© 2019 NTT DATA, Inc. All rights reserved.

SharePoint on Azure Is Changing the Cloud Conversation

MAY 2019

POINT OF VIEW | APPLICATION SERVICES

NTT DATA Services White Paper | SharePoint on Azure Is Changing the Cloud Conversation

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Executive summary Cloud is changing the way global IT leaders see the future and disrupting the way applications are delivered. In 2018, Microsoft said it earned more revenue from Office 365 than from traditional Office software licensing.1

As business needs evolve the world over, cloud is steadily becoming a top choice for organizations trying to generate more revenue at a reduced IT cost. And why not? You pay only for what you use, and you aren’t liable for maintaining the hardware or software infrastructure. Plus, collaboration has never been easier.

This paper offers a look into how modern users drive new business trends and why Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint on Azure are changing the cloud conversation. It also sheds light on the different business needs that, as an IT services vendor, NTT DATA addresses within engagements — as we share our best practices for SharePoint implementations.

Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, Salesforce and SAP are five of the top cloud vendors.

Forbes said that these cloud vendors were likely to cross the $100 billion earnings threshold in 2018.2

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© 2019 NTT DATA, Inc. All rights reserved.

What Microsoft does better than other cloud vendorsMicrosoft understands the cloud business better than almost everyone else (see Figure 1 for a breakdown of estimated 2018 cloud revenue for the top vendors). The company has established itself as a powerhouse in all three layers of cloud — infrastructure, platform and software as a service — offering end-to-end services. With its SharePoint on Azure offering, a packaged one-stop solution that addresses a broad range of business needs, Microsoft clearly comprehends the shift in user expectations. This is key, because leveraging the services of a vendor that can’t cover all three cloud layers can unnecessarily complicate the process; and the development of large, comprehensive solutions leads to the deployment of disparate solutions from several vendors.

Office 365 and SharePoint on Azure

In today’s digital era, users are well-versed in social media and mobile applications, and very active on collaboration platforms. They expect the same simplicity and intuitiveness in business applications that they have in their personal devices. Seeing this shift in user behavior, and recognizing it as an opportunity, Microsoft has added all the tools necessary to make SharePoint a robust business platform that meets all the demands of modern users. Microsoft and its partners have created a US$10 billion ecosystem around SharePoint, selling installation, customization and migration services.3 Approximately 50% of this income comes from SharePoint Online, Azure and hybrid versions.4

SharePoint has evolved into a well-rounded package, bundling all the new features today’s users need. Popular Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, are available in online avatars accessible both online and through mobile apps. New offerings, such as Yammer and OneDrive, also tightly integrate with SharePoint. Azure services like Logic Apps and Microsoft Flow provide a workflow platform that can be integrated with SharePoint, as well as other technologies.

Top 10 reasons to choose SharePoint Online

SharePoint Online is a cloud-based content management system and document collaboration platform that:1. Offers new features, versions and improvements periodically released free of charge, without installation and

downtime concerns.2. Eases the development of a web-based content management system with out-of-the-box features such as:

• Document libraries for uploading, storing and retrieving documents with innovative screens • Metadata-based data structure that can be developed around standard documents or any media files• Easy-to-develop webpages using in-built web and app parts • Easy-to-build reports and dashboards using SharePoint Views and app parts • Sites and sub-sites for managing different layers of an information structure

3. Allows users to access their email, documents, contacts and an intranet — from multiple devices on any browser or internet connection.

4. Offers Office Online as an add-on service, enabling users to leverage their Office products from a single browser. Users can open and edit documents, hover over document previews and more, enhancing collaboration with improved co-authoring capabilities.

5. Follows out-of-the-box standards, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, the Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16, European Union Model Clauses and the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework.

Figure 1: Estimated 2018 enterprise cloud revenue for five top vendors

28.3

26.1

20.1

12.2

6.4

Microsoft Amazon IBM Salesforce Oracle

Values in US$ Billion

NTT DATA Services White Paper | SharePoint on Azure Is Changing the Cloud Conversation

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6. Provides a variety of data security features, such as physical security, data encryption, no data mining, multiple layers of redundancy and backups in data centers, data storage in the region specified when the subscription is first created and strong user passwords backed by multifactor authentication.

7. Enables infrastructure maintenance, upgrades, scaling, load spikes, backups, OS maintenance and SharePoint patches driven by service-level agreements.

