CHOOSE SHAREPOINT AS YOUR PREFERRED ENTERPRISE CONTENT MANAGEMENT

18 Apr, 2019

Technology

It is no surprise that the majority of enterprises rely on Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems to capture, collaborate and store the corporate information. ECM excels at bringing all your content into one place, where everyone is viewing the most updated version at any given time. The centralization of files and collaborative capabilities are table stakes for ECM applications.

Gartner estimates that more than half of ECM implementation projects fail because of inadequate time was spent on planning, selection of ECM software and implementation vendor. While feature sets alone may seem compelling, some solutions fail to deliver what their vendors promise.

Microsoft SharePoint is one of the leading ECM platforms in the market. It’s enterprise-grade capabilities and ease of use drive higher end-user engagement and greater business value than many alternatives.

Why Enterprises should choose SharePoint

Every ECM system needs to support features related to capture, collaboration and storage with seamless integration of existing enterprise systems. Every enterprise comes with its own challenges while implementing these features, most importantly the internal heterogeneous systems, enterprise compliance needs, and different skilled staff.

Below are the key reasons why Sharepoint stands best

It is easy for employees to use with minimal training.
It is easy to deploy & manage.
It integrates seamlessly into Microsoft enterprise environments.
It consistently provides fast access to the information users seek.
It provides a more comprehensive set of enterprise capabilities than most other solutions.
It comes with an AppStore ecosystem which lets a business to integrate with other systems easily.
It lowers Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), including lower maintenance and licensing costs.
It has built-in Records Management.
Best in class security.
Built-in support for most of the file types for view/edit.
Automatic media cataloging.
Support is easier because there is a vibrant community of SharePoint consultants.
How to Ensure a Successful SharePoint Implementation

Many organizations make the mistake of purchasing ECM systems based on features rather than on what the business needs to accomplish its goals. This is as true of SharePoint as any other ECM solution.

To ensure that SharePoint meets the needs of the business and end users (both of which are necessary for a successful implementation) organizations concerned about cost containment and overall solution effectiveness should follow these best practices:

Identify a particular business need and define clear objectives around that.
Remember to interview users who will impact the success of the initiative. (If it is a line-of-business implementation, choose users from that group; if it’s an enterprise-wide implementation involve users across the enterprise.).
Consider governance planning that defines what roles the different types of users will play at which stage(s) of the project.
Tailor the platform according to the defined objectives.
Phase the implementation of functionality based on the time it requires to implement. That way, business users can see what has been implemented in demos and you can set their expectations about the rollout generally. You can also use the feedback in each phase to fine-tune the implementation of the next phase. When you phase an implementation, it is easier to achieve and demonstrate milestones, and achieve greater overall project visibility(This is what we call Agile methodology sprint approach at eBiz).
Deploy SharePoint with scalability in mind.
Ensure the successful delivery of the solution in production through cooperative ownership (business, line-of-business, and user buy-in).
Planning is an important element of a successful ECM solution implementation. With SharePoint, it is important to set up the platform in such a way that it can scale, perform, then plan for the ECM-specific features and structure.

Ready to roll Sharepoint as your ECM?

If you are thinking about implementing SharePoint, migrating from an older version of SharePoint or planning a migration from other ECM systems, we are here to help you.

eBiz Solutions is a Microsoft Gold Partner & preferred vendor to help you in your ECM journey with certified Sharepoint Engineers.

Contact us today
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 901-492-1389