Situation

Wodonga TAFE, employing over 400 staff, provides diverse training and education services across multiple industries. The TAFE faced challenges stemming from a fragmented digital landscape, which arose due to the rapid deployment of Microsoft SharePoint and Teams during the COVID-19 pandemic. This created a complex environment with unmanaged sites, risking data loss, inefficiency, and non-compliance.

To address these issues, Wodonga TAFE sought a robust records management solution capable of centralising legacy records, streamlining access, and integrating seamlessly with their existing Microsoft 365 environment.

Task

Wodonga TAFE needed to:

1. Implement a scalable and user-friendly records management solution.
2. Consolidate and clean up their digital environment by managing inactive sites and preserving valuable records.
3. Integrate the solution into their current workflows to maintain productivity while enhancing governance and security.

Action

Wodonga TAFE selected iCognition’s Content Manager-as-a-service hosted on the iCognition Ingress cloud platform. The TAFE utilised Content manager’s dual records management models: centralised recordkeeping and manage-in-place functionality.

1. Centralised archiving and deletion: Archived 1,600 inactive SharePoint and Teams sites, securely deleting targeted records and ensuring the preservation of vital records, thus cleaning up the digital landscape.
2. Manage-in-place functionality: Enabled 456 active sites to remain operational, with records management occurring directly within the existing systems.
3. Seamless integration and user adoption: Ensured that staff could continue working within their preferred Microsoft 365 systems while records management occurred in the background, effortlessly and transparently.
4. Ease of implementation: Streamlined the transition to the lates version of Content Manager in the iCognition cloud with minimal disruption, supported by user-friendly features and effective project management.

Result

Wodonga TAFE achieved significant improvements in records management efficiency and governance:

• Enhanced efficiency: Reduced the burden of managing inactive sites, freeing up resources and improving system performance.
• Improved governance and security: Minimised risks of data loss and security breaches through centralised archiving and robust compliance measures.
• Seamless user experience: Staff continued using familiar tools like SharePoint and Teams while benefiting from effortless recordkeeping.
• Future-ready system: Positioned Wodonga TAFE for ongoing digital transformation with a scalable, integrated records management solution.

Testimonial:
“This easy integration has allowed us to manage some sites as ‘manage-in-place’ and others we finalise and can delete/archive to allow the cleanup process to be effective. As we progressed with our project, we have found the integration easy to implement, allowing staff to continue working in their preferred systems while recordkeeping occurs effortlessly and seamlessly,” says Vanessa Flanagan, Records Management Specialist.

For more details, explore the client’s video showcasing this successful project.