8. Ensures ease of integration with other Azure services, such as Logic App, Microsoft Flow and Microsoft Graphs.9. Brings a rich set of rest-based application programming interfaces (APIs) to efficiently collaborate with customer

relationship management and SAP applications.10. Consumes standard web services from other technologies to make it inclusive.

Anticipating changes in user behavior for new business opportunities

New business scenarios for SharePoint are emerging every day. Three trends driving that change include intranet portal development, which encourages transparency and enables companies to share engaging content and knowledge management with their employees; migration from older versions of SharePoint to new versions, which reduces maintenance costs and effort; and workflow-based approval systems, which ensures seamless processes.

At NTT DATA Services, our clients constantly challenge us to innovate with SharePoint. Over the last year, our Enterprise Content Management (ECM) practice has proposed and implemented the following solutions:

• Office 365 as a new intranet platform: Office 365 is an intranet platform that includes SharePoint Online, Exchange Server, Skype, OneDrive, Office Online, Yammer and more. Clients can purchase options based on their requirements.

• In-built, cloud-based Azure services: Microsoft merged new Azure services with SharePoint Online and SharePoint Services to provide in-built services that can be plugged in with the SharePoint platform, such as PowerApps, Microsoft Flow and Microsoft Logic. Clients can now use Microsoft Azure to build and host custom SharePoint Services for their users.

• Office 365: Old versions of SharePoint are expensive to maintain. That’s why businesses are moving to Office 365’s SharePoint Online from older versions of SharePoint, IBM Lotus Notes, Oracle WebCenter and File Systems. Tools such as ShareGate and Quest enable smooth migrations to SharePoint Online.

• SharePoint hosted over Azure: Some older versions of SharePoint are complex systems and difficult to maintain on-premises. We recommend moving to either Azure-based hybrid solutions or fully Azure-based solutions, as hosting complex systems over Azure is more cost-efficient than having them on-premises.

Our recommendations for getting the most out of SharePoint

The Microsoft SharePoint platform comes with a host of features. As a services provider, NTT DATA Services helps business users determine the best-fit solution for their organization. We assess gaps in existing systems, choose suitable SharePoint packages, create solution blueprints and upgrade software as needed. In short, we save costs and help enterprises make smart decisions faster.

Over the years, our ECM practice has encountered different needs and business interactions across engagements. Each of these experiences has brought valuable insights. Figure 2 shows what we’ve learned, along with our recommendations for a cloud-based SharePoint implementation.

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For document management systems, we recommend the following layers (see Figure 4 for a detailed depiction of each):1. Security: SharePoint provides different features to connect to Active Directory or Azure Active Directory. SharePoint

Online allows external users to connect to the site through their Microsoft account.2. User interface: SharePoint provides different categories of pages that allow users to access activities such as:

• Admin screens. These out-of-the-box screens can be used for master data mapping, user management, and data export and import.

• Dashboard/reports. List views with filters can be created to build different reports. • Document management screens. Users can upload and download documents and media files while maintaining

different versions. A strong search feature allows comprehensive internal and metadata content explorations• Workflow-based approval. Users can build a multilayer approval system based on workflow features

3. Document management component: This layer represents different engines that SharePoint provides for document management activities such as:• Versioning of documents or pages• Indexing, which includes document content, metadata, document names and attachments• Diverse APIs, so external systems can interact with SharePoint at a micro level

Database attach and detach Third-party tool migration approach

Third-party tool

• Uses an intermediate version of SharePoint 2013 before upgrading to SharePoint 2016. If SharePoint 2016 is purchased by volume licensing, Microsoft offers the rights to use a lower version.

• Requires a staging environment with SharePoint 2013 (a minimum of two servers, one web front end and one database with the necessary space).

• Ensures an “as-is” information architecture but comes with two weeks of frozen time in the source production, where production will be read-only.

• Uses a migration tool (such as ShareGate, Metalogix or AvePoint) that supports site-by-site migration, making it easy to discard or select a new site.

• Doesn’t require an intermediate environment and leverages one week of frozen time in the source production.

• Filters content based on requirement, so clients can pick and choose.

Figure 2: Recommended approach to migrate older versions of SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint in Cloud (SharePoint 2016)

SharePoint 2010

Database attach

SharePoint 2013

Database attach

SharePoint 2016

Site customization (workflows creation, forms creation,third-party component integration and customization)

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© 2019 NTT DATA, Inc. All rights reserved.

