Content Management Server Roadmap
Published: September 25, 2006
Based on extensive customer feedback, we have integrated the capabilities of Content Management Server (CMS) 2002 with SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and added new functionality for enterprise content management (ECM), business intelligence, and search. The result is the new Office SharePoint Server 2007 product, which also delivers the Web content management functionality previously delivered by CMS 2002.
Evolution of Web Content Management from Microsoft
As more and more organizations move towards using the Web to develop better connections with employees, partners, and customers, it becomes important for these organizations to have a way to efficiently author and publish information to multiple Web sites while maintaining consistent branding and control over the look and feel of the content. Microsoft has recognized this key investment area since the release of Content Management Server 2001, followed by Content Management Server 2002.
Today, we continue to make enhancements to Web content management capabilities in our products.
Based on extensive customer feedback, we have integrated the capabilities of CMS 2002 with SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and added new functionality for enterprise content management (ECM), business intelligence, and search. The result is the new Office SharePoint Server 2007 product, which also delivers the Web content management functionality previously delivered by CMS 2002.
Benefits of SharePoint Technology
Having Web content management on a unified SharePoint foundation has a number of benefits:
CMS 2002 Migration
Content Management Server 2002 will no longer exist as a standalone product, but Microsoft is committed to helping existing CMS 2002 customers migrate their Web sites to SharePoint Server 2007.
To help you migrate CMS 2002 Web sites to Office SharePoint Server 2007, see the resources at the SharePoint Migration Center, which includes white papers, tools, and webcasts.
Licensing and Software Assurance
Customers with active Software Assurance for CMS 2002 as of November 2006 are eligible for Office SharePoint Server 2007 licenses according to the transition plan that will be outlined in the updated product list in November.
The product list transitions will cover a majority of CMS 2002 deployment scenarios. If your deployment is not covered by these standard transitions, please contact your Microsoft account team for assistance in transitioning your CMS 2002 licenses to SharePoint Server 2007.
Content Management Server 2002 Frequently Asked Questions
Published: September 25, 2006
Q. What is the future of Microsoft Content Management Server (CMS) 2002?
A. Microsoft is committed to providing customers with rich Web content management functionality for managing intranet, extranet, and Internet sites. The functionality that was previously available in CMS 2002 is now part of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, thereby unifying Web content management functionality into the SharePoint products and technologies foundation.Q. How can existing CMS 2002 customers migrate to Office SharePoint Server 2007?
A. Microsoft supports automatic data migration from CMS 2002 to Office SharePoint Server 2007. You can use Office SharePoint Server 2007 features such as search, master pages, and authentication UI to retire custom code that was created to implement these features. The remaining custom code must be migrated manually.For more migration resources, see Migration and Upgrade Information for SharePoint Developers.
Q. If I have Software Assurance on CMS 2002, what product do I get in the 2007 Microsoft Office System?A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 is the new product that provides the Web content management functionality which was previously provided by CMS 2002. If you own CMS 2002 licenses under active Software Assurance, you have the rights to use Office SharePoint Server 2007. The exact transitions of CMS 2002 licenses to Office SharePoint Server 2007 will be defined in the November 2006 update to the product list.
Q. How long will support be offered for CMS 2002?A. Customer support for CMS 2002 will be offered according to the usual Microsoft support guidelines. Mainstream support remains available for CMS 2002 until January 2008, after which the product enters extended support until January 2013.
Q. If I want to purchase a Web content management solution from Microsoft, what product should I get?A. For a Web content management solution for extranet or Internet-facing sites, get Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet sites. This product is licensed on a per-server basis and does not require the purchase of client access licenses (CALs).
For intranet-facing Web content management solutions, get Office SharePoint Server 2007 and CALs for the number of users on the intranet.
Q. What if I have CMS 2002 today without Software Assurance?A. If you do not have Software Assurance, or your agreement expires before November 1, 2006, you must purchase new licenses of Office SharePoint Server 2007. A benefit of Software Assurance is that customers are eligible for future upgrades to the product.
Q. With Software Assurance, how many licenses of Office SharePoint Server 2007 do I get for each license of CMS 2002?A. The license transitions will be specified in the update to the product list in November 2006. You can also contact your Microsoft account team for additional information.
Letter to Content Management Server Customers
Published: September 24, 2006
Dear Valued Customer:
As you may have heard, Microsoft is well along the path to release the 2007 Microsoft Office system in the second half of calendar year 2006. This new release, which is our most significant in the last ten years, is based on our vision of delivering a system of software and services that empowers people to drive organizational success. The 2007 Microsoft Office system will help employees maximize their individual impact in an organization, reduce risk associated with unmanaged information, enable better decision making while helping organizations better connect with partners and customers.
In this letter, I would like to outline our investments in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, with particular emphasis on web content management and the steps we are taking to ensure that customers making an investment with us can be assured that Microsoft is with them for the long run.
Based on extensive customer feedback, we have enhanced and integrated the capabilities of SharePoint Portal Server 2003, Content Management Server (CMS) 2002 and added new Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Search, Forms and Business Intelligence capabilities into the new Office SharePoint Server 2007.
Customers evaluating this new product will see Microsoft’s continued commitment to web content management and we are confident that the enhanced web content management capabilities in Office SharePoint Server 2007 will allow customers to more easily deploy and mange intranet and internet sites in the most cost effective manner. By integrating web content capabilities into Office SharePoint Server 2007, we can now provide our customers with a unified solution for managing documents and web content as part of their overall ECM strategy.
We are also taking steps to ensure that CMS 2002 customers have a way to migrate to Office SharePoint Server 2007.
I invite you to be part of this exciting time for Microsoft Office system and I am confident that you will be impressed by Microsoft’s continued commitment to providing innovative functionality while helping you protect the investments you make with us today. Your account team is there to assist you and can provide you with any additional information you need in order to make an evaluation.
On behalf of Microsoft, I’d like to thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Jeff Teper
Corporate Vice President,
Office Servers Group,
Microsoft Corporation