What is SharePoint?
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 makes it easier for people to work together. Using SharePoint 2010, your people can set up Web sites to share information with others, manage documents from start to finish, and publish reports to help everyone make better decisions.
"SharePoint" is shorthand that some people use to refer to one or more Microsoft SharePoint products or technologies. SharePoint 2010 products and technologies include the following:
SharePoint Foundation 2010
SharePoint Foundation is the underlying technology for all SharePoint sites. It is available for free on-premises deployment and was called Windows SharePoint Services in previous versions. You can use SharePoint Foundation to quickly create many types of sites where you can collaborate on Web pages, documents, lists, calendars, and data.
SharePoint Server 2010
SharePoint Server is a server product that relies on SharePoint Foundation technology to provide a consistent, familiar framework for lists and libraries, site administration, and site customization. SharePoint Server includes all the features of SharePoint Foundation plus additional features and capabilities such as Enterprise Content Management, business intelligence, enterprise search, and personal profiles through My Sites. SharePoint Server is available for on-premises deployment or as part of a cloud-based service offering such as Microsoft Office 365.
SharePoint Online
SharePoint Online is a cloud-based service, hosted by Microsoft, for businesses of all sizes. Instead of installing and deploying SharePoint Server on premises, any business can now simply subscribe to SharePoint Online to provide their employees with an enterprise grade solution for creating sites to share documents and information with colleagues, partners, and customers.
SharePoint Designer 2010
SharePoint Designer is a free program for designing, building, and customizing Web sites that run on SharePoint Foundation and SharePoint Server. With SharePoint Designer 2010, you can create data-rich Web pages, build powerful workflow-enabled solutions, and design the look and feel of your site. The sites you create can range from small project management team sites to dashboard-driven portal solutions for large enterprises.
SharePoint Workspace 2010
SharePoint Workspace is a desktop program that you can use to take SharePoint site content offline and collaborate on the content with others while you are disconnected from the network. While you and other team members are offline, you can make changes to SharePoint content that will eventually synchronize back to the SharePoint site.