Do you feel like your business is outgrowing your existing system, but you are not certain where to go next? SharePoint Implementation might be the answer to your problem. Learn what SharePoint is, the advantages of using the system, and the things it can do for your business.
Every business will reach a point where as-you-go-file management does not work any longer. Documents might be missed, and edits could be lost as email attachments. Further, document sharing on external, third-party platforms might be simple, but it is not completely secure and might leave you open to many GDPR Challenges.
What is the need for Modern Intranet in a large organization?
The business realm has previously noticed a sudden substantial change. With technological advancements, it is now possible for anyone with a laptop or computer and the right skills to launch their business. Some technological developments flash and fade, but social intranet software has been a sustainable one.
The dynamic benefits of intranet have transformed the way businesses work and their staff collaborates. They could be quite instruments in driving productivity, enabling employees to exchange info and handle projects with ease.
It is astonishing to see the right modern intranet bringing in a lot of productivity increase.
- Enhanced communication
A modern intranet supports excellent communication across the organization by:
- Keeping everybody updated
- Connecting leadership with the staff
- Allowing people to share their knowledge
- Allowing teams to have open discussions
The good thing about the intranet is that it enables communication to flow both ways. Anybody could share, and anyone is free to comment and give their feedback. Hence, an employee intranet simplifies communication by channeling it to one place.
- Improved HR
Did you know that an HR intranet could be of great use in improving the quality of hiring and onboarding procedures? Organizations are wanting to leverage their existing talent by employing from within use intranets like internal job boards for internal hiring, promotions, and evaluations.
- Strengthened employee engagement
Enhancing employee engagement is a major concern for leadership. There are no predetermined, applicable-to-all solutions for every organization. However, a social intranet could motivate staff to contribute more to initiatives and projects.
How to create a successful SharePoint implementation strategy for your organization?
Every big-scale and complicated business projects like SharePoint deployment or implementation isn’t something that an enterprise could handle by itself. That’s because it needs vast technical know-how and special expertise.
Aside from getting professional SharePoint Consulting from an expert, it’s equally essential to create a step-by-step implementation guide to ensure the efficient deployment of your projects.
Here are the steps you can consider to create SharePoint Implementation Plan:
- Get managerial support
- Define your objectives and goals clearly
- Employ professionals and talented team members
- Set up a training strategy
- Set up service operations
- Determine and manage your information design
- Identify policies and standards
- Follow all the best practices for SharePoint implementation
- Support adoption culture
- Keep everything as simple and basic as possible
What does the detailed implementation plan include?
Generally, technical concerns derail a SharePoint project compared to organizational problems. The implementation needs a solid strategy in line with a company’s operations and goals to become sound. That will guarantee a SharePoint solution’s adoption and acceptance by users. That strategy must be created with a complete understanding of business scenarios, which a SharePoint solution is going to support and their significance to the organization.
For efficient implementation, IT and business stakeholders thoroughly assess business goals, which identify the functionality and design of an upcoming SharePoint project.
- Design plan – Keep in mind that a successful implementation needs thorough planning. The implementation project plan typically involves:
- Discovery and analysis
- Design
- Deployment
- Configuration and customization
- User acceptance testing
- Training
- Support and evolution
- Timeframes – A solid SharePoint implementation project requires thorough scheduling. An organization must consider not just the deadline for the entire project but the timeframe for every milestone or step as well.
- Attention to details – The implementation procedure for the on-premises deployment will differ from the cloud deployment. Some of the particular features of the two deployment models are the following:
- SharePoint Online
- Updating
- Accessibility
- Quick start
- SharePoint On-Premises
- Hardware
- Maintenance
- Customization
Keep in mind that efficient SharePoint implementation needs a careful and competent analysis of the organization’s business requirements and matching them along with the platform’s functionality. That also helps the organization decide upon the most appropriate deployment option: hybrid, cloud, or on-premises.
Further, a precise implementation plan and well-determined scope and timeline of works for every stage are needed. What’s more, attention must be paid to making a SharePoint solution convenient and attractive to utilize as high user adoption is one of the key indicators of efficient implementation.
Roles and benefits of cloud services in implementing SharePoint
You are already aware of the clear advantages of cloud technology. The convenience of always-on access to software tools has enabled people to work smarter on any device. Part of the reason many enterprise organizations are gathering to the cloud is the tools are much accessible, the storage is scalable, and the security updates happen in real-time analysis.
