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Move Away from File Shares and Organize Enterprise Information

You need a taxonomy, a plan, and a governance strategy.

  • Most enterprises suffer from information overload. They have too many files, on too many shared drives, and in too many repositories.
  • Business users are notoriously resistant to using new technologies such as SharePoint for managing content.
  • IT has experimented with technologies such as SharePoint in the past, but has met with little success.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • Information growth is becoming a bigger concern for both the business users and management.
  • Everyone recognizes that developing a descriptive taxonomy to support business initiatives and manage risk is important, but nobody knows how to actually do it.

Impact and Result

  • Take the first steps towards Information Organization. Balance business, IT, and user requirements to build an effective strategy.
  • Create a rough-cut taxonomy to kick-off search, ECM, or SharePoint projects.

Move Away from File Shares and Organize Enterprise Information Research & Tools

1. Create a plan for organizing unstructured information

Build a corporate taxonomy for managing internal information.

2. Maintain the information organization practice within the enterprise

Document information gathered during the information organization workshop.


Member Testimonials

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.

9.0/10


Overall Impact

$47,249


Average $ Saved

47


Average Days Saved

Client

Experience

Impact

$ Saved

Days Saved

Virginia Community College System

Guided Implementation

9/10

$47,249

47

Ibrahim was able to offer great insights into our document storage needs. He also provided additional research and resources to me and we've sched... Read More

Platte River Power Authority

Guided Implementation

10/10

$30,999

20

I learned a lot in a short call. I felt encourage about how I could move my project forward. I continue to be humbled by the knowledge of the prof... Read More

City of Spokane

Guided Implementation

8/10

$12,300

10

Unfortunately the Demo and invite was set up prior to knowing the precise topic and material to be presented. There was a change in attendance whic... Read More


Workshop: Move Away from File Shares and Organize Enterprise Information

Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 1: Document existing conditions

The Purpose

  • Create a list of priorities for your information organization strategy.
  • Align the priorities with IT and business strategies.
  • Identify information sources that can serve as targets for an Information Organization initiative.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Identify key issues that need to be addressed by the Information Organization initiative.
  • Recognize roles that will be affected by the initative.
  • Target key information sources.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Establish business priorities

  • Completed project background and justification
1.2

Prepare the business case

  • Completed business case template
1.3

Identify key sources of information

  • Draft listing of information sources
1.4

Prioritize information sources

  • Prioritized listing of information sources

Module 2: Optimize Information Organization

The Purpose

  • Detail user personas that are crucial to developing both taxonomies and information architectures.
  • Determine project plans for moving forward with the information organization project.
  • Create a governance plan to facilitate the ongoing maintenance of the Information Organization project.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Build a straw man taxonomy.
  • Develop project plans for initiatives that will incorporate the taxonomy.
  • Create a governance structure for the Information Governance project.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Build user profiles

  • Detailed user personas
2.2

Create the taxonomy

  • Initial managed metadata template
2.3

Plan the migration

  • Pilot project plans
2.4

Govern the Information Organization project

  • Governance plan
Move Away from File Shares and Organize Enterprise Information preview picture

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

MEMBER RATING

9.0/10
Overall Impact

$47,249
Average $ Saved

47
Average Days Saved

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve.

Read what our members are saying

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 3 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

  • Call 1: Retention schedules and metadata

    Get insight into the appropriateness of your retention schedule and approach to taxonomy creation.

  • Call 2: Ensure user buy-in

    Information Organization is only the first step. Get guidance on how to actually use your new taxonomy to develop systems that cater to user needs.

  • Call 3: Rationalize the product roadmap

    Discuss the various technologies in the IT portfolio that could be used to meet the enterprise mandate for Information Organization.

Author

George Goodall

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