SharePoint 2010 – Top 10 Resources to get you started

With the official launch of SharePoint 2010 last week, we thought now would be a perfect time for us to share some resources to help you to get started evaluating and learning about the new release. 

This post contains links to download evaluation software, guides, demo virtual machines and lots more, for both Developers and IT Professionals.

1. Check out the Office 2010 & SharePoint 2010 Launch Keynote and on-demand sessions, and the SharePoint 2010 Product Site on Microsoft.com

2. Download the SharePoint 2010 Overview Evaluation Guide, the SharePoint 2010 Professional Developer Evaluation Guide and the SharePoint 2010 IT Professionals Evaluation Guide to quickly ramp up on platform updates and additions.

3. Check out the learning plans for IT Professionals, Developers and End Users and get started on your SharePoint 2010 learning plan.

4. Download the pre-configured Hyper-V SharePoint 2010 Evaluation and Demo Virtual Machine (~1.8GB) along with the SharePoint 2010 Walkthrough Guide for a chance to get hands on with SharePoint 2010 with zero set up and configuration.

5. Download 180 day trial versions of;  SharePoint Server 2010, FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint, Office Professional Plus 2010, Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server 2008 R2 to install and evaluate SharePoint 2010 yourself, and while you're downloading stuff here's some links to the full versions of; SharePoint Foundation 2010, Search Server Express 2010, SharePoint Designer 2010

6. Watch the Getting Started with SharePoint 2010 for IT Professionals video series and the Getting Started with SharePoint 2010 for Professional Developers video series to get bite-sized video overviews of some of new and updated features.

7. Do the self paced IT Professional hosted virtual hands-on-labs and Developer hosted virtual hands-on-labs to get hands-on with SharePoint 2010 through a series of scripted tutorials, and if you want more, then download and install 10 getting started Developer Hands-on-labs.

8. Discover what's new for end users with Getting started with SharePoint 2010 guides and Take SharePoint Server 2010 training at your desk.

9. Visit the TechNet and MSDN SharePoint 2010 sites for a wealth of technical reference documentation and prescriptive guidance through our categorized resource centers, such as the Installation and Deployment Resource Center to learn how to plan, install and configure SharePoint 2010 and the Upgrade and Migration Resource Center for the latest guidance and best practices for upgrading to SharePoint 2010.

10. Got questions?  Search for an answer, or ask the community in the official Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Forums.

 Already a SharePoint 2007 expert?

Check out the free advanced training content for IT Professionals and Developers looking to upgrade their skills from SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint 2010.

We've got 36 modules of self paced IT Professional Advanced Training and Developer Advanced Training that includes audio and video recordings.  We'll also be adding 24 hosted virtual hands-on-labs in the very near future to accompany the training content – All for FREE and on demand.

Want to get certified on SharePoint 2010?

Take a look at the Microsoft Learning SharePoint 2010 Training Portal for information and expected availability dates for SharePoint 2010 Certification, Classroom training, E-Learning, MS Press books and Learning Snacks.

Original Post in SharePoint Team Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sharepoint/archive/2010/05/21/sharepoint-2010-top-10-resources-to-get-you-started.aspx

SharePoint 2010 Products Documentation

The SharePoint IT Pro content team announced the release of our Launch documentation for SharePoint Server 2010 and SharePoint Foundation 2010! They have created several different types of content to help you plan, deploy, and administer both SharePoint Server and SharePoint Foundation.
The Launch content for both products can be found here:
SharePoint Server 2010:

• SharePoint Server 2010 Tech Center is a gateway into the IT Pro documentation for SharePoint Server 2010 and a location for RSS feeds of new content.  
• Resource Centers provide information across the product lifecycle for activities and solutions.
• TechNet articles are organized by the product lifecycle – evaluate, plan, deploy, operate, etc. Content includes a newly published page with an RSS feed, so you can keep up with what we've published, and a roadmap to the content.
• Worksheets are Microsoft Excel files that you can use to record information that you gather and decisions that you make as you plan your deployment of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.
• Models are poster-sized illustrations of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 architecture and concepts.

SharePoint Foundation 2010:

• SharePoint Foundation 2010 Tech Center is a gateway into the IT Pro documentation for SharePoint Foundation 2010 and a location for RSS feeds of new content.
• Resource Centers provide information across the product lifecycle for activities and solutions.
• TechNet articles are organized by the product lifecycle – evaluate, plan, deploy, operate, etc. Content includes a newly published page with an RSS feed, so you can keep up with what we've published, and a roadmap to the content.
• Worksheets are Microsoft Excel files that you can use to record information that you gather and decisions that you make as you plan your deployment of Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010.
• Models are poster-sized illustrations of Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 architecture and concepts.

Be sure to check this space often as we highlight specific content that may be of interest to you and notify you of new content as it's published.
P.S. – Be sure to also check out the following:

• SharePoint 2010 Virtual Launch Event
• SharePoint Server 2010 Trial Download
• SharePoint Foundation 2010 Trial Download
• SharePoint 2010 Forums

Microsoft Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Officially Launched

Microsoft [MSFT] has officially launched Microsoft Office 2010 along with SharePoint 2010, Visio 2010 and Project 2010 and made it available to business customers.

If you remember back a few weeks, Office 2010 was first made available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers. This next phase moves one step closer to the full launch that will be see the 2010 product range launching June 15.

Prices of Office 2010 and other software in the suite will range from $99 all the way up to $499 depending on which version of Office you choose.
Updates included in Office 2010 include performance increases making features such as search a lot faster than previous versions. Also improvements to navigation functions have been included along with superior editing tools for video.

SharePoint Team Blog