Set up your EDM with SharePoint in 6 steps, we show you.
The number of services offering electronic document management is increasing, driven by strong demand from businesses. It must be said that most of the knowledge within organizations is implicit, and that it is therefore essential to know how to manage it appropriately. This is all the more true given that, in a context of widespread hybrid work, employees are led to reduce their informal exchanges.
Improving document management in companies is therefore crucial. However, many companies are still unaware that it is possible to use SharePoint for electronic document management. We take stock of the situation in this article.
What is electronic document management (EDM)?
Electronic document management controls the lifecycle of documents in an organization, from creation to storage, modification, deletion or archiving. It is a comprehensive process that enables the use of all documents in an organization.
It is true that with the increasing dematerialization of documents and the integration of new technologies into everyday life, companies are producing and managing more and more electronic documents. Hence the importance of setting up a flexible and efficient management process.
EDM has many benefits in this respect. First of all, it makes it possible to find the right version of a document quickly and easily, while solving storage problems. It also ensures document security through restricted data sharing (only authorized persons have the right to access the documents in question), standardizes document practices, sets up tried-and-tested validation circuits, improves quality processes and, finally, leads to optimized document governance within the company.
Beware: before setting up an EDM, it is necessary to dematerialize all documents. All the company's documents must be scanned and digitized.
Why do you need an EDM software?
EDM software allows companies to manage all their documents in a dematerialized manner. By implementing such software, organizations gain time and productivity, while promoting collaborative work and information sharing.
Setting up validation circuits takes time. Companies need to streamline their processes and increase efficiency. EDM software allows this step to be bypassed, while reducing the risk of error and ensuring better traceability of documents.
One of the most important features of EDM software is data security. This solution offers you the possibility to quickly access all your documents in a secure way, wherever you are, thanks to a rigorous access control.
Finally, EDM solutions give you the opportunity to reduce the costs associated with printing and storing your documents. The risk of losing information is considerably reduced, as all documents are now in the same place and are updated in real time. In addition, the EDM allows you to automate certain actions on documents, which can be set up as you wish.
Why SharePoint is the right EDM tool for you
SharePoint is a service hosted by Microsoft and dedicated to organizations of all sizes. It not only allows you to create sites to share documents and information between colleagues, but also to store files. It is extremely secure, and allows you to exchange and store documents without risk.
SharePoint puts an end to the constant back and forth of emails, with the risk of losing data (and reference documents). This is because it gives access to files to multiple recipients, including users outside the company. If you want the person to work on the same file as you, you need to share a link to that document, not a copy of the file.
Moreover, using SharePoint avoids adding a new application to the technical stack; everything is integrated into Teams and into the Microsoft universe, for increased security and efficiency. Finally, it is possible to create automations to go even further than the SharePoint features allow.
💡 With the arrival of Viva, Microsoft's employee experience platform, SharePoint's features are increased tenfold
Taking action: creating your EDM in SharePoint
So you want to create your DMS in SharePoint? Here are the main steps to follow:
- Identify the roles of each person in document management: this involves putting in place the best team to participate in the document management processes.
- Analyze the use of documents: this step consists in determining the types of documents that teams will be working on, and how they will use them.
- Plan the organization of documents: this involves organizing documents into sites and libraries. SharePoint offers many features to help you organize and store documents, including organizing content into folders and subfolders.
- Plan the movement of documents: at each stage of a document's life cycle, it may be necessary to move it from one place to another.
- Organize content types: this is where you organize document information, such as metadata or workflows. This step will help you organize your documents in a consistent way.
- Organize workflows: You can control and track how documents move from one team member to another as each member participates. SharePoint includes workflows for common team tasks, such as editing and approving documents.
💡 The trick: it can be useful to be accompanied by an integrator to design your custom EDM.
EDM with Mozzaik365
By storing all necessary documentation, Mozzaik365 gives you access to the right information and documents quickly and easily. It's possible to create a knowledge base in your Microsoft environment and manage all your documents, at all stages of their life. Each employee can enrich the content with their own knowledge, while simplified tag management (metadata) and advanced search make knowledge accessible to everyone in the organization.
By adding features to Sharepoint, Mozzaik365 allows you to create your DMS connected to your Digital Workplace, without compromising the security of your documents. Using Mozzaik365 components, you can centralize your team's knowledge, organize it, and make it available to all employees.
This makes it possible to create a knowledge base in your Microsoft environment and to manage all your documents at all stages of their life. Each employee can enrich the content with their own knowledge, while simplified tag management (metadata) and advanced search make knowledge accessible to everyone in the organization. Mozzaik365 gives you access to the right information and documents quickly and easily.
Things to remember
📌 Implementing an optimal EDM policy is essential.
📌 SharePoint allows you to create sites to store and share documents
📌 The SharePoint tool helps you optimize your company's document management.
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