SharePoint as an Enterprise Content management tool... or not anymore?

[Steve Dalby]

Hi everyone

I wanted to try and understand if anyone else see’s the SharePoint strategic direction moving away from the core tools of Managed Metadata, Global Navigation, Record Management and Knowledge Management where SharePoint had an Enterprise Content Management role.

Does anyone else feel that new features like groups, teams, modern libraries are awesome but they should be built with a stronger emphasis on the underlying tools developed over the last 10 years like Content Types and Content type web parts that ensures corporate content has an easy access path for anyone. 

Maybe it is me…. But as I used Team Services in the year 2000+ since then I have seen SharePoint develop into a core Content and Knowledge Management tool

So, I am old school and I would be the first to admit it, but this old school view also has seen business struggle with SharePoint acceptance and the cool growth years of 2007 and 2010 when it became a corporate tool.  In recent years I have seen great steps forward in the traditional weak areas like page design, mobile usage so thanks SharePoint team for improvements here

But I would like to understand from others if in the On-line, Office 365 world, there is a need for Global Content solutions today or is the focus time on Word document, Presentations and Excel sheets reduced to the point where content management and navigation is less relevant as a long term global requirement?

What are your thoughts folks?

Steve

[#2]

I am also old school from STS days & been heavy on Taxonomy & IA :), it does feel like with a combination of search & Office graph (AI) we are moving away from the traditional 'taxonomy tools', they will always be needed on a case by case basis / tactical solutions  but big picture going forward less relevant in the day to day role of a information worker using O365 / SPO IMO.

[#3]

Hi Steve,

You raise some interesting points.

Like you my roots are in old school SharePoint - all the way back to ‘Tahoe’. Although the focus has indeed been on ‘modern’ features for the last few years the ECM underpinnings of SharePoint are still there. It is fair to say that a set of these features are still in ‘classic’ mode but they are there. 

Microsoft has made no sign to deprecate these features and discusses them frequently in this community and at conferences such as Ignite.

Some of this functionality is being brought forward into the new experience with, I would argue, a greater focus on compliance and security than we have seen before in the product.

In short, I would submit that although the perception of SharePoint has changed —and rapidly increased adoption—the fundamentals of the product and service as an ECM platform are still present and relevant.

[#4]

Hi Steve, A timely and new document you may find of interest: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=55850