Microsoft hones SharePoint update

Microsoft released on Thursday the first major update for its SharePoint collaboration products. Service Pack 1 for SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and SharePoint Services includes support for saving and sharing files up to 2GB in size, new search features and an overhauled update process for applying patches.

Launched several years ago as a tool for building corporate portals, SharePoint has since morphed into a collection of collaboration tools that allow employees to work together remotely on documents and other tasks. Integrated collaboration tools have been one of the main weapons IBM's Lotus division has relied on to compete against Microsoft.