August, 2008

August 21, 2008 – Managed hosting provider Fpweb.net (www.fpweb.net) is sponsoring SharePoint User Groups (SUGs) around the world. SUGs are an excellent SharePoint community resource and Fpweb.net has made it a goal to help them grow.

The purpose of an SUG is to provide SharePoint users with easy-to-access, local sources for Microsoft SharePoint related information. From forums, to discussions, to knowledge bases and even official documentation, SUGs offer users a great opportunity to increase their SharePoint understanding. Plus, membership and participation is free!

As a company goal, Fpweb.net strives to promote growth in the SharePoint community. As the community expands and improves, it becomes an even greater resource to both customers and employees of Fpweb.net. “We understand that user groups are often sponsor-funded and may lack the resources to maintain an enhanced community site,” said Rob LaMear IV, Fpweb.net President. "For this reason, we have been sponsoring user groups around the world by offering free SharePoint Hosting for their site, sponsoring member meetings and providing giveaway prizes."

With Fpweb.net’s free SharePoint hosting, SUGs no longer have to allocate resources for SharePoint licensing, server management, basic web parts, etc. Plus, Fpweb.net offers the Community Kit for SharePoint: User Group Edition, which is a template specifically designed to accommodate user group websites.

In September, Fpweb.net will be sponsoring the Los Angeles SharePoint User Group meeting to encourage member participation and meeting attendance. Fpweb.net will present information on their SharePoint hosting services and, at the end of the meeting, they will give away 6 months of free SharePoint hosting (nearly $600 in value) to one lucky attendee.

Most SUGs host monthly meetings in either face-to-face environments or via webcasts with speaker presentations, product demonstrations, networking opportunities and much more. As active participants in several of these user groups, the Fpweb.net team would like to encourage SharePoint users of any level to join, contribute and take advantage of their local SUG site.

Fpweb.net provides Software as a Service solutions for SharePoint, Exchange, CRM, Project, PerformancePoint, Office Communications Server and SQL. Fpweb.net offers shared, semi-dedicated and dedicated server environments housed in SAS 70 Type II data centers with PCI, SOX and HIPPA compliance. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, they serve over 5,000 enterprise customers including Dow Chemical, U.S. Air Force and the NY Yankees.

August 13, 2008 – Managed hosting provider Fpweb.net (www.fpweb.net), is offering new hosted service plans and pricing. While the technologies they offer have remained the same, plans have been adjusted to include new features that will better meet customer needs.

Over the last several months, the Fpweb.net team has been evaluating what customers are demanding and in what capacity. After quite a bit of thought, research and feedback, Fpweb.net decided it was time to update the structure of their hosting service model. While some hosting solutions were merely modified and given a new name, others were removed entirely and replaced by new and improved plans. The new hosted offerings present comprehensive “Software as a Service” solutions for Windows SharePoint Services v3, Office SharePoint Server (MOSS), Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and dedicated Windows servers.

“Most customers come to our site not knowing where they fit in, so we’e made it as easy as possible to drill down to the plan that best meets their needs,” said Rob LaMear IV, Fpweb.net President. They have restructured their plans to fit into three main categories: Small Business, Corporate and Enterprise. These categories help customers decide where to begin based on the size of their company.

Next, within each category, there are up to two plans, labeled as Level I and Level II. “Level I is the base plan for each category and a great place to start,” mentions LaMear; “however, it may not work for everyone. If the customer needs just a few more users or a little extra space, but isn’t ready to jump to the next category, our Level II plan should provide the perfect middle ground.” To increase uniformity across the board, Fpweb.net uses the same Categories and Levels for all technologies they host. “That way, if you are a Corporate Level II hosted SharePoint customer who is looking for Exchange hosting, you can confidently jump straight to our Corporate Level II Exchange hosting plan to assess the features and sign up,” said LaMear.

As an added bonus, Fpweb.net is now including a single domain name in most new hosting plans at no extra charge. Additional domain names and renewals will be registered at $19 per year. Plus, private domain registration is now available for only $14 more per year. If you are looking for a discounted rate, Fwpeb.net also offers 5 year registrations at $90 ($5 savings). By registering domains with Fpweb.net, customers no longer have to hassle with renewals; Fpweb.net takes care of everything. Overall, as a managed hosting provider, they guarantee a higher, more personalized level of service than other domain registrars.

If customers wish to evaluate the new plans side-by-side, Fpweb.net has setup a Compare Plans page for each hosted service they offer. Links to this feature can be found on the left hand navigation of each application page. For additional questions, customers are encourage to call Fpweb.net toll free at 866.780-4678.

