SharePoint Team Services Given New Name

The team collaboration technology known as SharePoint Team Services that ships with Microsoft Office has been re-branded as Windows SharePoint Services and will be made available to Windows Server 2003 customers, independent of Office 2003.

Windows SharePoint Services provides an out-of-the-box Web-based portal for managing documents, discussions and tasks within a workgroup. The technology integrates with Microsoft's SharePoint Portal Server, a broader and more flexible incarnation of the technology designed for enterprises.

"In today's world, basic file sharing isn't enough. Windows SharePoint Services is the next-generation platform for file sharing and team collaboration. It redefines the way teams work together and share information, increasing the productivity of your entire company," said Bill Veghte, corporate vice president of the Windows Server Group.

The new version of SharePoint is built upon .NET using ASP.NET controls called Web Parts. Because of its componentized architecture, customers can easily add functionality to SharePoint by implementing additional Web Parts.

Office 2003, which includes Windows SharePoint Services, will integrate directly with SharePoint technology to provide instant checking in and out of documents, shared task lists, and meeting workspaces. Beta 2 of Office 2003 was completed last month and will ship to beta testers starting this week.

Windows Server 2003 is set to officially launch on April 24, 2003. Windows SharePoint Services will be available mid-year for users of the new server operating system.