SharePoint Foundation 2010

Previously called Windows SharePoint Services (WSS), SharePoint Foundation 2010 provides tools and services for creating and managing team collaboration sites and includes the technology infrastructure on which SharePoint Server 2010 is built. All features in SharePoint Foundation are also available in SharePoint Server 2010.

Like its predecessor, SharePoint Foundation is a free download that can be deployed on Windows Server.

SharePoint Foundation Features

Major features of SharePoint Foundation 2010 include the following.

Security and management infrastructure. Foundation includes a security model that, among other things, maps groups of users to preconfigured sets of permissions that specify and limit the actions users can take on sites and site content. Tools and utilities in Foundation manage settings and configuration of Web sites and applications, and new health monitoring capabilities identify potential configuration, performance, and usage problems.

Developer infrastructure. SharePoint Foundation includes the infrastructure for Web Parts, ASP.NET Web page controls that provide capabilities ranging from simple image display to document management. SharePoint Foundation also delivers a workflow system built on top of the Windows Workflow Foundation engine. Accessible via .NET class libraries and Web services, these capabilities can be used to extend and customize the product. New to Foundation are the core run-time components of Business Connectivity Services (BCS), which enable SharePoint sites to present data from external data sources, such as customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning systems, with limited coding by developers.