Fpweb.net provides managed hosting services for SharePoint, Exchange, CRM, Project, PerformancePoint, Office Communications Server and SQL to customers around the world. Fpweb.net offers shared, semi-dedicated and dedicated server environments to cater to the client’s need for speed, security and control, while cutting IT costs 60%. All hosted services are housed in SAS 70 Type II data centers with PCI, SOX and HIPPA compliance to ensure the highest level of data security. Additionally, each solution is backed 24/7 by expert, U.S.-based service and support. With Fpweb.net’s rapid server deployment, clients can access the infrastructure they need today, without a significant up-front investment. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, they serve over 5,000 enterprise customers including Mercedes-Benz, Boeing and the NY Yankees.

Stay tuned for the new Fpweb.net blog! As experts on SharePoint, MOSS, CRM, and Exchange, our certified support staff will provide usability tips, best practices and even a few personal opinions on these applications. Each content-rich blog entry will include expert advice from an engineer specialized on that technology.

Fpweb.net will be offering this benefit to customers and the IT community alike as a place to ask questions and get relevant answers. The official roll out date is just around the corner, so please check back soon.

In the meantime, feel free to check out our pages on SharePoint Hosting, MOSS Hosting, Exchange Hosting and CRM Hosting to learn more about each application.

Check out our New Look!

In case you haven’t noticed… we’ve got a new look! From our name, to our logo to our website, we’ve made some major changes. But rest assured, we are still the same expert SharePoint hosting provider you’ve come to know and trust.

SharePoint Tip of the Month

Fine Grained Permissions
This month’s SharePoint tip will show you how to hide or display entire libraries, folders within a library and individual documents for specific users or user groups. If your organization is broken up into departments or teams, all of whom will be access the same SharePoint site, you may be interested in setting up fine grained permissions. By modifying user permissions, you make certain features of a SharePoint site available to some users and not to others

As noted above, permission can be tweaked at three different levels: for an entire document library, for a folder within a library or for an individual document. Below are the steps to modify user permissions at any of these three levels.

Entire Document Libraries
To hide an entire document library from specific users:

1. Click on the document library you wish to hide
2. Click on Settings
3. Select Document Library Settings
4. From the Permissions and Management Column, select Permissions for this document library
5. Check the boxes for all users or user groups from which you wish to hide the library.
6. Click on Actions
7. Select Remove User Permissions

You have now successfully removed the document library from the specified user/user group’s view.

To display the entire document library for specific users, repeat steps 1-5 above and then:

1. Click New
2. Fill out the Permissions form and click OK

The user/user group will now be able to view and access this document library.

To undo either of these actions, repeat steps 1-5 above and then:

1. Click Actions again
2. Select Inherit Permissions

This will restore user permissions to match that of the parent site.

Folders Within a Library
To hide a folder within a library from specific users:

1. Navigate to the document library where the folder can be found
2. Hover over the folder you wish to hide with your mouse
3. Click the drop down arrow and select Manage Permissions
4. Check the boxes for all users or user groups from which you wish to hide the library
5. Click on Actions
6. Select Remove User Permissions

You have now successfully removed the folder from the specified user/user group’s view.

To display the folder for specific users, repeat steps 1-4 above and then:

1. Click New
2. Fill out the Permissions form and click OK

The user/user group will now be able to view and access this folder.

To undo either of these actions, repeat steps 1-4 above and then:

1. Click Actions again
2. Select Inherit Permissions

This will restore user permissions to match that of the parent site.

Individual Documents
To hide an individual document from specific users:

1. Navigate to the folder or library where the document can be found
2. Hover over the document you wish to hide with your mouse
3. Click the drop down arrow and select Manage Permissions
4. Check the boxes for all users or user groups from which you wish to hide the library
5. Click on Actions
6. Select Remove User Permissions

You have now successfully removed the individual document from the specified user/user group’s view.

To display the individual document for specific users, repeat steps 1-4 above and then:

1. Click New
2. Fill out the Permissions form and click OK

The user/user group will now be able to view and access this individual document.

To undo either of these actions, repeat steps 1-4 above and then:

1. Click Actions again
2. Select Inherit Permissions

This will restore user permissions to match that of the parent site.

Join one today!

Looking for information on SharePoint tips, development ideas and best practices? Check out your local SharePoint User Group (SUG) and get involved today. SUGs are an excellent resource on SharePoint knowledge for users of any level; plus membership and participation is free!

Over the last several months, the Fpweb.net team has been hard at work evaluating what customers are demanding and in what capacity. After quite a bit of thought, research and feedback, we decided it was time to make some changes to our hosting plans. While some plans were merely modified and given a new name, others were removed entirely and replaced by new and improved plans. Just to eliminate any confusion, we would like to take a moment to walk you through the most important changes.