Why Is Sharepoint Touted As A Perfect Platform For Records Management?

By Author: Dylan Rodriguez
Total Articles: 131
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SharePoint is a technology designed specifically for large enterprises and at the core of any large enterprise records management has a major role to play. There have been many who have debated which platform is apt for records management, but having drawn from my experience of many years as a sharepoint consultant, I can safely vouch that Sharepoint is undoubtedly the finest platform for records management.
This is simply not a statement said for the sake of making a statement, I have the facts to prove that not only me but also most sharepoint consultants will rely on sharepoint to equip them with some of the best record management tools available today. In order to answer my claim that sharepoint is the best platform for records management, it is important to understand what do we exactly mean by records management:
Sharepoint consultants’ definition of record management
As a sharepoint consultant, my first step is to make the organization or my client aware of the parameters that constitute record management. Record management can literally be called the core or the backbone of any organization. ...
... Record management is responsible for the systematic management of an organization’s record system a number of different standards have been attributed to it. Many organizations out there tend to look at record management as a system for only storing records, however, as part of our job as one of the sharepoint consultants we always correct them that record management is also about defining and managing policies and procedures too.
So how does Sharepoint come into the picture?
As a sharepoint consultant our actual job starts at this point where we advise our clients on how to actively use sharepoint server to serve the function of record management. Professionally, my years of experience as a sharepoint consultant have taught me to offer consultations to our clients that match with their specific needs and requirements.
In my domain I have seen a number of sharepoint consultants that offer all the features and tools to a specific client that ends up confusing the client completely and eventually they land up not utilizing even half of the resources. Sharepoint is a powerful platform and in order to harness its true potential as a records management software, sharepoint consultants not only need to advise their clients about the various features but also the record management tools that would help them specifically. Sharepoint consultants start off with outlining the process, formalizing it after discussions with the client and then ensuring it is consistently reviewed.
The major stages of sharepoint record management that sharepoint consultants consider are as following:
Records Management Planning: We as sharepoint consultants have to advise our clients on various planning activities that include identifying roles, analyzing content, developing a file plan and eventually designing a solution.
Developing a Solution: Undoubtedly, once sharepoint consultants have crossed the stage of planning we need to design and devise the appropriate solution that effectively meets our client’s requirements. This entails creation of sites, content types, policies, workflows, document libraries and routing rules that have to be correctly implemented.
Managing Records: Once the solution has been designed, sharepoint consultants need to effectively measure its success by seeing how equipped the tool is in managing records. What is truly commendable about Sharepoint and the reason why as a sharepoint consultant, I vouch for it is the fact that its features take complete advantage of any existing document management features. Another advantage that sharepoint consultants most often share with their clients is that sharepoint offers two ways of managing records where one is through in-place, in a records center or choosing a hybrid approach.

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