The idea of applying the governance concept to the deployment and use of SharePoint within organisations does, at one level, seem odd- it seems a very detailed level for the application of concept which is fundamentally about how the board governs the use of ICT within the organisation.
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) is an immensely useful collaboration and information sharing tool for organisations, teams and workgroups. However, poorly governed SharePoint deployments can create significant holes in organisational information structures as well as exposing the organisation and its information to a wide range of risks.
Maximising value from your SharePoint deployment requires a joined−up approach that is aligned with the communication objectives and risk controls of the business − a governance approach. Microsoft introduced the idea of SharePoint governance with MOSS 2007 and has applied it to MOSS 2010 as well. The ITGP SharePoint Governance kit starts with the excellent Microsoft work and then goes substantially further, in terms of providing a practical and useful set of templates and tools that can integrate into any information security management system or IT Governance Framework.
