Using Microsoft SharePoint to Build a 21st Century Website for Today’s Higher Education Market

Naveed HusainChief Information Officer

Steven WhalenDirector of Marketing

Tony KoSharePoint Administrator

•Old department sites were inconsistent in look and feel

•Centralized upkeep of website became overwhelming for a single office to manage

•QC branding needed to increase, with a focus on online presence, as more and more prospective students and parents look online for college research material

History of the QC Website

• IT & Communications have to collaborate through the development of the new system that would provide the tools for creating a decentralized website with a centralized look and feel

• The project requires hiring and working with multiple vendors to design the look and feel, build the infrastructure, create content templates, and migrate content

Building Partnerships

SharePoint Implementation

• What is SharePoint?

o A web-based technology platform that allows a community of end-users to easily build portals, sites, and applications that focus around collaboration, enterprise search, content management, electronic business forms, and business intelligence…(programming not required!).

•Why SharePoint? Simplicity; Complexity; Flexibility• Simple to use, ability to be complex, flexible to fit our needs

• Intranet/Internet – methodology to move paper process online

•Use of all media in the site (Flash, video, music, streaming, photo slideshows)

•Approval process for Internet; no approval for Intranet

•Repository of project documents

•Ongoing changes and weekly meetings between IT and Communications

SharePoint Implementation (continued)

• QC SharePoint Infrastructure

SharePoint Implementation (continued)

SharePoint Implementation (continued)

•Content Editor’s Forum

•Vendor developed automated script for content mapping and migration

• Training classes provided for Content Editors to learn about the technology and the process for editing content

•Unique Monthly Visitors• Legacy site: 112,957• SharePoint site: 185,333

•Newly organized and branded website created a 64% increase in website traffic

•Release methodology (group features and functionality into major and minor versions for release)

QC’s SharePoint Rollout

•Technology Best Practices

• Infrastructure

• Security

• Risk Assessment (MOSSRAP)

•Non-Technology Best Practices

• Be very clear on what you want at the beginning

• Ensure design & technology expectations are the same

• Track requests & feedbacks

• SLAs amongst departments

Best Practices

DO’s

• Too many vendors• Design vendor didn’t understand SharePoint

•Difficulty in procurement process

• New lexicon was not established early on

•User Acceptance Test was skipped• Should include all content editors

in UAT and feedback

•Do not forget about user and audience input

Lessons Learned

DON’Ts

Queens College

•Sue Henderson - VP for Institutional Advancement / Executive Sponsor

•Office of Communications• Maria Terrone – Assistant VP for Communications• Steven Whalen – Director of Marketing• Adrian Partridge – Graphics Designer and Administrator• John Cassidy – Director of Editorial Services• Leslie Jay – Web Writer / Editor

•Office of Converging Technologies• Naveed Husain – Chief Information Officer• Lisa Tsay – Project Manager• Tony Ko – Technical Project Manager• Enterprise Application Services Group• Network Services Group• Training Group

• Faculty & College at large

Special ThanksVendors

Q & A