SharePoint, Office 365, Azure, and Other Musings…
September 24, 2018 Leave a comment
Registration is available for SharePoint Saturday New England on October 20 in Burlington, MA. We’ve also posted the agenda. You can find out everything about this year’s event on our Web site: https://SPSNewEngland.org
To register, please go to https://spsne.news/Register2018
We hope to see you this year!
March 23, 2018 Leave a comment
In case you missed my session last month at the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group, I will be delivering my session “Easily Integrating a Chat Bot into SharePoint” at the Granite State SharePoint Users Group next month, on Thursday, April 5th.
Chat Bots are very commonplace these days. They have been around for years, but advances in AI technology have allowed for a large growth and advances in this area. Microsoft has in preview a service called QnA Maker, that will allow you to create and build a Chat Bot that you can easily integrate into SharePoint using the Azure Bot Framework, all without writing a single line of code. Join me, and I’ll walk you through step-by-step on this process, along with discussing how and where Chat Bots can be used to provide better adoption and support to your users.
Click here for more information and to register! Hope to see you there!
March 12, 2018 Leave a comment
Join us from anywhere! For the first time we’re doing a Skype-only meeting. Read the below for more information, and go here to register! Skype details will be mailed out tomorrow to all registered attendees after registration closes at 5PM EST.
The Boston Area SharePoint Users Group (BASPUG) was founded to bring together like minds to network and share their experiences, triumphs, and tribulations around Microsoft SharePoint, to provide a community platform for Boston area SharePoint users, administrators, developers, architects, of all experience levels, even brand new to SharePoint, to share their knowledge with the community.
THIS MEETING WILL BE ONLINE ONLY OVER SKYPE! MEETING DETAILS WILL BE SENT OUT THE DAY OF THE MEETING AFTER REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED TO ALL REGISTERED ATTENDEES!
The new SharePoint Framework allows development of client side web parts that work on both modern and classic SharePoint pages. In this session you’ll learn how to put the Framework to work building and deploying these web parts. You’ll learn how to develop web parts that are editable from the SharePoint page, and that are responsive and look like part of the overall SharePoint experience. Don’t miss this opportunity to hit the ground running with this new SharePoint development model.
Andrew Connell is a full stack web developer with a focus on Microsoft Azure & Office 365, specifically the Office 365 APIs, SharePoint, Microsoft’s .NET Framework / .NET Core, Angular, Node.js and Docker that enjoys development, writing & teaching… if it’s cutting edge web you will find Andrew there! He has received Microsoft’s MVP award every year since 2005 and has helped thousands of developers through the various courses he’s authored and taught both in-person & in online courses. Recently he launched his own on-demand video platform, Voitanos (https://www.voitanos.io) to deliver his on-demand video training.
Throughout the years Andrew has been fortunate enough to share what he has learned at conferences like Microsoft’s TechEd, Build, Ignite & SharePoint conferences, Angular’s ngConf & AngularU, SPTechCon, SP Live 360, and Techorama among many others all around the world in North America, Europe, Asia & Australia. You can find Andrew on his popular blog (http://www.andrewconnell.com), follow him on Twitter @andrewconnell, check out some of the numerous projects he’s involved in on GitHub (http://www.github.com/andrewconnell) or listen to his popular weekly podcast, The Microsoft Cloud Show (http://www.microsoftcloudshow.com), which is focused on Microsoft cloud services such as Azure and Office 365 as well as the competitive cloud landscape.
For the first time, we’ll be doing a completely remote meeting over Skype! Skype meeting details will sent out after registration has closed on the day of the meeting, around 5PM on March 13, 2018. So, please register in advance to make sure you receive the details!
LINKED IN
Join our group on LinkedIn today to connect with the rest of the BASPUG members, and spread the word!
FACEBOOK
We are also on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Boston-Area-SharePoint-User-Group/113652405354617
TWITTER
Follow news about the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group on twitter by following us @BASPUG, and by using the hashtag #BASPUG
WEB
Visit the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group website at http://www.bostonsharepointug.org
ORGANIZERS
Event meetings are organized by Geoff Varosky of BlueMetal and James Restivo of Crow Canyon Systems.
Please visit The Boston SharePoint Area Users Group page for more event details!
Have questions about Boston Area SharePoint Users Group March 13, 2018 Meeting? Contact Boston Area SharePoint Users Group
January 31, 2018 Leave a comment
Hey, guess what? I’m speaking at the BASPUG in February… come join me! We’ve moved to a new night – Tuesday, works better for everyone who helps out with the group.
