ECM Rm Services

Enterprise Content Management and Records Management Consulting

EPC Group offers consulting in Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Records Management (RM) for organizations using Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Purview.

We create:

• Retention policies
• Compliance archives
• Records governance programs

Our focus is on regulated industries. We have consulting experience since 1997 and have completed 11,000+ enterprise engagements.

What is Enterprise Content Management?

ECM includes the technologies, processes, and policies that manage how an organization creates, stores, and disposes of content. This management occurs throughout the content's lifecycle.

Modern ECM operates on:

• Microsoft SharePoint Online
• Microsoft Purview
• Microsoft 365 Compliance Center

• Document management — version control, metadata tagging, check-in/check-out workflows.
• Records declaration — auto-apply or manual declaration of records with immutable storage.
• Retention policies — schedule-based or event-based retention with defensible disposal.
• Disposition review — workflow-driven review before records are permanently deleted.
• Audit trails — tamper-evident logs of all content access, modification, and disposal events.

Records Management for compliance

Records Management (RM) is the subset of ECM focused on regulatory compliance. Organizations in healthcare, financial services, and government need RM programs that hold up under audit.

• Healthcare (HIPAA) — medical record retention, PHI access controls, 6-year minimum retention for most records.
• Financial services (FINRA/SEC) — SEC Rule 17a-4 WORM-compliant storage, 6–7 year retention for broker-dealer records.
• Government (FedRAMP) — NARA-aligned retention schedules, GCC/GCC High deployment, FOIA response workflows.
• Legal holds — preserve records in place during litigation or investigation without disrupting users.

ECM and RM on Microsoft SharePoint and Purview

EPC Group builds ECM and RM programs on the Microsoft 365 compliance platform. This keeps records management inside tools organizations already use — not a separate, disconnected system.

• Microsoft Purview Records Management — label-based retention and records declaration with disposition review workflows.
• SharePoint Syntex (now Microsoft 365 Copilot) — AI-based document classification and metadata extraction to auto-tag content at scale.
• Microsoft 365 Compliance Center — DLP policies, communication compliance, insider risk management.
• Azure Blob Storage with immutable storage — WORM-compliant archiving for financial services records.
• eDiscovery integration — Microsoft Purview eDiscovery connects directly to SharePoint records for legal review.

Fixed-fee accelerators

EPC Group offers fixed-fee project options for organizations that need defined scope and predictable cost.

• ECM Readiness Assessment — audit current content management, identify compliance gaps, and produce a remediation roadmap.
• Retention Policy Configuration — design and deploy Microsoft Purview retention labels and policies for your regulatory framework.
• Records Management Program Build — file plan design, SharePoint records architecture, disposition workflow configuration.
• Legal Hold Implementation — Microsoft Purview eDiscovery hold configuration, custodian management, and hold notification workflows.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ECM and Records Management?

ECM covers the full content lifecycle, which includes creation, collaboration, storage, and disposal. Records Management is a key part of ECM that focuses on compliance. It involves:

• Applying legal retention schedules
• Making records immutable
• Overseeing defensible disposal

Most regulated organizations require both programs to work together effectively.

Does SharePoint support records management?

Yes. SharePoint Online, along with Microsoft Purview Records Management, manages retention labels, in-place records declaration, disposition review, and audit trails.

EPC Group has successfully completed over 6,500 SharePoint implementations. These include ECM and RM configurations that meet the requirements for:

• HIPAA
• FINRA
• FedRAMP
• GDPR

How long does an ECM implementation take?

An ECM assessment typically takes 4–6 weeks. Building a complete records management program involves several steps:

• Designing a file plan
• Deploying retention labels
• Providing user training

This process usually takes 8–16 weeks for a mid-size organization. Fixed-fee accelerator options are available for projects with a defined scope.

What compliance frameworks does EPC Group support for records management?

EPC Group provides support for various compliance frameworks, including:

• HIPAA
• FINRA
• SEC Rule 17a-4
• FedRAMP
• GDPR
• NARA schedules
• SOC 2

Each framework has specific requirements for retention periods, immutability, and audit trails. We configure these standards into the Microsoft Purview and SharePoint environment.

Can Microsoft Purview replace a legacy ECM system?

For most organizations, the answer is yes. Microsoft Purview Records Management meets the essential needs of dedicated ECM platforms like OpenText or Documentum at a much lower cost.

EPC Group specializes in migrating legacy ECM content into SharePoint and Purview. Our services include:

• Metadata mapping
• Retention schedule conversion

Start your ECM or records management project

Contact an EPC Group Microsoft compliance architect for help with your content management, records governance, or eDiscovery needs.

• Call (888) 381-9725
• Email contact@epcgroup.net
• Schedule a 30-minute discovery call