On April 16th 2015 Microsoft officially announced the launch of the new version of SharePoint named SharePoint 2016. In this article I am providing glimpses at the new version based on the Microsoft article.
Microsoft has confirmed that SharePoint Server 2016 will become generally available in Q2 2016, with a public beta planned for Q4 2015. The announcement also confirmed that this version also has an on-premises release of SharePoint. There are many customers who choose a combination of on-premises, cloud and hybrid deployments for many years to come.
We can expect Microsoft will share more details of the information on SharePoint investments at Microsoft Ignite. We can now see some of the high-level features and focus on SharePoint 2016. SharePoint 2016 be more focused on Content Management, team collaboration, user experiences across devices and how the cloud can be blended into existing on-premises scenarios in new and compelling ways. Microsoft is more focused on delivering value to customers as part of their on-premises deployments, while at the same time making it easier to take advantage of cloud innovation thru hybrid deployments of SharePoint Server with Office 365. With that backdrop, SharePoint Server 2016 will deliver enhancements and new capabilities in the following three major areas:
- Improved user experiences
- Cloud-inspired infrastructure
- Compliance and reporting
Improved user experiences
For an Improved User Interface, Microsoft is giving more importance to faster decision-making for keeping in contact which in turn increases the effectiveness in the organization. A user’s ability to access information while on the go is now a workplace necessity. SharePoint Server 2016 will provide improved mobile access to content, people and applications along with touch-based experiences across devices and screen sizes. It will make file storage and document collaboration more people-centric. And it will enable improved user experiences and capabilities derived from innovations in Office 365, available either as part of your on-premises deployment or through a hybrid implementation of SharePoint Server 2016 and Office 365. Users will be able to quickly discover contextually relevant information and data that is stored across both on-premises and cloud environments powered by Office Graph and Delve. Microsoft commits to provide streamline communications with richer integration with Exchange and Yammer.
Cloud inspired-infrastructure
SharePoint 2016 is the first on-premises server release representative of our experience running SharePoint at gauge in Office 365, in that way Microsoft is bringing their our own internal investments to our datacenter that improves performance, reliability and scale as well as enabling true hybrid scenarios that can enrich our existing on-premises investments.
In addition, with an improved, simplified user experience and integration with products such as the next release of Windows Server, the next generation of SQL Server, and Exchange Server 2016, SharePoint Server 2016 will simplify end-user training and support for IT.
Finally, we can expect a focus on enabling a broad ecology of solutions and partners through a standardized set of APIs and experiences that span on-premises and the cloud.
Compliance and reporting
Microsoft knows Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is non-negotiable, and overexposure to information can have legal and compliance implications. SharePoint Server 2016 will provide a broad array of features and capabilities designed to make certain that sensitive information remains protected with investments in DLP, new scenarios to enable data encryption, and compliance tools that span on-premises servers and Office 365 while providing a balance between enabling user self-service and ensuring content usage adheres to corporate policy.
Technology Adoption Program (TAP)
Microsoft is again giving an opportunity for you to like it. If you’re interested in providing feedback on early versions of SharePoint 2016, they request that you nominate your company for the Technology Adoption Program (TAP). Joining the on-premises TAP provides companies with a number of advantages, such as providing input and feedback for future releases of SharePoint, Project Server, and/or Exchange Server; developing a close relationship with the product teams; and receiving Pre-Release information about SharePoint, Project Server and Exchange.