Read the below for more information, and click here to register!
The Boston Area SharePoint Users Group (BASPUG) was founded to bring together like minds to network and share their experiences, triumphs, and tribulations around Microsoft SharePoint, to provide a community platform for Boston area SharePoint users, administrators, developers, architects, of all experience levels, even brand new to SharePoint, to share their knowledge with the community.
Chat Bots are very commonplace these days. They have been around for years, but advances in AI technology have allowed for a large growth and advances in this area. Microsoft has in preview a service called QnA Maker, that will allow you to create and build a Chat Bot that you can easily integrate into SharePoint using the Azure Bot Framework, all without writing a single line of code. Join me, and I’ll walk you through step-by-step on this process, along with discussing how and where Chat Bots can be used to provide better adoption and support to your users.
Geoff Varosky is a Senior Architect for BlueMetal, a division of Insight, based out of Watertown, MA. He has been architecting and developing web based applications his entire career, and has been working with SharePoint for the past 13 years. Geoff is an active member of the SharePoint community, Co-Founder and Co-Organizer of the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group, co-founder for the Boston Office 365 Users Group, co-organizer for SharePoint Saturday New England.
Modern technology, craftsman quality. We’re an interactive design and technology architecture firm matching the most experienced consultants in the industry to the most challenging business and technical problems facing our clients. We seek to understand your business strategy and technical foundation to craft modern applications that holistically blend strategic vision, creative design, architecture, and innovation, to exactly meet your needs and ensure your success.
Food and beverages will be provided at the meeting free of charge from our meeting sponsor. Food arrives at about 6PM. We generally have pizza (with and without meat), as well a salad, water, and sodas.
We will be handing out raffle tickets at the BASPUG meetings.
LINKED IN
Join our group on LinkedIn today to connect with the rest of the BASPUG members, and spread the word!
FACEBOOK
We are also on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Boston-Area-SharePoint-User-Group/113652405354617
TWITTER
Follow news about the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group on twitter by following us @BASPUG, and by using the hashtag #BASPUG
WEB
Visit the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group website at http://www.bostonsharepointug.org
ORGANIZERS
Event meetings are organized by Geoff Varosky of BlueMetal and James Restivo of Crow Canyon Systems.
Please visit The Boston SharePoint Area Users Group page for more event details!
August 1, 2017 Leave a comment
Registration is now open for the Boston Area SharePoint User Group (BASPUG) taking place on August 9th, 2017, at the Versatile office at 450 Donald Lynch Blvd., Suite B, Marlboro, MA from 7:00-8:30 PM. Click here to register!
In most SharePoint publishing sites, the search page is an after-thought. But with some planning and simple customizations, the Search Center can be a showcase experience. This session will cover simple configuration changes and html/javascript customizations that are sure to impress.
Paul Schaeflein is a solution architect/developer with experience in all versions of the SharePoint platform. He has more than three decades experience in architecting, designing and developing software solutions. This experience covers a vast range of technologies, languages and industries.
Paul is a top-rated speaker, having presented at numerous conferences including the Microsoft SharePoint Conference and TechEd conferences. Paul has participated in local user groups and SharePoint Saturdays and various online events. In recognition of community efforts, Microsoft has awarded Paul as a Most Valuable Professional (MVP) seven times, most recent in the Office Developer category.
At Versatile, we understand your IT solutions require careful consideration, whether you’re making traditional IT or cloud decisions. By focusing on clarity, simplicity, and support, we help you align your computing decisions with desired business outcomes. We take great pride in helping your organization run smoother, more efficiently, and more profitably by helping you find the right balance between traditional IT and cloud computing.
Versatile is more than our name – it’s who we are.
Food and beverages will be provided at the meeting free of charge from our meeting sponsor. We generally have pizza (with and without meat), as well a salad, water, and sodas. Beer and wine will also be available.
We will be handing out raffle tickets at the BASPUG meetings.
We will be meeting at the Versatile office at 450 Donald Lynch Blvd, Suite B, Marlboro, MA. Parking is free.
LINKED IN
Join our group on LinkedIn today to connect with the rest of the BASPUG members, and spread the word!
FACEBOOK
We are also on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Boston-Area-SharePoint-User-Group/113652405354617
TWITTER
Follow news about the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group on twitter by following us @BASPUG, and by using the hashtag #BASPUG
WEB
Visit the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group website at http://www.bostonsharepointug.org
ORGANIZERS
Event meetings are organized by Geoff Varosky and Bob German of BlueMetal, James Restivo of Crow Canyon Systems.
