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The core of document management and collaboration is being able to organize documents in central areas where they can actually be found. This provides the capability to collaborate on documents from different locations.
Microsoft SharePoint
is an example of a collaboration tool that allows for more unity in a company's workforce. Through tools such as versioning, task management, and user access levels, sharing documents and workspaces can be a seamless and productivity-enhancing process for businesses.
For smaller businesses and small groups, free online document management and collaboration is also available, as well as low-cost services. Microsoft Office Live Workspace is a free collaboration tool that provides storage space, versioning, and different workspace templates to help teams and small businesses collaborate on documents and information, while keeping track of changes.
Another cost-saving collaboration tool is the cloud-hosted Microsoft Online Services BPOS Suite. For $5.25 per user per month, users can have anywhere access to SharePoint, without investing in the servers or needing to purchase the software. The full BPOS productivity suite offers SharePoint, Live Meeting, Office Communications, and Exchange Online as a full suite for $10 per user per month.
One of the core challenges that organizations are frequently facing is the need to efficiently organize data and make it accessible when and where it is needed. This is possibly linked to why there has been an increase in the usage of SharePoint and SharePoint-like applications over the past several years. Collaboration portals create the ability for businesses to exchange data between partners and services by providing quicker and easier access to data resources.
By implementing document management, companies are able to organize their documents effectively, making the data more accessible to the company. Businesses that have significant amounts of information to sift through benefit greatly from document management and collaboration since it saves time and cuts cost by simplifying searches for obtaining the right information at the right time.
Additionally, being able to manage documents in one central location helps to improve overall communication of information. Collaboration portals facilitate the reduction of duplicate data by enabling the company as a whole to access and update data across an internet, intranet, or extranet. Document management and collaboration is an essential technology for any business, but if not implemented and organized efficiently, cannot reach its full utility. View the IT Strategists SharePoint chart for more information on solutions and benefits when using Document Management and Collaboration.
In order to move forward with implementing SharePoint or other related enterprise tools, first decide what you really want out of it. Whether managing and repurposing content, simplifying everyday business activities, or connecting people with information and expertise, knowing what you would like to accomplish is the first step to knowing whether SharePoint services are a right fit for your business. Once implemented, it is also very important to properly train and empower the users to gain the full benefits of a collaboration portal.
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