1. Curing The ‘Migration
Migraine’ With
SharePoint Hosting
®
1

2. Microsoft® SharePoint® is a remarkable success, with more
than 70% of all enterprises currently using some version
of the product. Adoption rates for SharePoint 2010 are
equally robust: According to Forrester Research, 57%
57%
of the companies surveyed had upgraded by the fourth of the companies surveyed
quarter of 2011.1 had upgraded to SharePoint
Yet these numbers don’t tell the entire story. While 2010 by the fourth quarter
many enterprises have upgraded to SharePoint 2010, of 2011.
a significant number still have not done so – a telling
- Forrester Research
trend, given the performance enhancements, updated
feature set, deeper application integration, and other intelligence. Many enterprises are eager to explore these
2
obvious advantages to upgrading. These companies have enhanced features, yet their IT organizations struggle with
found that the upgrade process is more complex and the resulting data storage, custom-app development,
expensive than expected; IT departments, faced with what third-party product integration, and other requirements
Forrester describes as a “tension between fast delivery of necessary to make the next version work.
abundant applications and maintenance of shared stable Migrating a SharePoint environment by leveraging
environments,” lack the time and resources to implement a service provider model could offer a solution to
these complex migrations and upgrades. these challenges by shifting some of the infrastructure
management and administrative burden to a trusted
With another major SharePoint upgrade coming
third party provider. While many enterprises have
soon, even companies that have already upgraded to
considered this option, they often reject it due to
SharePoint 2010 will be forced, yet again, to deal with this
common misconceptions over security, availability, lack of
problem in the not-too-distant future. These companies
customization options or other issues.
have already discovered that a properly implemented
SharePoint solution can given them a powerful competitive These are valid concerns, and they represent real
advantage, and they are eager to maintain that advantage. obstacles to many SharePoint migration efforts. Given the
Yet they are also wary of the cost and complexity right hosting provider, however, and a proven migration
associated with a major SharePoint upgrade project. methodology, enterprises can adopt hosted SharePoint
solutions that actually give them greater flexibility and
There’s another important point to consider: The need
scalability than ever before – while minimizing long-term
for a SharePoint environment that can accommodate
costs and complexity.
future growth. Today, basic SharePoint capabilities such as
shared workspaces, intranets and company portals are still The following white paper will take a closer look at why
far more common than cutting-edge applications for web enterprises are so wary of SharePoint hosting solutions. It
content management, records management and business will also explain how IT organizations can identify hosting
providers that can truly offer cost-effective alternatives to
traditional on-premise environments.
1 http://blogs.forrester.com/john_r_rymer/11-10-03-a_
sharepoint_custom_development_strategy_is_more_cru- 2 http://www.rackspace.com/blog/some-important-points-
cial_now_than_ever about-sharepoint-infographic/
2

3. Curing The Migration Migraine:
The Benefits Of Hosted SharePoint Environments
Most enterprise IT organizations are already familiar with Staffing is the single largest
the basic arguments in favor of using a hosted model.
They understand that leveraging a service provider allows
cost component of an in-
them to minimize capital investments in hardware and IT house SharePoint solution ,
accounting for
60%
infrastructure support, reaping the benefits of an OPEX
expense model. A hosted model also reduces the burden
on in-house IT staff, allowing the enterprise to align IT
resources to strategic, game-changing projects or to carry
a reduced headcount.
All of these advantages are applicable to SharePoint
of TCO.
environments, whether or not an enterprise has completed - Demonstrating Business Value:
the SharePoint 2010 upgrade process. A SharePoint Selling to Your C-Level Executives
hosting provider can assume responsibility for:
The resulting total cost of ownership savings compared to
• Provisioning new physical servers and maintaining an on-premises SharePoint environment can be significant.
existing hardware; This is especially true given the ability to take the
• Installing and configuring software updates – whether opportunity cost savings, in terms of an IT organization’s
these involve SharePoint updates or OS patches/ project-carrying capacity, and apply it to other, high-
service packs; value internal initiatives. In fact, according to a Microsoft-
sponsored whitepaper, staffing is the single largest cost
• Providing storage, networking and other supporting component of an in-house SharePoint solution, accounting
infrastructure. for 60% of TCO.3
3 http://download.microsoft.com/download/
1/9/2/192e73a4-7abb-4bad-b469-34632d54a8a6/IDC%20
Whitepaper%20Demonstrating%20Business%20Value.pdf
3

