Where Does SharePoint Still Fall Short?
I was interviewed by a collection of SharePoint enthusiasts last week and was asked a number of very interesting questions about the current and next releases of SharePoint. The one I found most intriguing was “With all the great features in SharePoint 2010, what do you think is the one thing that still falls short?” I had to think quickly on my feet to not stumble over some lame response and actually liked what I said after I said it (always good!). Here is my answer…
Security Management. More specifically, security management by business resources. With SharePoint 2007, Microsoft delivered on the concept of having all users be consumers and producers of content. It was very easy to train new SharePoint users on how to upload a document or put web parts on a page. The challenge, in my opinion, was when these users were asked to manage security for their sites. Owners? Members? Visitors? Huh? If you have had to manage a SharePoint environment, you have probably been met with that “help me” email or phone call on how to deal with granting the “right” access to a site. Let’s face it; the interface for security management is confusing and cumbersome… even for people who use it every day. What are the consequences? First, you increase the likelihood of security breaches (i.e. showing content to the wrong audience). Second, you increase the likelihood of giving users permissions greater than necessary. Finally, you increase the likelihood of a having a security model that is highly diluted and overly complex. This is probably why the 3rd party market for SharePoint administration has been so strong… someone needs to pay attention to what these folks are doing! But I would argue that this is reactive (versus proactive) management… and things need to be taken one step further.
My thought is that an easier security management interface combined with a simple web part that shows users and access rights (perhaps graphically) would go a long way in truly empowering all users to take SharePoint to the next level without fear of taking it down instead. It is because of this, and the (minor) changes in SharePoint 2010 security management, that I say that this is the biggest weakness left unfixed. What do you think?