Moving legacy file servers to a SharePoint environment is a huge undertaking and many don’t know where to start. Here are three tips to make sure your deployment is a success.
WORK WITH AN EXPERT
A SharePoint expert has seen challenges in all different kinds of organizations. Whether you are a small business, large enterprise, federal agency or private firm, a team of SharePoint experts can apply best practices to your project. In addition, by working with an outside party you gain a complete view of your organization and processes many times revealing ways to improve business processes for maximum success.
START SMALL
When embarking on a project such as moving from a file server document management environment to a SharePoint enterprise content management environment, it’s natural to want to implement all of the bells and whistles from the start. However, it’s best to start small. This will help users not feel overwhelmed with the changes in their work environment. This is especially true if you are moving from file servers to SharePoint since it’s a huge visual change. Take the time to let staff members become familiar with the system before rolling out additional SharePoint features across the organization.
CUSTOMIZE TRAINING
Training is key in any successful SharePoint deployment. It ensures higher adoption rates and greater Return on Investment (ROI). In addition, it is important that the organization thinks of a SharePoint implementation as a new business tool with new processes instead of a technology that IT is imposing on staff members. Customize the training sessions to focus on the duties and responsibilities of the attendees.