4. 7 Reasons Why Hosted SharePoint Solutions Fall Short
Given these advantages, why doesn’t every enterprise move from its on-premises SharePoint environment to a hosted
model? The answer to this question usually involves one or more of the following issues that increase business risk, add
complexity and drive up the cost of a SharePoint migration or “migration migraines”:
1. Compliance requirements. A typical SharePoint environment holds a treasure trove of
proprietary business data. In addition, public companies and those working in regulated
industries have additional concerns related to regulatory compliance.
2. Customization concerns. Very few enterprises migrate an unmodified, out-of-the-box
SharePoint environment. Even when a company uses SharePoint for basic applications such
as team sites and intranets, it is likely to invest in a certain amount of custom code. The
more an enterprise depends on such code, the more it stands to lose during a botched
migration process.
3. Third-party application availability. SharePoint supports an immense software ecosystem
that includes more than 700,000 developers and as many as 2,000 third-party solutions.4
As a result, many enterprises rely upon multiple third-party applications to augment their
SharePoint environments. These products can complicate a migration process.
4. User adoption and enablement challenges. IT organizations dread the prospect of a
migration project that forces them to reset user passwords or even to create new user
accounts – problems that can kill user adoption rates. Migrating to a hosted SharePoint
environment can also impact user support and training; in this area, as in others, an
enterprise will rely more upon a service provider’s support resources rather than internal
resources. In addition, some providers may lack the resources and expertise to properly
support user-enablement initiatives such as custom dashboards and UI elements.
5. Availability and reliability woes. An internal IT organization may despise the term
“one neck to choke” when it comes to assigning responsibility (or blame) for unplanned
downtime. Nevertheless, enterprises that consider SharePoint an important business
tool will expect a hosting provider to deliver industry leading uptime guarantees, outage
response-time and related service level guarantees.
4 http://www.aisn.net/index.php/tag/sharepoint-ecosystem/
4

5. 6. Lack of flexibility. As noted previously, enterprises that use a relatively small set of
SharePoint features today may have far more ambitious plans for the future. They are thus
concerned that a hosting provider will fail (or refuse) to support additional functionality or
new feature rollouts. A SharePoint records-management initiative, for example, can offer
important compliance and data governance benefits, but it can also involve a complex and
demanding implementation process.
7. Fear of the unknown. Even a simple technology migration project involves expecting
the unexpected. A SharePoint migration is anything but simple; an IT organization must
anticipate problems, create contingency plans and prepare a detailed migration roadmap.
Differences in data structures, storage types, formats, computer systems and other variables
can all conspire to stop a SharePoint migration dead in its tracks. The IT team thus needs to
consider the role a hosting provider can play in the actual migration process.
The risks that result from these seven issues will vary based upon the role that SharePoint currently plays in an enterprise’s
IT infrastructure – is it of a high business importance, or does it serve a peripheral role? An IT organization must also
assess its in-house capabilities, both present and future, before it can decide whether the costs of a SharePoint migration
outweigh the benefits.
Nevertheless, it is clear that moving from an on-premise SharePoint environment to a hosted or managed model does
involve business and technology risks considerations. The question, then, is whether a hosting provider can marshal the
knowledge, skills and technology capabilities to address these objections.
5

6. Curing The Migraine:
7 Criteria For Selecting A SharePoint Hosting Provider
In order to identify criteria, it is necessary to build a model The hosting provider’s discovery process should
of a SharePoint migration and Service Provider managed thus reflect three attributes. First, it should involve
SharePoint solution. Such a solution, viewed from start to extensive, direct contact between the provider’s
finish, will include the following major elements: SharePoint migration team and the client’s enterprise
IT team. Second, it should be collaborative process
1. Client-appropriate security. Security is a complex
that gives the client IT organization the opportunity
topic; it involves physical security and virtual security,
to explain their current SharePoint environment and
as well as protection against unplanned downtime
their concerns about the migration process.
and other threats. Today, top-tier hosting providers
routinely offer a level of security that you find Finally, the discovery process should be forward-
in a typical enterprise data center or colocation looking – that is, the provider’s migration team
environment. For enterprises, though, SharePoint should assess future needs to extend and maximize
itself creates another set of unique, largely policy- an enterprise’s existing SharePoint environment.
based security challenges. SharePoint administration,
4. A track record of designing and building complex
including security-related tools, are notoriously
SharePoint environments. Any enterprise that uses
complex, and basic administrative tools may not go
SharePoint as a custom-development platform will
far enough to satisfy security requirements.
insist that a provider offer appropriate stand-up
With these challenges in mind, a SharePoint hosting capabilities for its migrated and hosted SharePoint
provider can offer security features with the right environment. This includes taking insights gleaned
mix of skills and dedicated resources – and help by from the discovery process and turning them into
applying the experience and lessons learned from specific, detailed technical requirements. It also
building large numbers of SharePoint environments. includes a design and development staff with
They can also help enterprises create appropriate proven experience standing up complex enterprise
internal security policies for managing and accessing SharePoint implementations.
SharePoint data stores.
5. An established SharePoint migration
2. Uptime and SLA guarantees. Availability and methodology. The actual process of migrating
service-level guarantees are another potential source SharePoint data and other resources between an
of differentiation for hosting providers. Given the in-house and hosted environment is fraught with
role that SharePoint plays in many enterprises, and uncertainty. An enterprise IT organization is especially
the costs associated with unplanned downtime, it likely to express concern over three issues:
is reasonable for an enterprise to demand uptime
• Do we have the technical and human resources to
(excluding scheduled maintenance) from a provider’s
carry out a migration?
data center network, data center infrastructure and
server hardware components. • Does our team have the necessary mix of
implementation and integration skills?
3. A formal discovery process for a client’s
SharePoint requirements. Hosting providers • Can we anticipate potential problems and develop
can’t just assume that a client’s existing SharePoint appropriate contingency plans?
environment will fit an existing implementation model
– and they certainly can’t always impose a one-size-
fits-all approach. 6

