In the latest chapter of my 30-year IT journey series, I reflect on the pivotal transition from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013, and my early experiences with Microsoft’s first foray into the cloud, the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). This was a time of major shifts, not only within the SharePoint ecosystem but also in the very way we thought about hosting and managing infrastructure.

The Leap from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013

In my previous post, I discussed the evolution of SharePoint from 2003 to 2010 and the complexities of managing on-premises server farms. The transition from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013 marked a significant milestone for the entire industry. Released in January 2013, SharePoint 2013 represented a major overhaul of the platform, introducing a host of new features and architectural changes that modernised enterprise collaboration, search, and integration capabilities.

Key Changes and Enhancements in SharePoint 2013

A Revamped User Experience and enhanced Social Features

SharePoint 2013 introduced a refreshed, modern user interface with a cleaner design and intuitive navigation, embracing a more web-centric, tile-based layout (shake my head in memory!). The platform significantly enhanced social collaboration features, recognising the growing importance of social networking in the workplace. Features like microblogging, newsfeeds, community sites, and improved My Sites enabled users to interact, share knowledge, and collaborate more effectively.

Integration of FAST Search Technology

One of the most transformative changes was the integration of FAST Search & Transfer technology into SharePoint’s core search functionality. Microsoft had acquired FAST Search & Transfer, a Norwegian enterprise search company, in 2008. In SharePoint 2010, FAST Search was available as a separate add-on – FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint – providing advanced search capabilities beyond the standard SharePoint search. With SharePoint 2013, FAST Search technology was fully integrated into the platform, enhancing search capabilities dramatically:

• Advanced Content Processing
• Continuous Crawl
• Query Rules and Result Types
• Visual Previews

The Introduction of the App Model

SharePoint 2013 introduced a new development pattern with the App Model. Moving away from the traditional full-trust farm solutions, the App Model allowed for the creation of lightweight, self-contained apps that could run within SharePoint without impacting the stability of the entire farm. This shift was significant in preparing the platform for cloud integration and supporting hybrid environments, as apps could be hosted on-premises or in the cloud.

Workflow Improvements with Workflow Manager

Workflows in SharePoint 2013 leveraged Workflow Manager 1.0, which ran independently of SharePoint and allowed for more scalable and robust workflow solutions. This change meant that workflows could now utilise Azure workflows and be more easily integrated with external systems.

Challenges in Migrating from SharePoint 2010 to 2013

The migration process was complex and required meticulous planning and execution:

• Custom Solutions and Code Compatibility: Many organisations had invested heavily in custom farm solutions in SharePoint 2010. Migrating these to SharePoint 2013 posed challenges because the new App Model required re-architecting solutions to fit within the app framework. Custom workflows built using SharePoint Designer or Visual Studio often needed to be redeveloped to work with the new Workflow Manager.
• Infrastructure Changes: The core platform underwent significant redevelopment. New service applications, changes in authentication methods, and the introduction of the Distributed Cache service required updates to the underlying infrastructure. Organisations often needed to upgrade hardware to meet the new performance requirements, especially due to the enhanced search capabilities which demanded more resources.
• Search Configuration and Optimisation: While the integration of FAST Search brought powerful new capabilities, it also added complexity to search configuration and management. Administrators had to become familiar with the new search architecture, including managing content sources, crawl schedules, and search topology to optimise performance.

• User Training and Adoption: The new user interface and features meant that end-users required training (again) to effectively utilise the platform. Encouraging adoption of the new social features and collaboration tools was essential to realise the benefits of the upgrade.

The Impact of FAST Search Integration

The inclusion of FAST Search technology was a huge introduction and enhancement:

• Enhanced Productivity: Users could find relevant information more quickly and efficiently, reducing time spent searching and increasing productivity.
• Improved User Experience: Features like refiners, previews, and advanced search queries made the search experience more intuitive and user-friendly.
• Customisable Search Solutions: Organisations could tailor the search experience to their specific needs, promoting important content, and creating custom search-driven applications.

