Is SharePoint Scalable?
When I meet with representatives from organizations interested in SharePoint (SPS 2003 and now MOSS 2007), I am often asked, usually by the IT department, "Is SharePoint scalable?" This usually translates to assessing SharePoint's technical ability to handle large numbers of documents or concurrent users. That question is easy to answer. As I talk to various business owners about the collaboration and communication components of SharePoint through virtual teams, communities, and the entire organization, I ask "Is SharePoint scalable [in this organization]?" That is, can this company set the proper governance policies and business process changes to maximize its SharePoint investment to take advantage of Content Types, Site Columns, Workflow, Security, and Branding? Without a plan, you quickly find yourself with disparate, isolated data. Individuals and teams are doing things based on a cool blog tip or something a friend showed them. There are no patterns, no consistency; search is poor; users do not feel connected. SharePoint isn't scaling.
As you look at all the cool features associated with MOSS 2007 and start to map out your implementation, don't forget to think about scalability. It's not a link on Central Administration. It starts with building the right advisory team and setting the proper procedures (in writing) that define the guidelines for all users to maximize their experience as consumers AND contributors of corporate content. With that, SharePoint scales... throughout the organization... into your partner/client community... and out into the internet world.