Information Technology Governance (ITG) has become an initiative of crucial importance for organizations worldwide, as participants within all segments of the global economy increasingly rely on IT infrastructure to conduct mission-critical business processes. To optimize performance, satisfy rapidly evolving regulations, and proactively reduce legal exposure, organizations are approaching the design and management of IT systems in ways that reflect their ever more business-critical role. Risk and performance management for technology infrastructure is no longer simply a concern of IT professionals, but has become an intra-departmental initiative involving board-level executives, senior management, end-user groups, and other stakeholders whose success depends upon IT assets meeting aggressive performance and compliance obligations.
Adoption of Microsoft® SharePoint® has been accelerating worldwide, largely because of the product's singular abilities as a document repository and collaboration platform. Organizations have come to rely ever more on the powerful platform to optimize business performance, streamline intra-organizational communications, and centralize digital assets. This trend has made effective SharePoint governance an overriding concern among administrators and other key stakeholders. Because of SharePoint's ease of use and uniquely distributed architecture, stakeholders face unique challenges in the effective administration of the platform. Because of the platform's elevated importance to business-processes, the consequences of unsuccessful administration strategies expose organizations to unacceptable legal, performance, and compliance risk.
In this document we will briefly discuss the key concepts, measurements, and market-trends stakeholders should consider when developing SharePoint-related ITG strategies. We will then appraise the capabilities and limitations of SharePoint's native toolset as they relate to implementation of these governance strategies. Finally, we will review solutions presently available to assist SharePoint administrators in the diligent satisfaction of SharePoint governance obligations.
This document is intended to aid IT administrators and other stakeholders responsible for managing SharePoint deployments, in planning and implementing a comprehensive, reliable, and efficient governance strategy appropriate to their organizational needs.