Please visit The Boston SharePoint Area Users Group page for more event details!
May 8, 2017 Leave a comment
Registration is now open for the Boston Area SharePoint User Group (BASPUG) taking place on May 10th, 2017, at the BlueMetal office at 9 Galen St, Suite #300, Watertown, MA from 6:30-8:30 PM. Click here to register!
The term governance means different things to different people. There are many ways to define what governance means to your organization as you start on the journey of planning, implementing, and monitoring it. This session will provide the key fundamentals for approaching Governance in SharePoint with lessons from the field and practical best practices.
Dimitri Ayrapetov is a Digital Partner with TrnDigital. He comes with over 10 years of consulting experience working with SharePoint, Office 365, and related technologies.
Modern technology, craftsman quality. We’re an interactive design and technology architecture firm matching the most experienced consultants in the industry to the most challenging business and technical problems facing our clients. We seek to understand your business strategy and technical foundation to craft modern applications that holistically blend strategic vision, creative design, architecture, and innovation, to exactly meet your needs and ensure your success.
Food and beverages will be provided at the meeting free of charge from our meeting sponsor. Food arrives at about 6PM. We generally have pizza (with and without meat), as well a salad, water, and sodas.
We will be handing out raffle tickets at the BASPUG meetings.
LINKED IN
Join our group on LinkedIn today to connect with the rest of the BASPUG members, and spread the word!
FACEBOOK
We are also on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Boston-Area-SharePoint-User-Group/113652405354617
TWITTER
Follow news about the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group on twitter by following us @BASPUG, and by using the hashtag #BASPUG
WEB
Visit the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group website at http://www.bostonsharepointug.org
ORGANIZERS
Event meetings are organized by Geoff Varosky and Bob German of BlueMetal, James Restivo of Crow Canyon Systems.
Please visit The Boston SharePoint Area Users Group page for more event details!
March 28, 2017 Leave a comment
Registration is now open for the Boston Area SharePoint User Group (BASPUG) taking place on April 12th, 2017, at the Versatile office at 450 Donald Lynch Blvd., Suite B, Marlboro, MA from 7:00-8:30 PM. Click here to register!
This demo-heavy session is going to focus on showing you how to enhance your current business solutions using JavaScript & libraries such as DataTables, Google Charts, MomentJS, and more. Learn how to grab data from SharePoint Lists using the SharePoint REST API and display that information in a more meaningful way on the page.
Jared is a Solution Principal working for Slalom Consulting, a Microsoft Managed Partner providing national Business & IT solutions headquartered in Seattle, Washington. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), and has over a decade of experience building technical solutions, and solving business problems. He is a regular speaker at user groups & SharePoint Saturdays all up and down the East Coast. Jared is also a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in the Office Servers and Services category. He can be reached through his blog or on Twitter (@jaredmatfess).
At Versatile, we understand your IT solutions require careful consideration, whether you’re making traditional IT or cloud decisions. By focusing on clarity, simplicity, and support, we help you align your computing decisions with desired business outcomes. We take great pride in helping your organization run smoother, more efficiently, and more profitably by helping you find the right balance between traditional IT and cloud computing.
Versatile is more than our name – it’s who we are.
Food and beverages will be provided at the meeting free of charge from our meeting sponsor. We generally have pizza (with and without meat), as well a salad, water, and sodas. Beer and wine will also be available.
We will be handing out raffle tickets at the BASPUG meetings.
We will be meeting at the Versatile office at 450 Donald Lynch Blvd, Suite B, Marlboro, MA. Parking is free.
LINKED IN
Join our group on LinkedIn today to connect with the rest of the BASPUG members, and spread the word!
FACEBOOK
We are also on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Boston-Area-SharePoint-User-Group/113652405354617
TWITTER
Follow news about the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group on twitter by following us @BASPUG, and by using the hashtag #BASPUG
WEB
Visit the Boston Area SharePoint Users Group website at http://www.bostonsharepointug.org
ORGANIZERS
Event meetings are organized by Geoff Varosky and Bob German of BlueMetal, James Restivo of Crow Canyon Systems.
Please visit The Boston SharePoint Area Users Group page for more event details!
