Will SharePoint Server 2010 be worth the upgrade?

The release of SharePoint Server 2010 (formerly SharePoint 14) may seem like a long way off, but with a CTP expected later this year and an official release in the early part of 2010, it’s actually creeping up pretty quickly.

If you had previously been involved with a migration from MOSS 2003 to 2007, than that first paragraph might have just caused your eyes to glaze over. The good news, however, is that it sounds like a migration to 2010 will be a lot less harrowing.

SearchWinIT.com just posted an article that breaks down the basics of what folks can expect from SharePoint Server 2010. In it, independent consultant and author Susan Hanley eases the migration concerns by saying:

“SharePoint Server 2010 undoubtedly will involve some technical changes — Microsoft has said that it will be 64-bit only and require 64-bit Windows Server and SQL Server versions, for example – but it won’t come with the architectural upheaval that 2007 did … That’s great news for users who have invested a lot of time into 2007 because moving to 2010 will be focused on how to get value out of new features rather than on the IT needed to make the conversion.”

As far as features go, we don’t know much outside of improved browser compatibility and enterprise search. A post on Microsoft’s SharePoint Team Blog last month, however, laid out the preliminary system requirements with details on how to best start preparing for a migration. In the meantime, other SharePoint bloggers such as Tom Resling and the folks at SharePoint Buzz have offered their best guesses as to what else to expect when the CTP drops.

It’s also looking like this latest version will be acronym-less, as MOSS no longer works since “Office” has been removed from the name and MSS is already taken. (It’s just a name change though – as SharePoint and Office 2010 will still go hand in hand). If anyone has any ideas for nicknames, leave them in the comments section below. Who knows? Maybe one will catch on.