Personal Reflection following numerous migrations

Working extensively on building SharePoint 2013 farms and migrating clients from SharePoint 2007 and 2010 to 2013 was both challenging and rewarding, starting a world where migrations were always requested and required (still true today). The significant architectural changes required a deep understanding of the new platform:

• Strategic Planning: Migration projects needed careful planning to minimise downtime and ensure data integrity. This involved comprehensive assessments of existing environments, custom solutions, and user needs.
• Collaboration Across Business Teams/Departments: Successful migrations often required collaboration between IT, developers, and business stakeholders to address technical challenges and align the platform’s capabilities with business objectives.
• Embracing New Technologies: The shift to the App Model and enhanced search capabilities meant embracing new development practices and learning new tools.

This leap from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013 was a significant evolution in the platform’s history. The integration of FAST Search technology and the introduction of the App Model represented a fundamental shift in how organisations approached enterprise content management and collaboration. Despite the challenges, the advancements laid a strong foundation for future developments and highlighted the importance of adaptability and continuous learning in the ever-evolving field of IT.

Introduction to BPOS – Microsoft’s First Cloud Offering

While SharePoint 2013 focused on enhancing on-premises functionality, this era also saw Microsoft embark on its journey into cloud computing. The Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) was Microsoft’s initial venture into cloud hosted services, launched in 2008. It was a key precursor to Office 365, bundling Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Communications Online, and Office Live Meeting together, offering early adopters a glimpse into what would later become a cornerstone of enterprise productivity solutions.

How and Why BPOS Came Into Existence

BPOS emerged in response to growing changes in the IT landscape during the mid-2000s. Organisations were increasingly looking for ways to simplify their infrastructure and reduce the costs associated with maintaining large, complex IT environments. Traditionally, companies needed to purchase and manage server hardware, set up infrastructure for applications like Exchange and SharePoint, and maintain teams to ensure uptime and security. This approach was capital expenditure heavy, with significant upfront costs and ongoing maintenance expenses.

BPOS Drive & Direction

• Cost Reduction and Efficiency: One of the primary motivations for BPOS was to offer organisations a way to reduce capital expenditure by shifting to an operational expense model through a subscription-based service. With cloud hosted services, organisations could avoid the need for large initial investments in infrastructure and instead pay forecasted monthly fees, which helped smooth budgeting and reduced financial barriers for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Microsoft recognised that offering hosted versions of its popular productivity tools could tap into an emerging market of organisations wanting to simplify IT management and achieve cost efficiencies.
• Meeting the Demand for Flexibility and Scalability: The rapid growth of internet connectivity and improvements in data centre technologies made it feasible for software vendors to begin hosting and managing services on behalf of their customers. Organisations wanted scalable solutions that could grow or shrink with their business needs without requiring them to worry about hardware capacity or other infrastructure limitations. BPOS provided a way for companies to access enterprise-grade services with the ability to scale on-demand.
• Industry Pressure and Cloud Momentum: Around the time BPOS was introduced, there was a broader shift towards cloud computing driven by players like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Apps. AWS had launched its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) in 2006, and Google Apps for Business had begun gaining traction in 2007, providing email, calendar, and office tools in a hosted environment. Microsoft needed a competitive cloud-based solution to maintain its position as a leader in enterprise software. BPOS was a strategic response to market forces and an acknowledgment that the future of enterprise IT was shifting from traditional on-premises deployments to cloud-hosted environments.

What BPOS Offered

BPOS included several core Microsoft productivity services:

• Exchange Online: Provided hosted email services with features similar to on-premises Exchange servers.
• SharePoint Online: Offered online collaboration and document management, enabling enterprises to use SharePoint without the need for local infrastructure.
• Office Communications Online: Provided instant messaging and presence capabilities.
• Office Live Meeting: Enabled web conferencing, allowing organisations to hold virtual meetings without the need for separate conferencing infrastructure.

BPOS was particularly attractive to SMBs that needed these services but lacked the resources to deploy them on-premises. It also offered large organisations the opportunity to offload some of their infrastructure, enabling IT departments to focus on more strategic initiatives rather than managing everyday operations.