7. A hosting provider’s migration team, and the SharePoint 2010:
methodology it employs, should specifically address Hosting Migration
all three of these questions. As a result, it can provide
the client’s IT organization with specific, dedicated
resources necessary to migrate data, deploy the new Whether an enterprise has already implemented
SharePoint environment, and help with any problems SharePoint 2010, or plans to adopt it as part of a
that arise during the process. A provider’s migration migration project, its IT organization can address a
team should also be capable of working with an number of important data management issues. The first
enterprise on related legacy data migration initiatives, and most obvious type of initiative involves moving
and if necessary, the provider should be able to business information from legacy content management,
consolidate and reorganize a SharePoint environment groupware and other systems to SharePoint 2010.
prior to beginning the migration process. It must The migration process from an on-premise to hosted
also be able to deal with the technology-integration environment offers an obvious opportunity to
demands associated with a SharePoint environment, streamline data stores and plan for ongoing data
including Active Directory, Microsoft SQL, Exchange, management.
and other products.
Other SharePoint 2010 issues to consider as part of a
6. A forward-looking approach to SharePoint hosted-service migration include:
implementation. An on-premise SharePoint
environment is usually a work in progress; users • Deducplication and content profiling to reduce
constantly request, and expect, new features storage costs and eliminate redundant data;
and functionality. This may involve deploying • Introducing both physical and digital records
additional, but currently unused, standard SharePoint management – a key SharePoint 2010 capability that
components; developing new custom-coded features; relatively few enterprises use;
or integration additional third-party applications.
• Taking full advantage of SharePoint 2010 data
A hosting provider’s in-house professional services search, navigation, categorization, document
staff can help with implementing new features using parsing, and related features, all of which can be
any or all of these approaches. The provider should implemented as part of a larger data migration and
also offer a standard methodology for testing and data-quality initiative.
rolling out new SharePoint functionality or custom- Hosting providers can play a major role in ensuring
coded components. the success of these data management projects. In
order to do this, however, the provider must have a
proven track record not only with SharePoint migration
projects, but also with helping businesses plan for
data storage, management, governance and quality-
assurance.
7

8. 7. A strong focus on user adoption and enablement Technical support is an important concern here,
issues. It may sound like a stretch to expect a hosting and for many enterprises it will be the single most
provider to assume responsibility for motivating, important post-implementation issue. Nevertheless,
educating and empowering a company’s SharePoint the more strategic an enterprise’s SharePoint
users. Yet this is an important part of an enterprise’s deployment becomes, the more important it is to
in-house SharePoint deployment strategy – and as a work with a hosting provider that can deliver a full
result, it must play an important role in a hosted or suite of customized user education, training and
managed environment. empowerment solutions. This includes access to a
real-world training curriculum based on established
Some issues to consider here include:
best practices – an absolute necessity for enterprises
• Can the hosting provider develop custom SharePoint seeking to turn their SharePoint implementation into
dashboards and business intelligence solutions? a source of competitive advantage.
• Can the provider perform user interface
enhancements and customizations?
• Can they provide training and ongoing support for
both technical and business users?
• Does their training and support model include both
onsite and remote options?
SharePoint Hosting
Many enterprises have considered moving to a hosted SharePoint environment, and quite a few have explored their
options with various hosting providers. Unfortunately, a good number of these companies are frustrated and disappointed
with what they find – and they decide to stay with an on-premises SharePoint environment as the lesser of two evils.
The solution to this problem doesn’t involve lowering expectations or giving up SharePoint’s full potential. Hosting
providers that have a solid track record of working with challenging enterprise IT environments do exist. Once an
enterprise identifies such a provider, it can enjoy the full benefits of a hosted SharePoint environment – including the
freedom to devote money and resources to more productive IT activities, without sacrificing the benefits associated with
a traditional, on-premises SharePoint implementation.
8

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UNITED STATES Rackspace provides its renowned Fanatical Support® across a broad
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P: 1.800.961.2888
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www.rackspace.com
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and is featured on Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Rackspace was positioned in the Leaders Quadrant by Gartner Inc. in the
“2011 Magic Quadrant for Managed Hosting.” Rackspace is headquartered
in San Antonio with offices and data centers around the world. For more
information, visit www.rackspace.com.
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