Avanade Extends SharePoint Server Leadership by Delivering New Collaboration and Social Computing Services

Avanade, One of the Leaders in SharePoint Server Deployments and SharePoint Certifications, Develops Avanade Expert Source Solution to Help Companies Identify and Collaborate With Knowledge Experts


SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - May 12, 2010) -  As more organizations are pressured to make their employees more productive and achieve business results, and as social computing takes hold in the workplace, there are new opportunities to efficiently connect dispersed teams in new ways. Avanade, a business technology services provider, today announced the launch of Avanade® Expert Source™, a new social computing solution developed on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, to help companies better connect with a distributed workforce and make the best use of experts in their global organizations.

Today's fluctuating and competitive business landscape requires that employees increasingly work more effectively with teams across geographies to act more quickly amid business changes. This creates a growing need for highly advanced technologies and communication tools that support rapidly changing business requirements.

The Avanade Expert Source solution helps organizations by:

  • Connecting people with experts who have the right skills and knowledge, widely recognized as a major obstacle in collaboration among global teams.
  • Reducing deployment risks by identifying and engaging the most qualified specialists for critical initiatives.
  • Providing horizontal application methodology, and code with guidelines for vertical industries to establish a catalog of experts across their organizations.
  • Creating a unified platform and process for users to access centralized information and locate experts.

As part of Microsoft's Technology Adoption Program (TAP), Avanade is an early adopter of SharePoint Server 2010, using the platform's latest features in development of its internal portal and website, Avanade.com. Avanade is currently one of the leading systems integrators for SharePoint Server-based solutions and also is one of the leaders in SharePoint Server certifications, with 1,600 experts worldwide, 1,000 of which are located in the company's Global Delivery Network.

"We're seeing strong interest in SharePoint Server 2010 as organizations improve performance through effective collaboration," said Aziz Virani, executive vice president, Global Technologies and Solutions, Avanade. "With SharePoint Server 2010, collaboration and social computing capabilities are now a pervasive benefit of the platform. Avanade's collaboration services, including Expert Source, allow companies to utilize the best available resources, helping organizations do more with less and deepen customer relationships."

The Avanade Expert Source offering is part of Avanade's Information Management and Collaboration service line and is available to Avanade's new and existing customers. The solution is rooted in the firm's deep expertise in the SharePoint Server platform, its long-running executive surveys about social networking and collaboration issues, and its deep understanding of enterprise IT attitudes and adoption trends. Avanade's Information Management and Collaboration service line includes enterprise search, enterprise content management, collaboration, business intelligence and information architecture practices.

"The potential for Avanade to use SharePoint Server 2010 to offer customer solutions with significant productivity and cost savings benefits is paramount to regaining business stability and growth," said Jeff Teper, Corporate Vice President of SharePoint at Microsoft. "The Avanade Expert Source solution complements the features and functionality in SharePoint Server 2010, powering productivity and collaboration across the applications people already know and use."

About Avanade
Avanade provides business technology services that connect insight, innovation and expertise in Microsoft technologies to help customers realize results. Avanade's services and solutions help improve performance, productivity and sales for organizations in all industries. The company applies Microsoft expertise from its global network of consultants, drawing on the right mix of onshore, offshore and nearshore skills, which together are designed to help deliver results faster, at lower cost and with less risk. Avanade, which is majority owned by Accenture, was founded in 2000 by Accenture and Microsoft Corp. and serves customers in more than 24 countries worldwide with more than 9,700 professionals. Additional information can be found at www.avanade.com.

Avanade and the Avanade logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Avanade Inc. Other product, service, or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ®2010 Avanade Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Contact Information:

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Avanade:
Charlie Zaragoza
+1 (206) 239-5893