6 SharePoint Trends

I'm not a SharePoint Pro.

In fact, I used to be the Active Directory editor at Windows IT Pro. (I still wear that hat, in addition to being a point of contact there for virtualization and security, and yes, SharePoint.)

But I talk to a lot of people across the SharePoint industry--users, admins, devs, MVPs, vendors, newbies, old hands, and yes, Microsoft. And recently I tried to crystallize what I'm hearing this summer, into these six points:

1. SharePoint 2013 is still prompting lots of interest, even if people aren't yet adopting it. Except for people who just now moved to 2010, most are planning or working on their migration or upgrade to 2013 right now.

RELATED: Why Migrate to SharePoint 2013?

2. Some people in the industry see SharePoint 2013 as a means to an end--and the end is the goal of moving to the cloud.

3. Although there are still many "SharePoint-haters" out there, we're seeing a huge uptake in organizations moving to SharePoint for the first time.

4. Big users of SharePoint continue to be pharmaceutical/life sciences; government (Federal, state, and city); education (school districts); and healthcare systems, in addition to the legal services field and some financial services. Some tell me there's more interest and usage in Europe than in the United States.

5. Hot topics include SharePoint and mobile, SharePoint and social, SharePoint and governance, in addition to the standbys of SharePoint management/configuration; SharePoint and PowerShell; and SharePoint end-user adoption.

6. As SharePoint becomes easier and more standardized, we're seeing the rise of the sophisticated power user, often a business process analyst, who wants SharePoint and is going to try to get it even if he or she has to do an end run around IT.

RELATED: Office 365 Fast and Furious

What do you think? Let me know! Comment below or on Twitter @SharePoint_Pro or on LinkedIn at the SharePoint Pro group.