U.S. Army SharePoint Introduction
SharePoint was introduced as a collaborative technology at our U.S. Army Command client in 2002. The Command needed a solution that fostered collaboration among staff sections, as well as a way to share information throughout the Command. The Digicon Team designed the SharePoint architecture and installed, configured, and tested the SharePoint servers.
After that, the Team began developing solutions to meet the particular business needs of the Command. Since its introduction, the use of SharePoint has grown and the Command has implemented SharePoint MOSS 2007. Digicon personnel have created and customized additional SharePoint sites and have developed custom web parts. SharePoint has been an effective tool in assisting our U.S. Army client Commander and his staff in executing critical mission functions. It has greatly enhanced the staff's ability to collaborate with members of both internal and external organizations, manage and find documents quickly, automate work flows, share calendars, and improve the efficiency of operations.
Problem
The Command needed a way to store and manage documents, find the latest version easily, and control access so that everyone who needed access had it. At the same time, the ability to publish or change documents needed to be controlled.
Action
SharePoint document libraries and lists were created to allow users to manage documents by uploading them into document libraries. Features included the ability to control who can add, delete, change, or read documents; version control; and check in/check out, which alerts users to document changes, add
metadata, and store templates for commonly used formats. In addition, text within documents may be searched and custom views can be created to group documents by certain criteria, or only display
documents that meet selected criteria.
Result
SharePoint document management features save time and resources while making it easier for individuals to search and find documents needed to do their job. Writers can easily store draft documents and allow reviewers to add notes and control changes. Templates for common formats can be created and stored making it easier to create documents in the proper format. The latest version of a document can easily be found, eliminating confusion and saving time, and saving file space by storing documents online. Administrators can easily group documents into customized libraries and control who and what type of access each user has.
To learn more about the benefits of Digicon's SharePoint Solutions, call us at 703-621-1000.