A
prevalent belief is that so far as SharePoint is concerned, the term
governance is very much hyped and hence, we tend to talk more about the
concept of governance rather that the solutions essential to do away
with the problems it is entitled to deal with. Before discussing further
on this matter, let us have a look at what governance means. When it
comes to a non-profit organization or a business, governance implies
cohesive policies, consistent management, decision-rights, processes and
guidance with respect to a particular area of responsibility. The term
is not related only to SharePoint, but organizations should think about
it irrespective of the technology platform used. Instead of talking
about the necessity for proper governance, it is more important to deal
with the actual day-to-day challenges faced by the organizations while
managing or organizing their information.
Solutions are more significant than the concepts
Very
often, SharePoint is what we call as a grassroots implementation. Basic
installation of SharePoint can be conveniently done, making the
platform available to departments or teams for organization or
collaboration around a particular information set. Once everybody gets
started, each group tends to utilize it differently or use various
methods for information organization and share. Sites often tend to grow
out of control, a phenomenon referred to as “SharePoint sprawl.”
The
question that arises is why a grassroots implementation should be
stopped if it allows more effective collaboration. It is by no means the
optimal solution to any SP implementation. But in case some groups are
allowed to use it, they understand the value and render increased
support to the platform. Now, the best information architecture needs to
be considered depending upon the requirements of those already
utilizing it. You can take into account proper site planning, user
training, data security and gradually shift the current users towards a
proper SharePoint development model.
The
rapid changes taking place within organizations make the job of a
SharePoint admin difficult, because the person always has to be
proactive in order to adapt to the environmental alterations quickly. At
this point, procedures and policies become essential.
Presently,
organizations take the advantage of a number of tools and technologies
along with file sharing sites such as SkyDrive, DropBox, Amazon or
Google Drive. Herein, they come across convenient means to share
documents as well as carry them wherever they go. The biggest SharePoint
administration challenge is- How can you guarantee that only the
appropriate people have access to it?
One
of the complications that lies with talking about governance is the
fact that the concept is as such loose which implies that its meaning
might vary from people to people. In case you are sitting within a room
and are going around a table for getting a comprehensive overview of the
challenges faced by organizations in management of their information,
you will most certainly not find someone saying that they are in need of
proper governance. It might mean a lot, including policies related to
the creation and archiving of SharePoint sites, ways in which taxonomies
are developed as well as maintained or procedures that guarantee
correctness of permissions.
The
truth is that it implies all of the above and more. Rather than trying
to deal with the real meaning of the concept of governance for an
organization, it is more important to comprehend the manner in which the
organization works and then discuss the problems faced by them in
dealing with SharePoint as well as information in general. It is
advisable to put forward certain solutions to cope up with the problems,
be it better procedures and policies or any kind of supporting
technology.
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