Such advantages apply to the SharePoint cloud. That’s why Microsoft is pursuing a cloud-first strategy for its software tools. You see, the SharePoint architecture within the cloud enables documents, ideas, and people to connect and collaborate in new ways on any device. That has totally transformed how we work these days.
With SharePoint, the whole team can work efficiently without ever meeting onsite. That’s a big increase to productivity as teams could be created that cross geographic boundaries, not to mention employees could skip the commute and roll right away into tasks. You can also check SharePoint Cost in details.
More benefits include:
- Cloud-based deployment of SharePoint Implementation removes the necessity for onsite server architectures. That frees up technology teams to work on larger projects.
- The SharePoint cloud incorporates Office 365 online tools, which allow teams to work more efficiently and smarter, whether they are on a smartphone or tablet.
- You have access to upgraded and updated SharePoint features in the cloud. Microsoft upgrades their products continuously, and that is as seamless as it is fast when using the SharePoint cloud.
How to work and implement SharePoint information architecture
Information architecture also referred to as IA, is used to identify how content is ordered, given structure, and displayed on an intranet or a SharePoint website. That refers to where and how documents and content are laid out across an Intranet system. Your IA would be its blueprint if your SharePoint intranet were a building.
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web authors Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld identified three key points you need to consider when implementing an IA.
- Business or context
It would be best if you learned your business’s goals for your intranet to work at its best. Bear in mind that neither business nor time activity will stop when you’re busy making your IA. Consider the time you’re taking and the budget you have for the tasks.
- Content
It would help if you understood what content would be stored in SharePoint. Find out where all data is stored, who has access to what, and who needs access to what. Check all the use cases, the retention policies, information cycle, categories, and approval workflows.
- Users
It may not be visible at the beginning of your Information Architecting. However, it would be best if you considered it to get things to work as flawlessly as possible. Try to ask yourself these questions:
- In what ways do my SharePoint users use the intranet?
- What are their tasks?
- What are their expectations?
Implementing governance practice for sensitive information
Depending on how you handle it, data could be a crucial asset such as gold, or it could be toxic like asbestos while SharePoint Implementation. The best practice approach needs a sustainable ecosystem where you can derive value from the information you hold and safeguard company assets at the same time.
- Think about how data is made or gathered by your organization
Consider too much collection and how you’ll notice people about that collection and the right levels of choice.
- Contemplate how you’re going to utilize and keep that data
Consider the wrong access, guarantee that the choices of data subjects are properly honored, deal with concerns around a possible new use or even misuser, and ways to address problems around the breach.
- Think about who’s going to share that data and with whom they will share it
Contemplate cross-border restrictions and data sovereignty along with excessive, unauthorized, or inappropriate sharing.
- All data should have the proper disposition
Keep the data for as long as you needed to do so for compliance, regulatory, records management, and statutory requirements.
- Learn the differences between what should and can be shared
A good program should evaluate and assess who requires access to what types of data. Security and privacy teams must partner with their IT counterparts to automate controls around enterprise systems.
Choose between SharePoint Online vs. SharePoint On-Premises
Are you confused about which to choose? Here are some practical tips that might help you pick the right option.
Remember, those cloud deployments are suitable for organizations seeking to establish a fault-tolerant and scalable SharePoint farm. It’s beyond bearing the price or complexity. Using the Online version allows you to make an informed decision quickly, preventing the tunnel effect of setting up substantial infrastructure.
Nonetheless, you can take advantage of the product developments while SharePoint Implementation for the future while agreeing to follow the update schedules from the publisher.
On the other hand, On-Premise is ideal for companies with customization requirements and high-security standards and plan to accomplish economies of scale on licenses. It’s also perfect for organizations wanting more storage than Microsoft provides or more control over their farm architecture.
Moreover, this option is ideal for you if you advanced customizations and developments particular to your business.
EPCGroup as your SharePoint Implementation partner
Our Office 365 experts at EPCGRoup have been working along with SharePoint since the very beginning. We have already installed and configured SharePoint for many clients since it officially joined the Office 365 package in 2011.
As your trusted partner, we provide the expertise and services required to make your smooth implementation and support successful. We also take pride in our experts who have decades of experience and work closely with our agents to get a solid understanding of your business goals and requirements. We help you determine where you like to go and draw the map for you to reach there. Whether you’re searching to implement an intranet, document management, or others, EPCGroup is your number one source, helping you leverage Microsoft SharePoint and achieve a competitive edge.For further information, get in touch with us today!
