Customer-Driven Lessons: 3 Information Management Best Practices to Implement

The rise of AI has undoubtedly underscored the critical importance of effective information management for businesses today. However, even if we set aside AI’s influence, there are other equally compelling reasons why implementing a robust information management framework is vital for optimizing business processes and driving growth.

As we celebrate Information Management Month, we’re taking a closer look at some key lessons learned from our customer success stories. These real-world case studies showcase the true value of adopting effective information management practices — from boosting efficiency and productivity to achieving compliance goals.

These learnings underscore why a strategic, organization-wide approach to information management is no longer a nice-to-have but a business imperative in our data-driven landscape.

On Implementing Information Management: “Work Smarter, Not Harder”

Challenge: The Southern Grampians Shire Council and three other local councils faced significant challenges with their outdated record-keeping systems. Employees often waste valuable time searching for critical documents and data, hindering productivity and decision-making.

Solution: Implementing an information management system was critical for the councils. They wanted to move away from a cumbersome, manual approach to a more user-friendly, cloud-based solution that could improve compliance and reduce the burden on their staff.

After migrating their content to SharePoint, the councils collaborated with AvePoint to build a new information architecture that streamlined content management and made it easier for users to store and retrieve information. The new information architecture had an organized structure, including simplified categorization, automated policy application, and seamless integration with Microsoft 365 tools. As a result, the councils streamlined their information management implementation while meeting compliance requirements.

Key takeaway: By implementing an updated and effective information management strategy with modern infrastructure and advanced capabilities, the councils could eliminate time-consuming manual processes to work smarter, not harder. This, in turn, empowered their employees with intuitive, on-demand access to information crucial for driving productivity, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making.

Improving Information Management Strategy: “Don’t Let End Users Do Your Records Management”

Challenge: Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI) faced a challenge that many organizations with lower records management maturity often encounter. Their previous approach was inconsistent and ad hoc, with siloed information across multiple systems and a lack of clear policies and procedures.

Solution: To improve their information management strategy, BKI had to take a comprehensive approach and start from the ground up. This involved migrating their data from disparate systems to a centralized, cloud-based platform that could serve as the single repository for all their records and content.

With this foundational work done, BKI established clear policies and procedures for managing information throughout its entire lifecycle. Crucial to this was implementing a purpose-built records management solution that could automate many of the manual, labor-intensive tasks that had previously fallen on their end-users, such as creation and classification to retention and eventual disposition.

Key takeaway: To effectively manage records and information within an organization, relying solely on end-users to handle these mission-critical tasks is simply not a viable or sustainable approach.

The lesson learned here is clear: organizations that want to elevate their information management maturity and reap the benefits of well-governed data should invest in improving their information management strategy. Building a good information architecture, establishing clear policies and procedures, and leveraging advanced information management solutions all bring sophistication and efficiency that manual, user-driven methods cannot match.

Information Management Best Practices: “Get a Trusted Partner”

Challenge: The Cardinia Shire Council is a public sector leader in records management compliance, having won prestigious awards for their initiatives in this area. However, they recognized that true records compliance goes beyond just placing additional demands on users.

Solution: To achieve their goal of 100% records compliance, Cardinia undertook a comprehensive evaluation of different solutions on the market. This included assessing their existing system and exploring other leading options to build a more advanced information management process.

Cardinia recognized that while the native Microsoft 365 tools offered powerful collaboration and content management capabilities, they required an additional, specialized solution to address their records management needs fully. Now, with the combination of Microsoft 365’s collaborative functionality and a trusted information management partner, Cardinia can shift their focus towards driving broader user adoption and cultural change.

By selecting this integrated approach, Cardinia was able to equip their users with a seamless, user-friendly experience that made it easier to do the right thing than the wrong thing when it came to information governance.

Key takeaway: Cardinia’s experience demonstrates the value of partnering with trusted providers who can help organizations navigate the complexities of information management and seamlessly integrate solutions with their existing technology stack. By leveraging the right tools and expertise, Cardinia was able to increase user adoption, improve collaboration, and achieve their compliance targets.

Building the Right Information Management Framework

These three customer stories highlighted in this blog post offer valuable insights into the key elements of effective information management. From working smarter with modern, user-friendly solutions to leveraging specialized tools and partnering with trusted providers, these lessons can help organizations of all sizes and industries improve their information management strategies and drive business success.

However, to build the right information management framework that considers what your business needs, you need to know where to start and what actions are necessary. Get a holistic records and information management approach with AvePoint’s Information Lifecycle Management solution.