If you’re thinking about having your SharePoint deployment hosted, then this post may help you during discussions with SharePoint host providers by giving you some understanding of the type of questions you should be asking, along with upfront considerations – such as the differences between a hosted Windows SharePoint Services-only (WSS) environment and a hosted SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) environment!
[Note: this post is not intended as an architectural discussion; it also assumes you’ve made a decision to deploy based on either a MOSS or WSS-only platform].
I was recently working with a client who decided to change their planned SharePoint (MOSS) extranet deployment from one of establishing and managing their own DMZ, and SharePoint servers, to one of going with a hosted provider. We’d done the upfront planning and architecture, and were in the final stages of negotiating final design when they chose to make the change. So, the subsequent challenge was to (1) determine what could be salvaged from the original architecture either in part or in its entirety within a hosted environment and (2), based on the hosted costs to host that equivalent architecture, proceed with or modify the architecture to meet the client’s revised budgetary expectations.
A local host provided a quote – based on a pricing structure for WSS-only platform. The host provider had advertised their SharePoint hosted offering as ‘SharePoint’, there was no differentiation on their site between hosted WSS and MOSS plans. In fact, during subsequent discussions we discovered that the host was still in the process of putting together their hosted MOSS plans. So this was an ideal time to discuss our requirements and also assist the host in aspects of their cost planning structures and other hosted options.
So how do you tell the difference between a hosted WSS-only deployment and a MOSS deployment? For one, the cost! Typically, a WSS-only plan will be around half (or less) as much of a MOSS plan (depending on...the level of MOSS licensing, such as standard or enterprise, number of users and extra options, and WSS-only plans available). Other differences include the type of templates – you won’t get publishing templates included in a WSS-only deployment nor will you see the Publishing Feature. Also, a WSS-only deployment will not include the same degree of out-of-the-box workflows as MOSS and will be limited to the three-state workflow (unless the host has created custom workflows as part of their hosting environment). If you’re unsure, ask the host to give you access to a demo site and then check things like the templates and Features, and also things like the navigation. In a WSS-only deployment, you won’t see a ‘Navigation’ link option under Look and Feel on the Site Settings page, instead you’ll see a ‘Top link bar’ link.
The following includes some questions which you may wish to consider during discussions with your prospective host and/or client. I’m sure there are others, but these ones surfaced prominantly during my recent experience during host engagement.
General cost / plan structure
Does the host support MOSS platform or do they only support WSS platform?
Does the host offer both standard and enterprise MOSS licensing (enterprise covers things like BDC and Forms Services)?
Is cost based per SSP (Shared Services Provider) and if so then how many Web applications does that include, i.e. are there additional costs (including monthly costs) for each additional Web application?
Is the number of site collections under each Web application unlimited and cost-free?
Lock in period, i.e. 12 months or 24 months?
Initial setup cost?
CAL (client access license) cost/user – monthly cost?
Content storage per plan and bandwidth allowances/limitations?
Administration
What degree of Administrative rights will you have, i.e. access to a Central Administration site, ability to upload custom applications and Web parts, including DLLs and solution files, able to modify the web.config file, standard access for things like SharePoint Designer 2007 customizations, ability for e-mail enabled lists and creation of DL’s within SharePoint sites? If you are limited on accessing things like the 12 Hive (for instance on a non-dedicated server and where you are sharing the server with other customers) does the host have the ability to do that on your behalf, i.e. a technical person and/or team that can help deploy custom solutions?
User management
How does the host handle user accounts and user access, for instance, using a shared AD? Do they allow different authentication providers? Do they have a password reminder Web part/system in place? If you choose to use AD for authentication, what are their AD policies (if any), such as changing passwords every 2-3 months and is there extra cost involved for managing user accounts? Do they offer any ADFS for intranet users, for instance, the client’s existing AD accounts and where the client doesn’t want to have multiple logons and/or user accounts for internal users?
Post-deployment plan upgrades
What are the implications (if any) of you upgrading your plan after the initial deployment, for example, from a MOSS standard license to a MOSS enterprise license? Are there any add-on costs? What if you want an additional SSP, say for geographically dispersed deployments, what will the additional cost be – the same as the first SSP cost?
Backups and restores
What is their backup and restore/redundancy strategy? Are they able to restore individual files and do they have offsite file storage? What are the associated costs for data restoration?
Technical support and expertise
What is the host’s knowledge of both MOSS and WSS like? Do they have a technical team to help deploy any custom solutions (on the proviso they allow custom solutions and don’t allow direct server administrative access, say to a dedicated server)? Do they have a SLA?
Customization
Does the host offer any customization services and if so what are the costs? Does the host offer any additional site templates, such as the Microsoft SharePoint templates? Are there any issues with you editing sites using SharePoint Designer 2007?