V uplynulém týdnu jsem se zúčastnil K2 Thinker Summitu, setkání ​zástupců K2 a Microsoftu s SharePoint MVP a vybranými konzultanty. Pominu-li to, že mě nadchnul Londýn (byl jsem v tomto městě poprvé), odnesl jsem si několik, snad i pro Vás, zajímavých podnětů. S K2 jsem dělal i rozhovor, jehož přepis si můžete přečíst níže.

Co mě zaujalo na K2:

• Je to první velké řešení, které jsem viděl, komplet provozované v „provider-hosted“ modelu. Je to pro mě důkaz, že to jde, byť jsou v tom 2 roky práce a nepochybně obrovská investice.
• K2 uvede svou novou zásadní verzi příští rok na jaře a bez přehánění tvrdím, že to výrazně změní herní pole. Sbohem, Nintex, vítej, K2.
• Špičkový workflow a form designer (HTML GUI nebo Visual Studio addon), unikátní koncept „smart objects“, škálováno pro miliony souběžně běžících WF instancí, podpora mobilních zařízení, integrace snad se vším.
• Používá i samotný MS.

Co mě zaujalo od lidí z MS:

• Cloud first, than everything else. Oni to asi fakt myslej vážně.
• Autohosted APP model jde stranou.
• InfoPath opravdu na 90% mrtvý a ne, žádnou vizi jak dál s SharePoint formuláři nemáme, ale chceme HTML5 standard.

Na K2 jistě napíšu samostatný článek, recenzi, je to velké téma. Obecně lze říci, že za velmi přijatelné peníze mohou organizace získat jednoduše použitelný komplexní nástroj pro tvorbu ucelených aplikací, kde workflow je jen jedna část celku. Aplikací bez problémů integrujících SharePoint a podnikové LOB aplikace a systémy, podpořeno inteligentními formuláři a datovými reporty.

A zde je onen zmíněný přepis rozhovoru:

Q: Please introduce yourself, your role, and your affiliation.
A: I’m Kamil, based in Brno, Czech Republic. Since 2003 I have been working as a consultant, analyst and architect, took part in dozens of projects targeted at Microsoft SharePoint platform implementation. Since 2006 I am a SharePoint Server MVP. I work as a SharePoint architect in WBI Systems, leading Czech supplier of SharePoint solutions. In recent years my main role was the design and implementation of SharePoint enterprise farms at large customers requiring solutions with high availability and performance. I am also conducting technical audits, evangelizing SharePoint platform and leading training courses.

Q: What are some of the major trends shaping the present and future of SharePoint?
A: I see it quite clearly – organizations need compact platform for fast formation of Web-oriented solutions that would integrate the existing LOB applications and corporate processes. SharePoint provides a great base, but without support by 3rd party solutions, such as K2, it is not sufficient for large customers. The new generation of SharePoint applications I’m talking about must be easy to create, available everywhere and anytime (through any device), giving users a seamless integration with corporate systems and processes.
And for the future – at the Microsoft side I see opportunities for improving content management and publishing functions, data aggregation and SharePoint APPS architecture and the whole APP concept. At the side of 3rd parties there is a large room for creation of applications allowing, without any code development on client side, to create custom workflow and custom form applications and solutions. These applications will be auto-hosted or provider-hosted.
I predict that some of these ideas will be evolved by Microsoft, but the rest will always be solved primarily using 3rd party add-ons.

