Learning MS Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS)
Finding Courses and Training on Microsoft SharePoint 2007
Nov 9, 2009
As with most software, there are several choices available for learning to use the product. SharePoint is a particularly sophisticated product and for people who are charged with designing and implementing a site architecture, setting up enterprise-wide document and data storage, and so on, in-depth training is almost a must.
This article mentions several companies and products that can provide, or help with, training, but it does not endorse or recommend any of them.
Sharepoint Classes
A search on the internet for SharePoint training quickly identifies a host of companies offering training on SharePoint. Some of these are face-to-face classroom training, some are remote webinar-style presentations, some offer both. People have different learning styles; some are visual learners and will do well with a webinar, others will prefer the one-on-one learning style of the classroom. Read through the company's advertising carefully and try to get recommendations from previous customers before you make your choice.
Some companies offering classes, either off-site or on-site, are:
- SharePoint Solutions - Based in Nashville, Tennessee and has training and consulting locations in Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte, Boston and Seattle. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.
- Mindsharp - Based in Minneapolis, Mindsharp has a host of partnerships with complementing companies and the senior instructors have published a great many SharePoint training and reference books between them. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.
- Pilothouse Consulting - A Microsoft Certified Partner, Pilothouse is based in Dublin, CA.
SharePoint Training Videos
- Microsoft Office Online - Free training videos in the Microsoft Office Help and How-to section. These are targeted more toward the end user or power user of SharePoint than to the designer or architect.
- Robert Shelton's Blog - Free training videos focused more toward the Sharepoint developer.
- Lynda.com - A huge range of excellent training videos on software applications of all types, including SharePoint. This is a subscription-based service with several levels of access.
SharePoint Books and Online Reading
There are literally dozens of books on SharePoint and they vary widely in the audience and the topic addressed. There are books for end-users, for developers, for administrators, and the topics addressed can be as narrow as SharePoint Workflows. Take care to make sure that the book's content fits the need of the individual reader.
- Microsoft SharePoint 2007 for Dummies, Vanessa L. Williams, Wiley, 2007
- Microsoft SharePoint 2007 Unleashed, Colin Spence, Sams, 2007
- Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Best Practices, Ben Curry and Bill English, Microsoft Press 2008
- Microsoft Tech Net - Online resource that contains a range of articles, white papers, and other training and reference documents for Microsoft Office products.
Choosing the right training solution from the wide range of options available is a project in itself and is best treated in the same way. Make a list of requirements that takes into account the number of trainees, their current skill level, the required skill level, and the cost of the various solutions. This process will guide the choice of the best solution for the current need.
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