SharePoint 2010 can be considered one of the most underestimated Microsoft products in the industry. There are different reasons for this, but the main one is that everybody sees something different in the product, and there is no common opinion on what it is and how it can help a business.

This tendency seems to be changing, and Microsoft reports show that SharePoint is gaining popularity: according to the company, the product grew by more than 20% over the past year and its revenue exceeded $1 billion. So why has SharePoint become so popular among developers? Here is a short list of reasons.

Why choose SharePoint 2010

Features for developers

  • MS Visual Studio support: developers can use it for building, testing, compiling and debugging.
  • LINQ support: develop SharePoint applications faster.
  • MS Silverlight support: deliver a rich user interface.
  • Web Parts: add new functionality to SharePoint sites.
  • Sandbox solutions: deploy your solution not only on premises, but also in the cloud.
  • Ready components: build custom business solutions from existing parts and deliver systems faster.
  • Developer Dashboard for performance troubleshooting.
  • SharePoint Designer: create no-code solutions on the platform.
  • The SDK with documentation and code samples.

Features for business

  • Custom application integration.
  • Workflows: easier business process automation and simulation.
  • Integration with MS Office 2010, which is very useful for document life cycle management.
  • MS Visio support.
  • Web Content Management engine: easier development of customized websites.
  • PerformancePoint Services: create business intelligence dashboards easily.

SharePoint 2010 today

Note: this article was written in 2010. Microsoft has since ended support for SharePoint Server 2010 (see the Microsoft lifecycle page), so new projects should use current SharePoint versions or SharePoint in Microsoft 365. Many of the ideas above, such as workflows, web parts and Office integration, still shape the platform today.

Read also: classic ASP.NET or ASP.NET MVC and how to display only active records in MS CRM 4.0.