It is no secret that the most competitive organisations often find new and innovative ways to not only manage but also track the information they create every day. This applies both to the tools they use such as Microsoft Teams or Outlook, but also for where that information is stored (as with SharePoint, Salesforce or even network folders). How can organisations benefit from Microsoft Teams' communication and collaboration capabilities while being successful in their information governance?

In a survey conducted by AIIM almost half (42%) indicated that information governance is the biggest driver of digitalisation initiatives. However, if a tool like Microsoft Teams is implemented recklessly, it often runs afoul of corporate information governance guidelines. 

Simplify and centralise information governance in Microsoft Teams step by step

One of the major governance issues that many organisations often face has to do with the fact that they manage documents in a locked-down manner. They may have control over data within the context of an individual department, but this is quickly lost when information moves freely from one department to another.

In contrast, an intelligent information management platform such as M-Files is a smart way to eliminate this problem. M-Files eliminates the need for micromanagement within individual applications such as Teams, creating an overarching management on information that works anywhere, anytime, for any department and any application.

Preventing information fragmentation

Another major governance problem that companies often face has to do with information fragmentation. Information fragmentation means that your data is stored in so many different repositories that are not connected, that keeping track of it becomes unmanageable.

This is also where a solution like M-Files comes in handy. M-Files uses a metadata-driven approach to create an agile experience for employees. This finally allows organisations to manage information based on what is in a document rather than where it is stored. Employees no longer have to figure out where a document they need is stored. Now they only need to know what kind of document it actually is, freeing up more of their precious time to focus on the tasks that really matter.

Put an end to document duplication

Document duplication, unnecessary copying, is more than just 'annoying'. Document duplication is also a direct cause of errors and creates missed opportunities.

Good information governance therefore consists, at a minimum, of preventing document duplication. The right intelligent information governance platform can help you do this in a direct and effective way by providing only a single source of information, resulting in the single-point-of-truth.

That way, employees from different departments can open the same up-to-date document directly from Microsoft Teams. Regardless of where it is stored and who created it. With just one main document that users can refer to, all employees are finally able to be as productive as possible with fewer human errors.

One centralised document lifecycle

Overall, perhaps the biggest key to Microsoft Teams' governance success is to create an easily managed, centralised document lifecycle. Since this cannot be created in Microsoft Teams itself, M-Files provides the answer.

Workflows in M-Files ensure that documents smartly go through their lifecycle, even when a Teams channel has been deleted or archived. That means the status of documents changes, but the right people are automatically notified.

Indeed, documents can actually be assigned to workflows in a way that allows better lifecycle management for different types of documents. For example, one workflow can be dedicated entirely to contracts, while another workflow contains more general customer information.

But best of all, there is no more need for manual processing of documents. Managing information becomes not only instant, but also effortless, all to enforce proper lifecycle management without impacting employees' daily work.

Overarching, breaking down walls between different channels, applications, departments, repositories is the key to success for proper information governance. This not only creates a situation where it is easier than ever to manage critical data of the organisation, it also sets up a system that also enables future growth of the organisation.

Curious how you can overarch all the manage documents and information in Microsoft Teams? Download M-Files for free and find out for yourself.