The Challenges and Growing Pains of BPOS

While BPOS represented an exciting move towards cloud computing, it was not without its issues. Being an early cloud product, BPOS faced challenges that highlighted the immaturity of cloud infrastructure at the time:

• Service Reliability: Early adopters of BPOS experienced multiple service outages that impacted customer confidence. Notably, in May 2011, BPOS users experienced downtime that lasted up to nine hours due to network issues and operational errors. This downtime affected access to critical services like email, which was a significant pain point for businesses relying on BPOS for core communication needs. The outages were due to a combination of factors, including issues with network traffic, email queue backlogs, and even Domain Name System (DNS) failures affecting mail servers. These disruptions underscored the growing pains of cloud services in their early years, with Microsoft learning valuable lessons in building a resilient cloud architecture.
• Data Integration and Synchronisation Challenges: Unlike modern cloud services like Microsoft 365, BPOS relied on a tool called DirSync to synchronise user information from on-premises Active Directory to the cloud. However, DirSync was limited – it did not support password sync, meaning users had to manage separate credentials for cloud services. This increased administrative overhead and resulted in a fragmented user experience, adding complexity to authentication and user management. The lack of seamless integration compared to today’s Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) and single sign-on capabilities highlighted the challenges of adopting cloud technologies during their early stages.
• Security and Data Privacy Concerns: As one of Microsoft’s first cloud offerings, security and data privacy were significant concerns for potential customers. Organisations were wary about storing sensitive information outside their own controlled environments, particularly given the limited track record of cloud security at the time. BPOS required considerable trust from its customers, and Microsoft had to invest heavily in proving that their hosted environments were secure and compliant.

Setting the Stage for Office 365

Despite these challenges, BPOS served as a critical stepping stone that laid the foundation for what would eventually become Office 365. It allowed Microsoft to gain experience in running large-scale cloud services and provided invaluable feedback from early adopters that shaped the development of its subsequent cloud offerings. In June 2011, Microsoft rebranded BPOS and launched Office 365, incorporating lessons learned from BPOS and offering an improved, more integrated suite of cloud services, including Office applications, Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync, all under a single platform.

The introduction of BPOS was a bold and necessary step for Microsoft as it embraced the cloud era. It represented a significant shift in how IT infrastructure was viewed, offering organisations an early opportunity to leverage hosted services for cost reduction, scalability, and operational efficiency. Though BPOS had its growing pains – with service reliability and data integration challenges – it was instrumental in preparing Microsoft and its customers for the cloud revolution that would come with Office 365 and later Microsoft 365.

BPOS was an exciting glimpse into the future – a future where organisations would increasingly rely on cloud-based solutions for their productivity needs, reducing the need for on-premises hardware and infrastructure. For me, personally, working with BPOS was an eye-opener to the transformative power of cloud computing and the possibilities it held for reshaping IT service delivery. It led me down a path into a world of cloud-based technology, building document management solutions, continuing onto a path of transition and migrations for organisations wanting to remove/reduce on-premises, ageing infrastructure and aligning with an ever-growing demand for remote connected opportunities.

Summary

Reflecting on this period in my career, it was clear that IT was in the midst of a major transition. We were learning how to build resilient, flexible SharePoint 2013 environments while also coming to grips with a new era of cloud computing with BPOS and then Office 365. Though BPOS faced significant hurdles in reliability and functionality, it laid the foundation for what became Office 365 and, later, Microsoft 365 – ushering in a new way of working that prioritised accessibility, scalability, and managed services.

It’s fascinating to look back and dig into information on how far cloud technology has come since those early BPOS days. From service outages and password sync issues to the fully integrated, highly available Microsoft 365 services we know today, this journey has truly redefined how we think about IT infrastructure. And it all started with taking those first bold steps into the cloud.

Many people may think “that was the end of on-premises” and you would be wrong – as my journey into the last 30 years of my IT career unfolds and I look back on the opportunities and projects I have undertaken, I could see a shift in activities, but that did not stop me extending my knowledge of on-premises. The next post in this series I will be touching on predominantly a large part of the changes where organisations moved from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint 2019. It happened and many organisations still use SharePoint 2019 in large complex and dedicated ways.