Security best practices for SharePoint on cloud

Three main entities require security. Here are our recommendations for each:

Figure 3: SharePoint offers three layers of features to build a robust document management system

Encryption of data in transit

Encryption of data at rest

Information rights management (IRM)

Client communication with the server: Communication between SharePoint Online and customers uses the internet with SSL/TLS connections established using 2048-bit keys.

Data movement between data centers: Data moved for geo-replication and disaster recovery is transmitted using a private network; it’s further protected with encryption — a feature already implemented in SharePoint Online.

Encryption at rest includes two components: BitLocker disk-level encryption and per-file encryption of customer content. These are already implemented in SharePoint Online.

IRM protects sensitive files from being misused or distributed without permission once they’ve been downloaded. IRM can be enabled at lists or documents libraries that will protect list attachments or documents. It enables the list of actions that prevent the misuse of downloaded documents. It applies to Office documents and PDFs.

Proposed Solution: Document Management Portal Layers

Authentication: User will be authenticated with active directory/Azure AD

Authorization: Based on SharePoint user groups and permission mapping.

Admin screens:• Mapping master data• User management• Data import n export

Dashboard and reports:• SharePoint views• Dashboard screen• Export to excels• Rest APIs based

interface

Document management:• Upload screen• Metadata management• Versioning• OOB metrics• Search

Workflow-based approval: • Metadata based workflow• Tracking of approval status• Emails• Approval/rejection/feedback

Document creation uploading and

validation

Versioning Indexing, storing and retrieval

Security: authentication and authorization

Collaboration and workflow

Integration APIs

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NTT DATA Services White Paper | SharePoint on Azure Is Changing the Cloud Conversation

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Conclusion

About the authors

Let’s get started

The cloud revolution is here to stay, and it will only grow bigger — in terms of both revenue and scope. Microsoft, too, will continue to lead the conversation, as it invests in different versions of SharePoint on Azure and cloud. As capabilities evolve, there will be even more possibilities for making SharePoint and Azure apps more in-tune with your business needs — now and in the future.

Prasant Kumar Sinha, SharePoint Architect, NTT DATA ServicesPrasant has over 15 years of experience in application development in SharePoint and .NET-based technologies. At NTT DATA, he has worked with clients across industries, handling diverse roles for many SharePoint/.NET-based projects that span coding, project architecture, solution development, consulting and project management. Prasant’s unwavering focus on providing best-fit solutions and developing great partnerships with clients sets him apart.

Over the years, the NTT DATA Services ECM practice has gained experience and a better understanding of our clients’ needs. We provide robust solutions by leveraging the different Office 365 products and features in our SharePoint implementations.

However, what makes us a partner of choice is our Microsoft Gold Partner status, which brings with it the ability to provide each of our clients the entire Microsoft Stack — from applications and infrastructure to cloud implementations. Our strategic partnership helps us develop more user-friendly and less costly solutions using new and cutting-edge applications.

We also have a dedicated SharePoint Center of Excellence (CoE) within the ECM practice that offers a seamless, end-to-end experience. Our CoE has worked on a variety of challenging requests over the past six years to ensure services excellence, as well as a wide breadth of services and exceptional delivery.

See what NTT DATA can do for you. Visit nttdataservices.com to learn more.

Sources1. Tim Worstall. “Microsoft’s Office 365 Revenues Pass

Office - That GDP Problem Isn’t Going To Go Away.” Forbes. July 21, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2017/07/21/microsofts-office-365-revenues-pass-office-that-gdp-problem-isnt-going-to-go-away/#3acf871879db

2. Bob Evans. “Top Cloud Vendors Will Crush $100 Billion In 2018 Revenue; Microsoft, Amazon, IBM Hit $75 Billion?” Forbes. May 21, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobevans1/2018/05/21/top-cloud-vendors-will-crush-100-billion-in-2018-revenue-microsoft-amazon-ibm-hit-75-billion/#23c9247b7548

3. Jeff Teper. “SharePoint innovations further advance intelligence and collaboration in Office 365.” Microsoft blog. September 26, 2016. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2016/09/26/sharepoint-innovations-further-advance-intelligence-and-collaboration-in-office-365/

4. Microsoft Annual Report 2017. https://www.microsoft.com/investor/reports/ar17/index.html

Visit nttdataservices.com to learn more.

NTT DATA Services partners with clients to navigate and simplify the modern complexities of business and technology, delivering the insights, solutions and outcomes that matter most. As a division of NTT DATA Corporation, a top 10 global IT services and consulting provider, we wrap deep industry expertise around a comprehensive portfolio of infrastructure, applications and business process services.

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