February 28, 2017 Leave a comment
Registration is now open for the Boston Area SharePoint User Group (BASPUG) taking place on March 8th, 2017, at the BlueMetal office at 9 Galen St, Suite 300, Watertown, MA from 6:30-8:30 PM. Click here to register!
Since 2007, SharePoint has been billed as a platform for developing custom solutions. And who wants to be limited to just what’s in the box? The thing is, sometimes the customizations break when you upgrade SharePoint, which might be at any moment if you’re in SharePoint Online. Just ask anyone who used the "Fab 40" web templates and then couldn’t upgrade from SharePoint 2007! It’s gotten so crazy that some people just won’t customize SharePoint at all, even as new development technologies are introduced.
In this talk, we’ll review all the major options for customizing SharePoint since 2003, and the strengths and pitfalls of each. You’ll learn which options are "safe" and which are headed for a long trip down a short pier. This talk is for everyone who makes decisions about SharePoint – admins, business decision-makers, architects, and developers alike. You’ll learn what’s possible from each type of customization, and what the future has in store. The goal is to make it easy for you to navigate through all the options without stepping on any land mines!
Bob German is Principal Architect at BlueMetal Architects, where he leads SharePoint architecture and development engagements for enterprise customers. Bob has been developing on the SharePoint platform since it was called “Site Server”, and is a Microsoft MVP for Office Development and Office Services and Servers. Over the last few years, Bob has demonstrated "future-proof" client side solutions that allow code reuse from legacy SharePoint to the Add-in model and the forthcoming SharePoint Framework.
Prior to joining BlueMetal, Bob was an architect at the Microsoft Technology Center in Boston, MA; he also worked for Microsoft Consulting Services building and performance tuning web sites and other networking solutions.
Wednesday Mar 08, 2017.
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
The meeting will be held at the BlueMetal Boston Office at 9 Galen St, Suite 300, Watertown, MA. Parking is FREE, and available in the main lot, and behind the building along the river.
Walk in the main building entrance, go to the back, take the elevator up to the 3rd floor, and the BlueMetal office is right in front of the elevator.
Modern technology, craftsman quality. We’re an interactive design and technology architecture firm matching the most experienced consultants in the industry to the most challenging business and technical problems facing our clients. We seek to understand your business strategy and technical foundation to craft modern applications that holistically blend strategic vision, creative design, architecture, and innovation, to exactly meet your needs and ensure your success.
Food and beverages will be provided at the meeting free of charge from our meeting sponsor. Food arrives at about 6:00. We generally have pizza (with and without meat), as well a salad, water, and sodas.
We will be handing out raffle tickets at the BASPUG meetings.
May 1, 2014 Leave a comment
Are you curious about Office 365? What it is, how it can save you time and help you be more productive? Are you getting the full benefits of all that Office 365 has to offer?
One of the ways for people to get the most out of this new and constantly evolving suite of products is to have people to turn to; a place to go to explore new features and functionality or just learn more, share experiences and ask questions. Formal training is great (we strongly encourage ongoing training for users of the Office 365 suite of products), but there are times when you just want to interact with others or ask a simple question.
Help has arrived. Jornata is pleased to be a founding organizer of the Boston Office 365 User Group. Our co-organizers include Microsoft, Wellington Street Consulting, Slalom Consulting and Cognizant Technology Solutions. The group will met monthly, beginning on Thursday, May 22nd, and on the third Thursday of every month thereafter. The event will take place at Microsoft’s New England Research and Development Center (NERD) at One Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Attendance is free and food and beverages will be provided. You can learn more and register for the meeting or join the mailing list.
Fittingly, for the initial event, Microsoft’s Chris Bortlik will present an overview of Office 365. His discussion will include an overview of current Office 365 functionality, including Yammer, Lync Online, mobile applications and Office 365 Pro Plus. He’ll also explore administration and update issues. Chris is an Office 365 technology architect at Microsoft.
There are plenty of ways to keep the conversation going. We have a web site, Linked In group and Yammer group, or you can follow us on Twitter @Bos365.
We want this to be your group. Feedback, ideas, and suggestions are welcome. What topics would you like to see the group address? Are there other elements that you feel should be added to the program? We’ll provide a place to air your grievances and perhaps learn how others have dealt with the issues you’ve encountered.
We’re also looking for event sponsors to provide food, beverages and raffle prizes for the events or pick up the tab for the Office 365 Happy Hour that will follow each meeting at a local bar or restaurant. If you’re interested, or know anyone who might be, please contact us.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Geoff Varosky's Blog 