Q: What should organizations be doing today to prepare for the future of SharePoint?
A: I see 3 main areas determining whether the SharePoint will be seen by customers as a successful product for the future.
First: We must change the way we perceive SharePoint. Often I see that clients regard SharePoint only as an intranet, they see Webs, libraries, lists and cannot imagine anything else. So the product potential is not employed here at all. And that’s very common. So let us stop regarding SharePoint only as an intranet, let us realize that it is a platform for developing solutions, a horizontal portal. Let us start creating solutions that will give users a real added value, let us interconnect the existing corporate applications with SharePoint content and let us think about how the end users work every day. What we need is a solution to support their daily activities.
Second: Let us admit that SP has become a business critical system, which we must treat as one. SharePoint farms must be properly configured and scaled-out, we must define recovery plans and complex management processes. What I’m trying to say it that it is time to think about changing our approach to SP, we must start to treat it as a key corporate application.
Third: Let us understand that SharePoint will be successful in our company only it if reflects the corporal processes. But then again we often do not the basis have defined, right? It is time to change this. We must build at least the basic organizational processes and reflect those in our SP solutions. The sooner the better, the time is running out.

Q: What are the main drivers that are moving organizations to SharePoint 2013?
A: Simply put – if a company is looking for a Web-oriented solution dealing with everyday team cooperation, exchange and controlled creation of corporate content, data integration and visualization, I do not know other solution similar to SharePoint. Yes, there are alternatives, but these are often years behind.
Release 2013 itself brings some substantial changes and improvements. Shredded Storage is optimizing the content database size while the document versioning it turned on (our clients are approx. at 30% of the previous database size, so as you can see it’s really a huge savings), there are new functions enabling us to setup highly-available SharePoint farms and control of request processing inside an SP farm, we have substantially improved Search providing for better relevance of the search results and better possibilities of their representation, there is better support for working with documents in a browser using Office Web Apps, there are new and highly-welcomed community Sites and aggregation functions, and license enforcement for controlling user access to SharePoint functions… these are just the selected most popular functions as our clients and myself see them, in 2013.

Q: What challenges will most organization’s face with their SharePoint 2013 initiatives?
A: Most of our clients at first require easy to use but also functionally rich and compact solutions supporting creation of complex SharePoint applications, applications in which workflow is just one part of the whole, applications integrating the existing corporal LOB systems with SharePoint content, applications available through various devices, including mobile ones, using form elements, workflows and integration with external data sources.
And secondly: document management throughout the whole life cycle, including possible digitalization and archiving, legal hold and eDiscovery is also becoming a big subject.

Q: After seeing K2 for SharePoint, what impact do you think this offering will have on organizations?
A: Well what others only talk about is here becoming a reality. K2 really brings simple to use approach allowing organizations to quickly create new solutions and applications. I believe this will mean a change in the way SharePoint is considered and seen. We are no longer bound by built-it functionality, but we can create simple to use smart applications without limits. Organizations opting for K2 will gain a unique product with a huge potential.

Q: What are the major benefits you see in this offering for organizations (in and outside of the SharePoint context)?
A: As I said, K2 provides organizations with simple to use solution for creating workflow and form based applications interconnecting SharePoint and various existing LOB systems. Even ordinary users can without difficulties create new applications and complex solutions. That’s the best part of it. So we are no more dependent exclusively to IT support or internal/external developers and suppliers. Literally in minutes is possible to create new functional SharePoint applications solving the key corporate processes and needs. And that’s just amazing.

Q: Where do you think companies will most benefit from the K2 for SharePoint software?
A: Solutions and applications based on K2 platform are reusable throughout the whole organization. Anywhere where there is a need for workflow and form based applications there comes K2 and brings its unique functions and features. So I can imagine a lot of scenarios solved with K2, such as complex solutions for document lifecycle management and approval processes, sales and business automation, ordering processes, project management etc. There’s hardly anything that can’t be done with K2.

Q: What type of organization do you think will be quickest to adopt K2 for SharePoint?
A: For me a typical K2 customer is any medium size and large company that considers SP as its business critical application and that needs, without complex code development, to quickly apply new flexible solutions, compact applications dealing with the organization’s everyday needs. This is exactly K2. I see a great potential and future in the product. Everyone should be interested in it.

Na závěr prozradím, že s K2 něco chystáme, budete překvapeni. Těšte se na březen/duben 2014.