if not all, of the procedures required to deploy SharePoint over a hybrid combination of on premise data with off premise work space.

If you are planning on a significant role for SharePoint within your business, then you should give serious consideration to whether or not it makes sense for your business to deploy SharePoint on premise, off premise, or through a hybrid combination of both workspaces. While we cannot help you make a correct decision on this choice, we can, and do, offer a directly relevant and practical collection of video tutorials that will support any decision that you decide to maket on this question. Subscribing to our collection of video tutorials on Business Connectivity Services, BCS, by Raymond Mitchell may be the perfect means of getting the information required to implement SharePoint as planned. If you would like to hear more about how our video training can be offered within your SharePoint plan, then please either call us at (630) 786-7026, or Contact Us. We will be happy to elaborate with suggestions and tips for including a video training component in your SharePoint plan that will provide the training that your organization should have to effectively deploy SharePoint within a hybrid combination of on site data and off site processing.

© Rehmani Consulting Inc, 2011 All Rights Reserved