I recently came across a very interesting report on Sharepoint by J Boyce. The report titled “Best Practices for Using SharePoint for Public Websites - A Business Person’s Guide”, outlines the reasons why organizations opt for SharePoint as a solution for public facing websites, the pitfalls of doing so, and discusses the shortcomings of the oft touted arguments for selecting SharePoint as a collaboration solution. The report is well researched and well founded, based upon extensive interviews with SharePoint experts, consultants and organizations spread all over the globe.

Some prominent recommendations and observations of the study are as follows:-

- Extreme caution is enjoined while using Sharepoint as a solution for public facing websites as it is certainly not as safe and risk-free as many like to think.
- More often than not, the decision to opt for Sharepoint is an IT decision and not a business decision, leading to a disconnect with business objectives.
- Common arguments in favor of selecting Sharepoint – Works best with MS Office, match for current and future requirements, a safe choice; are deconstructed.

The report comes at a not so cheap 135 pounds. But the investment is well worth it for companies considering opting for Sharepoint.